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Parappa creator: PS3 not selling in Japan because "it is...

P

pswii60

Member
...too big for Japanese consumer tastes" according to Parappa the Rapper creator NanaOn-Sha.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=25008

NanaOn-Sha planning to develop Wii game

NanaOn-Sha boss Masaya Matsuura has said he believes the reason the Wii is outdoing PS3 in the sales stakes is because Sony's next-gen console is "too big" for Japanese consumer tastes.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in an interview at the Nordic Game conference, Matsuura observed that the PS3 is "currently" lagging behind but added, "Of course they have a chance to recover over time."

He said the problem is not the price or the range of software available for PS3 but simply the size of the machine itself: "It's too big for the Japanese."

Despite such issues the PlayStation 3 is still outselling the Xbox 360 which has yet to secure a solid foothold in the Japanese market.

According to Matsuura, "With Xbox, the problem is not the size of the hardware but of the AC adapter." (psiwii60's editor's note: :lol)

So what of the Wii, the most diminutive of the next-gen consoles? Matsuura offered praise for the machine, but said it also presents new challenges for developers.

"Wii is a very good piece of hardware. Many talented people from Nintendo make great ideas for game hardware, of course. Already I've been starting to think about Wii software, but it's very hard sometimes. Because can you keep shaking the controller for hours?

"Players can't spend a long time on gameplay, so this can be tough. So I respect Nintendo's activities, but for software designers like us, it's very hard."

However, Matsuura said he is currently in the planning stages of developing a game for Wii - with work set to officially begin "soon, maybe".

He went on to reveal that NanaOn-Sha has been working on "a very casual, one-button game" - but declined to offer any further details.

"Maybe the publisher will announce the release soon," Matsuura said. "It's a very simple game, but I hope it will be successful."
Click to expand...

So there you have it:

1) PS3 not selling well in Japan due to size (didn't we hear this excuse with xbox last gen? :lol)
2) 360 not selling well in Japan due to AC power adapter :)lol)
3) Wii development difficult due to over-usage of controller shaking :)lol)
 
G

ghst

thanks for the laugh
It's scary how much Nintendo's recent success can be attributed to hardware aesthetics, especially in Japan.
 
C

Crypto

Banned
I've heard this so many times that there has to be some truth to it. Seriously.

Japanese homes are small, but I didn't know they were THAT small.
 
Y

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
He went on to reveal that NanaOn-Sha has been working on "a very casual, one-button game" - but declined to offer any further details.
Click to expand...

well that sounds great.

i hope it's like a leapfrog game where you press A to leapfrog. and you get to do it over and over.
 
D

DarienA

The black man everyone at Activision can agree on
Was there any indication that he was high during that interview? He seems to be all over the place...
 
T

theBishop

Banned
Heh... I think once the Japanese people throw out their CRT SDTVs in favor of LCD/Plasma HDTVs, that'll free up a lot of space for their PS3s or Xbox360 power supplies...

:lol
 
P

pswii60

Member
Crypto said:
I've heard this so many times that there has to be some truth to it. Seriously.

Japanese homes are small, but I didn't know they were THAT small.
Click to expand...

Typical Japanese house:

LamsonMiniatureHouse.jpg
 
T

TheCardPlayer

Likes to have "friends" around to "play cards" with
Am I the only one who never bought this argument? They make it sounds like Japanese people are 6 inches tall.
 
S

SRG01

Member
theBishop said:
Heh... I think once the Japanese people throw out their CRT SDTVs in favor of LCD/Plasma HDTVs, that'll free up a lot of space for their PS3s or Xbox360 power supplies...

:lol
Click to expand...

Actually, LCDs and flat panels have huge penetration in Asia.
 
R

Ranger X

Member
Pedobear said:
Am I the only one who never bought this argument? They make it sounds like Japanese people are 6 inches tall.
Click to expand...

It's obviously bullshit.
If the PS3 was 399$ or less they would all over it.
 
R

Ryu1999

Member
Pedobear said:
Am I the only one who never bought this argument? They make it sounds like Japanese people are 6 inches tall.
Click to expand...

Yeah they're at least like...twice, maybe even three times that size
 
C

Crypto

Banned
Pedobear said:
Am I the only one who never bought this argument? They make it sounds like Japanese people are 6 inches tall.
Click to expand...

I don't buy it, but once again I've heard it SO many times, and have seen lots of sales evidence to support it too.

Japanese love miniaturization.
 
S

SteveO409

Did you know Halo invented the FPS?
Crypto said:
I've heard this so many times that there has to be some truth to it. Seriously.

Japanese homes are small, but I didn't know they were THAT small.
Click to expand...

It's the size of Bender's room apartment in Futurama
 
C

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
Ranger X said:
It's obviously bullshit.
If the PS3 was 399$ or less they would all over it.
Click to expand...


the 20gig version cost 330$ there i think :)
 
B

Beer Monkey

Member
I remember buying an imported NeGcon in 1995. I had to buy an extension controller just to use the damned thing in a regular American apartment living room. :lol
 
K

KachoMakura

Banned
pswii60 said:
...too big for Japanese consumer tastes" according to Parappa the Rapper creator NanaOn-Sha.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=25008



So there you have it:

1) PS3 not selling well in Japan due to size (didn't we hear this excuse with xbox last gen? :lol)
2) 360 not selling well in Japan due to AC power adapter :)lol)
3) Wii development difficult due to over-usage of controller shaking :)lol)
Click to expand...

As ridiculous as it may sound I'm pretty sure the size of the console does play a factor in Japan. Some consumer poll stated the size of the Xbox was one of the main reasons why the Japanese didn't buy it last-gen. You even have Peter Moore and J Allard stating they were trying to reduce the size of the 360 specifically for the Japanese market.

The Wii is a very compact console and it's selling gangbusters. The Japanese seem to prefer smaller electronics.
 
G

Geezer

Broken water pistol loaded with piss
SRG01 said:
Actually, LCDs and flat panels have huge penetration in Asia.
Click to expand...
Indeed, Japan has the highest HDTV penetration in the world.
Lol, penetration
I believe the last figure I saw was 64%
 
R

Ranger X

Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
Well the 20GB is $417 over there.
Click to expand...

That the amount it would go for after conversion to US dollar?

I think that a price that would translate in a combo 299-399 in America would be a sweet spot for PS3. Combine this with a couple of strong Japanese appealing games and voila, you sell like cakes.
 
C

Crypto

Banned
Eteric Rice said:
And yet they don't give a shit about HD. :lol
Click to expand...

I know you're just joking, but along with having the highest HDTV penetration, they pretty much invented the standard.
 
S

speculawyer

Member
pswii60 said:
1) PS3 not selling well in Japan due to size (didn't we hear this excuse with xbox last gen? :lol)
Click to expand...

We certainly did. And to compound the problem, Sony did the same annoying thing that MS did . . . they made it rounded so you can't stack any other components on top of it.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
So is space really a concern in Japanese apartments? Or is it just some sort of Japanese mindset... size frugality?
 
S

stalker

Member
Well, I know this is not politically correct in GAF, but the main requirement that Sony needs to fulfill if they want me to buy a PS3 at some time in the future is to change the design of the system, basically its size (think ps2 slim). Price drop will help, for sure, but the redesign is a must for me.

Edit: I am not japanese.
If they never change the size of the PS3, I might buy one when it is cheap just to play a few games, and sell it just after finishing them.
 
C

Crypto

Banned
BocoDragon said:
So is space really a concern in Japanese apartments? Or is it just some sort of Japanese mindset... size frugality?
Click to expand...

Depends where you live in Japan. If you're homeless and live in one of those coffin hotels you probably couldn't fit the console and yourself in at the same time. :lol
 
N

Natsume

Member
Crypto said:
I know you're just joking, but along with having the highest HDTV penetration, they pretty much invented the standard.
Click to expand...

Well since they've had HDTV since like mid 90s, are you surprised by the penetration?
 
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