It is depending on how you look at it. Make no mistake, both PS3 and PS4 largely suffered from the lack of strong software for the Japanese market and it's a big part of why PS2 or PS1 numbers were never possible again. It's the biggest bottleneck to adoption in Japan if you're aiming to PS3/PS4 levels, software is the biggest bottleneck if you're aiming to PS1/PS2 levels, but that's been an issue for PS3 and PS4 as well.
Not too long ago, PS5 had the best year for a home PlayStation console in terms of hardware sales since the PS2 in 2004, it's clear that price is an issue now that it reached rock bottom levels in 2025.
TBF, we don't know how much of that stock from last year were purchased by Japanese gamers, vs. people in other countries like China or whatnot importing Japanese systems since they were cheaper than domestic options. I think even with the record single-year hardware sales in 2024, the software sales not being much an improvement in lockstep lends some credence to the idea that some of those hardware sales were from importers in other markets.
As for the software situation, well in terms of 3P there's not much SIE can do about that. But I will say, had SIE done better retaining and curating certain IP going back to the PS1 days into a modern market, they'd have IP brand loyalty rivaling Nintendo. Yet, they did not do this, so at least in Japan that level of brand loyalty to IP just doesn't exist aside rare exceptions like Gran Turismo.
Like imagine how crazy it could've been if SIE kept with the Sing Star games and had new installments based on current major Japanese rock, hip-hop & pop artists, maybe even adding some RPG or simulator elements to them. Those would've sold like gangbusters in Japan and pretty well in other markets too considering the more diversified musical tastes of international audiences these days vs. back in the '90s or '00s.
Its funny that every week people get hyped about Switch 2 dying due to Europeans buying PS5, and then they get chocked by Switch 2 sales in Japan. Maybe the fact that different games are more popular in different markets should be well known by now? Just because Europeans only care about AAA and other third party games on PS5 doesn't mean the entire world works like that.
Plus it's not like Switch 2 is even doing badly in Europe. It's just that PS5 is doing that much better. Sony did a great job establishing PlayStation's brand in Europe back in the mid '90s and onwards, and they've been enjoying the fruits of that labor.
Nice try. The fact ps6 portable won't sell surely doesn't deny home console are fucked in Japan.
The PS6 Portable should do quite well TBH; there's an easy 20-25 million install market for it going off performance of PS4 Pro, PS5 Pro, and how a new PS portable companion device would have more appeal than those in various markets like Japan.
But it's going to come down to pricing, features, level of library compatibility (i.e all or at least most PS6 games need to be playable on it, preferably locally, not cloud streamed), and other such things, plus the software situation across the board. If SIE mess up too much on two or more of those areas, it'll handicap adoption rate of the portable.
How about profit wise while you're on the numbers?
Well, I'm not gonna pretend PS5 profits are struggling, because they clearly aren't. That's night and day compared to PS3 era, for sure.
And ultimately these companies care about profit more than anything so I guess by that measure, PS5 is curb-stomping on the PS3. Personally there are several reasons I'd put PS5 below the PS3 as an overall system/platform but that isn't really the focus of this topic.