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Japan Famitsu: 3DS LL 192k, NMB2 431k in 2 days

M3d10n

Member
the DS line of hardware is also still very very strong here in the US, which seems to be slowing the adoption rate of the 3DS. I think DS sales were only 40k~ below 3DS sales in the latest NPD which is pretty darn crazy.

Didn't the same thing happen between the DS and GBA? I remember the GBA was still doing relevant numbers in the NPD charts well into 2006.
 
At this stage I expect the exact same situation to happen with Wii U. It will launch with a one year headstart and become the main HD console, playing both Nintendo and 3rd party games. Just like Vita, PS4 could arrive too late on the market and become a niche platform. This scenario is far more likely to happen than the one where Wii U fails to win over Japan.
PS3 also nicely mirrors the PSP market turnaround beforehand, coinciding with general dev abandonment of DS/Wii prematurely. I've maintained Nintendo following a repeat of their 3DS strategy for Wii U, but I dunno what PS3's "Monster Hunter" would be exactly (FF? Yakuza? Musou?).


Heh, I dont see that at all for the WiiU. I predict itll have a life more similar to the Gamecube than anything resembling the 3DS/DS or Wii. I don't see them dying or anything, but I dont think itll set anything on fire at all.
Eh, Japan seems like the one market where Wii U is assurred success imo. It's the market where system spec matters least meaning PS4/XB3 aren't quite the looming threat they ate elsewhere, 360 is a non-issue likely making Wii U the most attractive port destination for PS3 stuff and the personal screen setup seems almost tailor made for Japanese homes. Not to mention the system already has 3 of Japan's biggest brands already lined up (Mario, DQ, Wii) and the others (MH, Animal Crossing, etc) are probably safe bets as well.
 

Vinci

Danish
I think people are being a bit unrealistic about the Wii U's chances. There is no chance that it will ever be the target for HD development. All the headstart in the world won't make that happen.
 

Kouriozan

Member
I think people are being a bit unrealistic about the Wii U's chances. There is no chance that it will ever be the target for HD development. All the headstart in the world won't make that happen.

This mean nothing really, but Wii U will get tons of japanese support for various reason.
The ability to pay without the TV is one of those, because japanese people don't have 3/4 TV per home.
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
I think people are being a bit unrealistic about the Wii U's chances. There is no chance that it will ever be the target for HD development. All the headstart in the world won't make that happen.

In the West? You are probably correct.

In Japan? Frankly I see a lot more Basara 3 type scenarios where HD games are up ported from Wii U to PS4/720.

Aside from the few true worldwide blockbuster franchises, it just does not make sense for Japanese companies to invest in brand new engines yet again.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
3 commands visible instead of 2, camera is not as close to the character as in DDD. As a result, BbS is (at least visually) more comfortable to play.
That's a design choice, there's plenty of room left for more HUD elements had they chosen to have them (not that they couldn't also be smaller or without the "commands" line) and there's no rule that says you can only zoom up to a point and no further away with lower resolution, that's just what Square chose (whether they chose it for the character to remain as clearly visible, we can't know).
 

chris3116

Member
I think people are being a bit unrealistic about the Wii U's chances. There is no chance that it will ever be the target for HD development. All the headstart in the world won't make that happen.

No in the western side. But maybe for the Japanese side. The Wii U will probably be successful. I still think that New Super Mario Bros U is a system seller.
 

jman2050

Member
So now that Nintendo is trying to get serious about digital sales, does this mean they will actually be taken seriously by Sales-GAF or still ignored?

Depends on if we actually get numbers on them. If we're still left in the dark then it becomes just as pointless to talk about as before.
 

wrowa

Member
That's a design choice, there's plenty of room left for more HUD elements had they chosen to have them (not that they couldn't also be smaller or without the "commands" line) and there's no rule that says you can only zoom up to a point and no further away with lower resolution, that's just what Square chose (whether they chose it for the character to remain as clearly visible, we can't know).

It's obviously not a design choice, but think what you want. (Well, or more correctly: It is a design choice, but a choice made due to technical constrictions)
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
It's obviously not a design choice, but think what you want.
Every designer would choose to spell out what you see (commands!) instead of show something useful when facing resolution limits. They also couldn't possibly have utilized the bottom screen to show (and select from?!) a ton more commands had they wanted to (not to mention even remove those few from the top screen) considering it makes barely any difference in playability as you'd simply glance a bit lower than before and in the split second you do that, glance to a specific HUD part, you don't notice the action on any setup. By the way, in 3D you also usually have a little wider field of view than what's shown in 2D as each eye sees a bit more of its corresponding sidelines. Having depth perception can make some things more comfortable to play (at least visually).
 

Vinci

Danish
In the West? You are probably correct.

In Japan? Frankly I see a lot more Basara 3 type scenarios where HD games are up ported from Wii U to PS4/720.

Aside from the few true worldwide blockbuster franchises, it just does not make sense for Japanese companies to invest in brand new engines yet again.

It didn't make a lot of sense for 3rd parties to completely abandon mid-tier development either, yet they did. And I have no doubt that the bulk of the big teams - Western and Eastern - will pursue the most extravagant work possible in an attempt to establish themselves in the new generation (which for many of them won't start will MS and Sony release their monster machines). Is this wise? No. Do I feel it will happen? Yes.

As long as publishers and developers treat the industry as a zero-sum game and act as if you're either the top or you're meaningless, never mind the plethora of comments we get from Japanese devs praising their Western brethren, we will continue to see companies fail foolishly to reach the ever-changing standard of "AAA gaming".
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
It didn't make a lot of sense for 3rd parties to completely abandon mid-tier development either, yet they did. And I have no doubt that the bulk of the big teams - Western and Eastern - will pursue the most extravagant work possible in an attempt to establish themselves in the new generation (which for many of them won't start will MS and Sony release their monster machines). Is this wise? No. Do I feel it will happen? Yes.

As long as publishers and developers treat the industry as a zero-sum game and act as if you're either the top or you're meaningless, never mind the plethora of comments we get from Japanese devs praising their Western brethren, we will continue to see companies fail foolishly to reach the ever-changing standard of "AAA gaming".

We'll see.
 
It didn't make a lot of sense for 3rd parties to completely abandon mid-tier development either, yet they did. And I have no doubt that the bulk of the big teams - Western and Eastern - will pursue the most extravagant work possible in an attempt to establish themselves in the new generation (which for many of them won't start will MS and Sony release their monster machines). Is this wise? No. Do I feel it will happen? Yes.

As long as publishers and developers treat the industry as a zero-sum game and act as if you're either the top or you're meaningless, never mind the plethora of comments we get from Japanese devs praising their Western brethren, we will continue to see companies fail foolishly to reach the ever-changing standard of "AAA gaming".
The East literally can't, the few JP teams who could like Square Enix or Capcom are in shambles as a result of pursuing this path previously. The biggest threat to Wii U dev in Japan going forward is probably 3DS sucking up all the onygen in the room, PS4/XB3 are complete non-issues.

Looking back, I'd also say PSP was actually a big drain on Wii support and attracted a lot of stuff that might've gone to Wii otherwise. Vita's failure to gain any traction might prove beneficial to Wii U in this case, since it may end up being the mid-platform of choice for development then.
 
TLxl9.png
 

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
I think people are being a bit unrealistic about the Wii U's chances. There is no chance that it will ever be the target for HD development. All the headstart in the world won't make that happen.
3DS shows japanese wanted a handheld that would be technically good enough to play both Nintendo and 3rd party key franchises. In that context, Vita was made niche, almost superfluous. Just like 3DS is the new DS+PSP, I predict Wii U will be the new Wii+PS3, making the PS4 just as superfluous in Japan. I know most people predict Nintendo to be doomed (=going 3rd party). My prediction is that it's Sony's game to lose, they'd better come up with something outstanding not to keep going down.
 

Bulzeeb

Member
Regarding the resolution discussion, many of you are actually ignoring the most important aspect of it: You can display more information on a high resolution screen. It's pretty notable when you compare Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance.

Dream Drop Distance:
EZneH.png


Only 2 visible commands, camera is rather close to the character (too prevent the characters from pixelating too much).

Birth by Sleep:
QbjN9.png


3 commands visible instead of 2, camera is not as close to the character as in DDD. As a result, BbS is (at least visually) more comfortable to play.


well the 3DS has an aditional screen so a lot of games use that to show inventory and stuff like that, I am not saying that a higher resolution screen is bad, but it all comes down to the design choices made by the developers
 
NSMB DS had two more days and did 2x what NSMB2 did in its first two days.

DS Lite debut is DESTROYED.
You already kind of corrected yourself by pointing out the low shipments for the Lite launch, but I'm just going to add that what made the Lite impressive was the consistency of the sales, it entered a period that lasted over a year where the DS never dipped below 100k units any given week. Moreover, a better comparison would be between this week and the one where NSMB launched, where the DSL ended up at 285k units.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
3DS shows japanese wanted a handheld that would be technically good enough to play both Nintendo and 3rd party key franchises. In that context, Vita was made niche, almost superfluous. Just like 3DS was the new DS+PSP, I predict Wii U will be the new Wii+PS3, making the PS4 just as superfluous in Japan. I know most people predict Nintendo to be doomed (=going 3rd party). My prediction is that it's Sony's game to lose, they'd better come up with something outstanding not to keep going down.
So was the Wii. That didnt make the PS3 niche and almost superfluous. I really think it is way too early to say much about the WiiU/PS4 situation.
 

PhantomR

Banned
Yeah, this is going to be a world class holiday season for NCL. Pokemon and Mario are going to keep sales nicely brisk up until Monster Hunter 4 drops. Then that's it. (For Sony, unfortunately)
 
So was the Wii. That didnt make the PS3 niche and almost superfluous. I really think it is way to early to say much about the WiiU/PS4 situation.
DS didn't kill PSP either, that's why Nintendo approached 3DS as a platform to serve both audiences. It's the same with Wii U, it may not work out like it has for 3DS, but it is a different approach than DS/Wii were.
 

10k

Banned
Nintendo just went super saiyan/beast mode. Famitsu doesn't cover digital sales as far as I know. Great hardware debut. Good software debut.
 

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
Yeah, this is going to be a world class holiday season for NCL. Pokemon and Mario are going to keep sales nicely brisk up until Monster Hunter 4 drops. Then that's it. (For Sony, unfortunately)
Except there is no Pokemon 3DS.
 

10k

Banned
3DS shows japanese wanted a handheld that would be technically good enough to play both Nintendo and 3rd party key franchises. In that context, Vita was made niche, almost superfluous. Just like 3DS is the new DS+PSP, I predict Wii U will be the new Wii+PS3, making the PS4 just as superfluous in Japan. I know most people predict Nintendo to be doomed (=going 3rd party). My prediction is that it's Sony's game to lose, they'd better come up with something outstanding not to keep going down.
Jesus, can we not turn every thread into a Sony vs Nintendo thread? This is about Nintendo not Sony. They each have their audiences and cater to different needs and the death of either would be a blow to the video game industry.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
DS didn't kill PSP either, that's why Nintendo approached 3DS as a platform to serve both audiences. It's the same with Wii U, it may not work out like it has for 3DS, but it is a different approach than DS/Wii were.
Yep, and the Wii didnt kill the PS3. So i dont see why the WiiU will kill the PS4.
 

tkscz

Member
I'll just leave this here, and not side track the debate further than that... as there's pretty much no more discussion about the disadvantages to not having higher resolutions left after that anyway, imo. :)

There is a slight problem here. One a smaller screen, the first shot wouldn't look THAT bad. Am I the only one not bothered by resolution at all?
 

test_account

XP-39C²
3DS has killed PSV though, at least as far as Japan is concerned.

He says Wii U to PS4 is 3DS to PSV, not DS to PSP or Wii to PS3
Because 3DS killed Vita and Wii U is taking a 3DS approach, not a DS/Wii approach. Again, it might not work out the same way, but it's a closer comparison than DS/Wii, even at this early stage.
I know, but we know nothing about the PS4, so i dont know why looking at the 3DS to Vita situation will mirror the PS4 to WiiU senario. The Wii was powerful enough to support both 1st party and 3rd party too (remember the early "is the Wii the next PS2?" predictions?) and that didnt make the PS3 niche. But he said that he just predict it, so fair enough =)
 
Because 3DS killed Vita and Wii U is taking a 3DS approach, not a DS/Wii approach. Again, it might not work out the same way, but it's a closer comparison than DS/Wii, even at this early stage.
3DS won because Nintendo has stronger pull in the handheld market than they do elsewhere. They were able to tie up exclusive deals that would be impossible for them in the console market. From the first announcement of the 3DS/Vita you could tell how strongly the Japanese industry was betting on the platform and how little faith they had in the other. Wii U has seen two E3s now and nowhere near that level of support/enthusiasm. We've heard nothing so far to make us believe that TGS will be some sort of huge revelation either.
 

Vinci

Danish
3DS has killed PSV though, at least as far as Japan is concerned.

The 3DS simply feasted on the putrid carcass that Sony threw onto the market. The same is true for the PS3. Sony is responsible for what has happened to itself; Nintendo and MS are just happy beneficiaries of Sony's seemingly endless fascination with market irrelevancy.
 
3DS won because Nintendo has stronger pull in the handheld market than they do elsewhere. They were able to tie up exclusive deals that would be impossible for them in the console market. From the first announcement of the 3DS/Vita you could tell how strongly the Japanese industry was betting on the platform and how little faith they had in the other. Wii U has seen two E3s now and nowhere near that level of support/enthusiasm. We've heard nothing so far to make us believe that TGS will be some sort of huge revelation either.
Wii U has yet to have a Japanese rollout, word is we'll get appropriate Nintendo media events and directs in the fall around TGS time, similar to 3DS last year.

I agree the context is different from 3DS (just as DS was different from Wii), but the approach is quite similar. Wii U is a system Nintendo is designing and positioning to serve both Wii and PS3 audiences, but we'll have to see if it attracts the support needed for the latter. It'll take more than Tekken and Ninja Gaiden for sure, but I do think those games are emblematic of the sorts of "core" titles Nintendo is going for this time. That's encouraging at least.
 

MasterShotgun

brazen editing lynx
Just like I expected. NSMB2 is going to be their 3DS money maker for the year.

Good to see the 3DS LL being received well in Japan. I doubt it will pull high numbers at first in the US, but I would love to be proven wrong.
 

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
Yep, but we never got to see the $249 VS $249 senario. That is what most people were referring to.

We probably would have had two bad selling systems, though 3DS sold way better at that price point even even without must-have software.

Edit:

Beaten like Sansa :-/
 

test_account

XP-39C²
In that case, both would have simply done poorly. And even then, the 3DS would have won.
We probably would have had two bad selling systems, though 3DS sold way better at that price point even even without must-have software.

Edit:

Beaten like Sansa :-/
It could be. I just wanted to mention that this is what made many people make that prediction. A lot of people expected the 3DS to dominate regardless because it was the successor to the DS, the most popular handheld system in history.
 
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