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[Effect]

Not sure how long it's going to be up but if anyone is interested Amazon.com is taking orders again for the PlayStation 4 as of 12:40pm EST.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGA9WK2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[system11]

Time for an anecdotal evidence post. I went into a shop today in the UK who actually did have PS4s in stock. It was a GAME outlet, obviously they were heavily bundled, but the notable thing was the giant hand written billboard outside saying 'PS4 NOW IN STOCK'. Inside there were some people playing the Knack demo kiosk and a few looking at shelves. Xbone One section was desolate, demo unit unused.

 

[yon61]

Don't understand why many think the PS4 will do well in Japan based on the PS3's sales there when the PS3 was very much at its peak when big budget Japanese titles were still a thing. Times have changed since, and the PS4 is more of a Western console if anything. Unless Japan develops a much larger interest in Western games, I don't see how the PS4 won't struggle after launch. I can see the Vita giving the PS4 a big run for its money in YTD sales. Even the Wii U has for the most part more compelling software to the Japanese, and that is doing pretty badly. Until FFXV and KH3 release, I don't have much optimism.

 

[beast786]

Not sure how long it's going to be up but if anyone is interested Amazon.com is taking orders again for the PlayStation 4 as of 12:40pm EST.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGA9WK2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

shows sold out to me

 

[system11]

Even the Wii U has for the most part more compelling software to the Japanese, and that is doing pretty badly.

Stop using the Wii-U as any kind of metric or example other than "how to fail by releasing a console barely upgraded from the last one to a casual market who are still happy with the 2 games they bought at launch in 2006".

 

[Vizzeh]

Don't understand why many think the PS4 will do well in Japan based on the PS3's sales there when the PS3 was very much at its peak when big budget Japanese titles were still a thing. Times have changed since, and the PS4 is more of a Western console if anything. Unless Japan develops a much larger interest in Western games, I don't see how the PS4 won't struggle after launch. I can see the Vita giving the PS4 a big run for its money in YTD sales. Even the Wii U has for the most part more compelling software to the Japanese, and that is doing pretty badly. Until FFXV and KH3 release, I don't have much optimism.

Surely the PS3 Library of games from Japan was enough to warrant the re-investment in the console, not to mention all the good things Next-Gen brings.

Whats the alternative WiiU/Handhelds/Phones? As popular as they are, they cant, for everyone fill the void a console can make. Microsoft CERTAINLY wont fill it.

There will also be the fact alot of the Japanese developers will likely Love the idea the PS4 is much much easier to program for given the X86-64 Architecture.

 

[ramuh]

It reminds me of Mario RPG Seven Stars. Having to count those damn barrels at the end of the game.

Probably why I knew there was 95 before people started posting the numbers. Mario RPG taught me things.

omg. I totally remember that. You had like a countdown. Really loved this game.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

It reminds me of Mario RPG Seven Stars. Having to count those damn barrels at the end of the game.

Probably why I knew there was 95 before people started posting the numbers. Mario RPG taught me things.

I think there was a minigame like that in Sonic '06 where you had to count crates. It was in a sidequest. Much fewer crates though.

 

[BrokenIcarus]

It really doesn't, it just becomes more anecdotal evidence.

Well then every scientific survey and statistic is just anecdotal evidence...

 

[spatenfloot]

So half a million launch week? Wouldn't be shabby, and would be well on track to 1m in a month.

I think maybe more like a half million for the launch month.

 

[yon61]

Stop using the Wii-U as any kind of metric or example other than "how to fail by releasing a console barely upgraded from the last one to a casual market who are still happy with the 2 games they bought at launch in 2006".

You think the Japanese care about power that much?

Surely the PS3 Library of games from Japan was enough to warrant the re-investment in the console, not to mention all the good things Next-Gen brings.

Whats the alternative WiiU/Handhelds/Phones? As popular as they are, they cant, for everyone fill the void a console can make. Microsoft CERTAINLY wont fill it.

There will also be the fact alot of the Japanese developers will likely Love the idea the PS4 is much much easier to program for given the X86-64 Architecture.

The 3DS, Wii U, PS3 and Vita combined are strong enough to prevent too much home support tp go to PS4 early on. Eventually yes, but that all depends on how well PS4 sells in its first couple of years, and with games like KH3 far off, it's not looking all that hot. Maybe MGSV can do something.

Is there an alternative?

It's not like the Emotion Engine and Cell stopped PS2 and PS3 from getting huge support despite how difficult they were to develop for. It will be all down to sales in the end, and sales will come from compelling software.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Eh I actually don't think the PS4 will do that hot in Japan to be honest. I think it will have a strong launch and while I don't think it will crater at all like the Wii U, I think Sony is hoping at least PS3 numbers quite frankly. We'll see though anything is possible

 

[system11]

You think the Japanese care about power that much?

I think the Wii-U was doomed to be stillborn from conception for a variety of reasons, and it doesn't matter which country you live in, it's just not a compelling purchase or a significant step away from what already existed. As many other posters said it's along the same lines as "Wii-U isn't selling therefore people don't like consoles anymore" logic, false.

Just watch it sell out.

 

[SwiftDeath]

I think the Wii-U was doomed to be stillborn from conception for a variety of reasons, and it doesn't matter which country you live in, it's just not a compelling purchase or a significant step away from what already existed. As many other posters said it's along the same lines as "Wii-U isn't selling therefore people don't like consoles anymore" logic, false.

Just watch it sell out.

I agree whole-heartedly that Wii U comparisons are irrelevant in the scope of things but most new tech sells out initially, even the vitatv, it is after launch that's truly interesting.

 

[kyser73]

I think the remote play & sharing/social stuff will be the big sales drivers in Japan.

 

[rjinaz]

shows sold out to me

I'm getting an "in stock on January 16th message". But I can add it to my cart.

 

[anexanhume]

I'm thinking in the range of 700k-900k at a minimum. I'm thinking more than 1.3-1.5 won't happen though in the first week. Japan has done way more in the past and they are probably feeling a similar generational fatigue and want to move on. IIRC there is a stronger push to move on to newer things over there than in the US. The pre-orders also sold out quickly similar to the rest of the world. I think a lot of folks are lowballing this one a bit too much.

We have no idea what the pre-order allocation is. Japan has become a very mobile focused country too. There does seem to be excitement, but that's expected from enthusiasts. Sony are the people who really know because they have those pre-order numbers to work with.

I think the remote play & sharing/social stuff will be the big sales drivers in Japan.

Is there persistent Wifi access on trains in Japan? They'd have a tough time doing remote play on their commutes otherwise. I know their cell network is strong, but know nothing of their data plans and how popular the Vita 3G is there.

 

[Curufinwe]

As many other posters said it's along the same lines as "Wii-U isn't selling therefore people don't like consoles anymore" logic, false.

Yup, they're just recycling the same argument.

 

[yon61]

I think the Wii-U was doomed to be stillborn from conception for a variety of reasons, and it doesn't matter which country you live in, it's just not a compelling purchase or a significant step away from what already existed. As many other posters said it's along the same lines as "Wii-U isn't selling therefore people don't like consoles anymore" logic, false.

Just watch it sell out.

I agree whole-heartedly that Wii U comparisons are irrelevant in the scope of things but most new tech sells out initially, even the vitatv, it is after launch that's truly interesting.

I am talking about the Wii U from a software perspective and that it has a much more compelling library to the Japanese than the PS4 does this year and from that same perspective the PS4 has even more potential to sell worse than the Wii U initially, because we also can't forget how much it costs in comparison to the Wii U.

PS4 will of course do well at launch as pretty much everything does, but soon afterwards I expect its sales to plummet.

 

[davepoobond]

I am talking about the Wii U from a software perspective and that it has a much more compelling library to the Japanese than the PS4 does this year and from that same perspective the PS4 has even more potential to sell worse than the Wii U initially, because we also can't forget how much it costs in comparison to the Wii U.

PS4 will of course do well at launch as pretty much everything does, but soon afterwards I expect its sales to plummet.

just maybe hardware matters too. There is too much emphasis on software availability being the sole factor in hardware sales.

No one would buy a new console today that only played ps1-quality games even if you had the best games to ever be created.

 

[Compeau]

PS4 will likely do decently enough in Japan, but the Japanese just don't care about home consoles anymore.

 

[Ikaruga!]

I'm assuming that's the banned site? Yeah those numbers are bogus.

So thats why the link of it was all ***** didn't know it got so much hate here 0.o

 

[ExoHazMatt]

I live near one of the only Target's in Plano, Texas which is a suburb of Dallas and in a high traffic area.

I live in Allen, just north of Plano, and both Targets and the BB up here are stacked with XBOs, but there's nary a PS4 in sight. At least I know I won't have an issue finding one for Titanfall

 

[Punkster_NY]

More Bones then a grave yard.

I fucking love this comment.. thanks for the chuckle. xD

 

[SolidSnakex]

PS4 will likely do decently enough in Japan, but the Japanese just don't care about home consoles anymore.

I think much of this is going to fall into what Sony does. They've got several big third party games coming up for the PS3 (like Persona 5 and ToZ). I think it's very important that they do everything they can to make sure that they're released on the PS4 simultaneously with the PS3 releases. That third party group they set up is supposed to exist for situations like porting to other devices. Well, those are two games that should take priority over everything else (except Yakuza of course ).

 

[Pain]

Don't understand why many think the PS4 will do well in Japan based on the PS3's sales there when the PS3 was very much at its peak when big budget Japanese titles were still a thing. Times have changed since, and the PS4 is more of a Western console if anything. Unless Japan develops a much larger interest in Western games, I don't see how the PS4 won't struggle after launch. I can see the Vita giving the PS4 a big run for its money in YTD sales. Even the Wii U has for the most part more compelling software to the Japanese, and that is doing pretty badly. Until FFXV and KH3 release, I don't have much optimism.

GTA V sold nearly 1million in Japan alone. Call Of Duty sells a couple hundred thousand. Western games are only getting more popular over there.

 

[Byakuya769]

PS4 is going to pick up where the wii left off in Japan.

 

[yon61]

just maybe hardware matters too. There is too much emphasis on software availability being the sole factor in hardware sales.

No one would buy a new console today that only played ps1-quality games even if you had the best games to ever be created.

If old consoles didn't saturate the market and kept on selling well then companies would have little motivation to invest billions in creating a new generation of them. With that said, saturation does indeed happen eventually and people stop buying what they already own. In the case of Japan with the Vita and 3DS, the 3DS is completely dominating because it has the software despite being far less in power. Let us not forget the struggles the PS3 had either.

Unless Japan opens up to western games, I will remain pessimistic.

 

[Into]

Don't understand why many think the PS4 will do well in Japan based on the PS3's sales there when the PS3 was very much at its peak when big budget Japanese titles were still a thing. Times have changed since, and the PS4 is more of a Western console if anything. Unless Japan develops a much larger interest in Western games, I don't see how the PS4 won't struggle after launch. I can see the Vita giving the PS4 a big run for its money in YTD sales. Even the Wii U has for the most part more compelling software to the Japanese, and that is doing pretty badly. Until FFXV and KH3 release, I don't have much optimism.

What is the difference between the PS3 and PS4? Other than the price difference, what separates the two situations? The PS3 had to compete with a very competitive Wii at the time. Wii and PS3 essentially split the Japanese console market in 2, roughly 20+ million consumers.

And Wii U seemed to have compelling software for the Japanese, unfortunately the Wii U offers nothing that the 3DS already does not do, its why Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, Pikmin, Zelda have done very little for that console in Japan. Simply having handheld games on your console is not going to work.

The PS4 does offer things you cannot do on any other console there, they are bundling some consoles with the camera which can be used for all sorts of things, they have streaming, better social integration, high end graphics you cannot get on a smart phone/3DS/Vita, a good price, they have a few Japan centric titles like Yakuza and DW for launch as welll as high profile releases like 2x MGS games, KH3 and FF15 which are practically exclusive in Japan on the PS4, since the Xbox One wont sell for shit there. PS4 has a better launch than any PlayStation console of all time, go look up the actual launch of PSX, PS2 and PS3 if you doubt that.

PS4 is in a far better position than the PS3 was in Japan, there is no competition on the home console market, Wii U is limping and Japanese third parties clearly do not care about that console. 3DS will continue to do well but will do less in 2014 than in 2013, reason: nowhere near as many high profile releases, no mainline Pokemon or Monster Hunter this year for 3DS, sales are bound to see a small dip.

In 2007, Wii was on fire and PS3 was very expensive, impossibly hard to develop for and had many other problems, such as very questionable marketing campaigns and all sorts of fuck ups.


Ive put my eggs in this basket a long time ago, but i think, factoring all things in 2014, that PS4 will do far better in Japan than most expected. It wont do PS2 numbers, but it will do better than PS3 when its all said and that.

 

[Wickerbasket]

So thats why the link of it was all ***** didn't know it got so much hate here 0.o

It's not hate, it's just banned because the numbers aren't correct. They aren't a trusted source of sales data because they pull their estimates out thin air.

 

[davepoobond]

It's not hate, it's just banned because the numbers aren't correct. They aren't a trusted source of sales data because they pull their estimates out thin air.

That and the guy who founded it used to post here a long time ago and there were lots of debates about his numbers and how he "adjusts" everything. I think he was really defensive and wouldn't disclaim his numbers well enough so it led to an eventual ban because people would use them like they were facts.

Now when you have your user name censored, then that's when you really get hate

 

[meanspartan]

Was listening to IGN's Xbox Podcast yesterday, and the way they treated the sales numbers was cringe inducing.

"Guys this just means everyone is doing great! Who cares if one is ahead right now it's so early! Both are awesome, yay!"

Ok, I am paraphrasing but basically they totally downplayed the fact that the Xbox One did well sure, but the Ps4 did muuuuch better.

And while I agree that it certainly is still early and things can change, I don't think that means that Ps4's early lead is meaningless. Especially considering the strong anecdotal evidence that Ps4's are still nowhere to be found while Xbox Ones are overflowing, perhaps indicating that Xbox One has already met its initial surge of demand while Ps4 is still trying to satisfy its' launch demand.

So ya, just like with the console power differences, IGN seems to be downplaying any sort of difference in sales treating them as if they are "Tied".

They are not tied. The Xbox One sold strongly, but the Ps4 sold even better with over a million more sold than the Xbox. We will see if that trend continues going forward, or if Xbox One catches up / surpasses Ps4.

Why can't they just say that? Is that so hard?

 

[Jomjom]

Because the majority of their audience consists of Xbox fanboys. What you want them to say wouldn't make their listeners happy.

 

[meanspartan]

Because the majority of their audience consists of Xbox fanboys. What you want them to say wouldn't make their listeners happy.

Meh have you seen IGN's comment sections lately, they often are hostile to Xbox One. So I don't know if the site's audience is that Xbox heavy. Maybe this particular podcast being an Xbox Podcast is inherently skewed sure, but the site as a whole seems to try to equalize these consoles every chance they get. Be it power differences, sales, whatever.

The hosts of the podcast even said one of the main reasons people were upset about the 6 v 6 thing in Titanfall was because Playstation Fanboys were bitter about not getting the game on their console of choice. Seriously? lol

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

Was listening to IGN's Xbox Podcast yesterday, and the way they treated the sales numbers was cringe inducing.

"Guys this just means everyone is doing great! Who cares if one is ahead right now it's so early! Both are awesome, yay!"

Ok, I am paraphrasing but basically they totally downplayed the fact that the Xbox One did well sure, but the Ps4 did muuuuch better.

And while I agree that it certainly is still early and things can change, I don't think that means that Ps4's early lead is meaningless. Especially considering the strong anecdotal evidence that Ps4's are still nowhere to be found while Xbox Ones are overflowing, perhaps indicating that Xbox One has already met its initial surge of demand while Ps4 is still trying to satisfy its' launch demand.

So ya, just like with the console power differences, IGN seems to be downplaying any sort of difference in sales treating them as if they are "Tied".

They are not tied. The Xbox One sold strongly, but the Ps4 sold even better with over a million more sold than the Xbox. We will see if that trend continues going forward, or if Xbox One catches up / surpasses Ps4.

Why can't they just say that? Is that so hard?

Did they tell you to buy the Forza 5 IGN car pack?

 

[Unknown One]

It's like the developers skirting around why there is no Wii-U version of games. They won't say it's either power or lack of sales. They don't want to burn bridges.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

So I got it from work that it looks like another wave is coming to Best Buy across the country this upcoming coming week, because Best Buy is planning another PS4 Sunday ad stock for January 19.

 

[sinnergy]

Was listening to IGN's Xbox Podcast yesterday, and the way they treated the sales numbers was cringe inducing.

"Guys this just means everyone is doing great! Who cares if one is ahead right now it's so early! Both are awesome, yay!"

Ok, I am paraphrasing but basically they totally downplayed the fact that the Xbox One did well sure, but the Ps4 did muuuuch better.

And while I agree that it certainly is still early and things can change, I don't think that means that Ps4's early lead is meaningless. Especially considering the strong anecdotal evidence that Ps4's are still nowhere to be found while Xbox Ones are overflowing, perhaps indicating that Xbox One has already met its initial surge of demand while Ps4 is still trying to satisfy its' launch demand.

So ya, just like with the console power differences, IGN seems to be downplaying any sort of difference in sales treating them as if they are "Tied".

They are not tied. The Xbox One sold strongly, but the Ps4 sold even better with over a million more sold than the Xbox. We will see if that trend continues going forward, or if Xbox One catches up / surpasses Ps4.

Why can't they just say that? Is that so hard?

In 40 more countries... They did sell better, Sony, but in more countries. If MS launched in 40 more countries, sales would be about the same but that's my opinion.

 

[Opiate]

It's like the developers skirting around why there is no Wii-U version of games. They won't say it's either power or lack of sales. They don't want to burn bridges.

And there is no reason to, really. Even if there is no good justification for making Wii U games today (there isn't), who knows what the world will look like in 2018.

On topic: This is an excellent start for the PS4.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Was listening to IGN's Xbox Podcast yesterday, and the way they treated the sales numbers was cringe inducing.

"Guys this just means everyone is doing great! Who cares if one is ahead right now it's so early! Both are awesome, yay!"

Just a reminder of who you're talking about

When discussing their review of Assassins' Creed 4, it was noted the reviewer only played the PS4 version of the game and it looked and ran beautifully. The Xbox One version was nowhere to be seen. Ryan McCaffrey, who I believe is in charge of the Xbox channel, chimes in with "it's reasonable to expect the same performance on XB1 as it is on PS4".

BF4's next gen comparison is brought up. They mock the fact that people have been saying the PS4 is "50% more powerful than the XB1", while completely ignoring the fact that the PS4 version renders 50% more pixels than the XB1 version. They go on about the fact that both versions are very similar, "it's like a difference of 51 to 49".

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=707247

 

[segasonic]

Well deserved.

MS fucked it up with their DRM announcement and more expensive price with weaker hardware.

 

[Tsundere]

And there is no reason to, really. Even if there is no good justification for making Wii U games today (there isn't), who knows what the world will look like in 2018.

On topic: This is an excellent start for the PS4.

lol, did you forget you replied to the same post before? =p

 

[quickwhips]

Was listening to IGN's Xbox Podcast yesterday, and the way they treated the sales numbers was cringe inducing.

"Guys this just means everyone is doing great! Who cares if one is ahead right now it's so early! Both are awesome, yay!"

Ok, I am paraphrasing but basically they totally downplayed the fact that the Xbox One did well sure, but the Ps4 did muuuuch better.

And while I agree that it certainly is still early and things can change, I don't think that means that Ps4's early lead is meaningless. Especially considering the strong anecdotal evidence that Ps4's are still nowhere to be found while Xbox Ones are overflowing, perhaps indicating that Xbox One has already met its initial surge of demand while Ps4 is still trying to satisfy its' launch demand.

So ya, just like with the console power differences, IGN seems to be downplaying any sort of difference in sales treating them as if they are "Tied".

They are not tied. The Xbox One sold strongly, but the Ps4 sold even better with over a million more sold than the Xbox. We will see if that trend continues going forward, or if Xbox One catches up / surpasses Ps4.

Why can't they just say that? Is that so hard?

Sony is selling better but they launched in more places. Also I haven't seen PS4s or Xbox 1s much. The only place I saw Xbox ones was at Kmart. I would say it is easier to get an Xbox one than a PS4 but I wouldn't say its over flowing and 2 pictures that get throw around won't change my mind.

 

[BoboBrazil]

In 40 more countries... They did sell better, Sony, but in more countries. If MS launched in 40 more countries, sales would be about the same but that's my opinion.

If they would have launched in more countries they wouldn't have been able to flood the us market and their sales probably would have been less, since most of them came from the us and they would have been sitting on shelves in those other countries.

 

[Into]

Sony is selling better but they launched in more places. .

This argument lacks basic understanding of the markets that are left for both consoles, its the new "stuffing the channels" and "fastest selling" spin:

Sony will sell more PS4s in Japan alone than MS will sell Xbox Ones in tier 2 European countries + Japan +rest of Asia and rest of the world, combined.

Holland is not going to help the Xbox One much, neither is Japan, Denmark, Croatia etc.

Japan for PS4 >>> t2 European countries + Japan for Xbox One + rest of Asia for Xbox + rest of world.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Sony is selling better but they launched in more places. Also I haven't seen PS4s or Xbox 1s much. The only place I saw Xbox ones was at Kmart. I would say it is easier to get an Xbox one than a PS4 but I wouldn't say its over flowing and 2 pictures that get throw around won't change my mind.

Hmm there is far more antecedal evidence than 2 pictures with the strongest being this

Hey guys, I just wanted to throw in an anecdote from a Best Buy employee up in the NH/MA area.

I checked our district charts for PS4/Xbox One stock yesterday. There was exactly 1 PS4 in the entire New England area (both North Mass and south Mass districts), and it was listed as unavailable, for whatever reason.

However, in just the northern district, there was just under 700 Xbox Ones, including 2 Day One editions at the store in Nashua, NH and 1 in Salem, NH. There's pushing 6000 in the local (LOCAL) distribution center. The last two major shipments came in before Christmas, and haven't come close to emptying out either set.

Take it how you will, but every store has PS4s listed as "On order" for as many as they can possibly allocate from every shipment we receive, and they sell out instantly. I'm just glad my store doesn't handle that product directly (I work in a mobile stand-alone), because I guess the phone rings constantly for any news on PS4 stock.

But again everyone and their mother could just be lying about local XB1 stock

 

[Tsundere]

Sony is selling better but they launched in more places. Also I haven't seen PS4s or Xbox 1s much. The only place I saw Xbox ones was at Kmart. I would say it is easier to get an Xbox one than a PS4 but I wouldn't say its over flowing and 2 pictures that get throw around won't change my mind.

What city?

 

[Tmac]

Bomb in Japan?

Outsell the ps3 is pretty much a sure bet... which means ps4 is going to surpass 10 millions the ps3 had in japan alone... Japan is their home, they know their public and they know how to captivate their consumers.. with a good product things gets a LOT easier...

 

[SolidSnakex]

In 40 more countries... They did sell better, Sony, but in more countries. If MS launched in 40 more countries, sales would be about the same but that's my opinion.

It's always hard to tell in these threads, but are you being serious? Sony is topping MS in their two biggest territories (US and UK), once you get more into Europe you have places that heavily lean toward Sony. MS launching in more territories really wouldn't have made much of a difference. There's a reason why MS put those other countries in "Tier 2" , they know what the reception for the console will be.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Sony is selling better but they launched in more places. Also I haven't seen PS4s or Xbox 1s much. The only place I saw Xbox ones was at Kmart. I would say it is easier to get an Xbox one than a PS4 but I wouldn't say its over flowing and 2 pictures that get throw around won't change my mind.

http://www.nowinstock.net/videogaming/consoles/xboxone/

Not overflowing?