Wii U outsells PS4 in Infamous' first week in Japan

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Wii U outsells PS4 in Infamous' first week in Japan

 

by Alex Calvin

Wednesday, May 28th 2014 at 1:11PM BST

 

 

Nintendo?s Wii U has outsold the PlayStation 4 this week in Japan according to sales data provided by Famitsu.

 

The Wii U has been close behind Sony?s consoles for the last few weeks and this week overtook the PS4 by 1,471 units.

 

The bigger surprise was that the change comes as Infamous: Second Son finally arrived in Japan. The superhero game was partially behind a sales of boost of 500 units week-on-week and helped the PlayStation 4 outsell the PlayStation 3 ? though just four units seperated the two consoles.

 

The latter was helped by the release of the new Japanese Pro Evolution Soccer title World Soccer Winning Eleven 2014: Aoki Samurai no Chosen this week, which went straight to the top of the software Top Ten.

 

The 3DS maintains its position at the top of the hardware charts, helped by the likes of the World Soccer, Yokai Watch and Mario Golf in the software rankings.

 

Here are the hardware numbers

 

1. Nintendo 3DS LL ? 20,304

2. PS Vita ?13,334

3. Wii U ? 8,858

4. PS4 ? 7,387

5. PS3 ? 7,383

6. Nintendo 3DS ? 4,711

7. PSP ? 1,201

8. PS Vita TV ? 762

9. Xbox 360 ? 104

 

And the Top Ten games:

 

1. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2014: Aoki Samurai no Chousen (Konami) PS3 ? 47,726  (New)

2. Infamous Second Son (Sony) PS4 ? 39,757 (New)

3. Yokai Watch (Level5) 3DS ? 26,026

4. To Love -Ru: Darkness Battle Ecstasy (Furyu) Vita ? 22,959 (New)

5. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2014: Aoki Samurai no Chousen (Konami) 3DS ? 19,434 (New)

6. Amnesia World (Idea Factory) Vita ? 13,701 (New)

7. Idol Master: One for All (Bandai Namco) PS3 ? 10,224

8. Genkai Tokki Moero Chronicle (Compile Heart) Vita ? 7,213

9. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2014: Aoki Samurai no Chousen (Konami) PSP ? 7,170 (New)

10. New Super Mario Bros. U (Nintendo) Wii U ? 6,410

 

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/wii-u-outsells-ps4-in-infamous-first-week-in-japan/0133053

 

The times, they are a-changing indeed :o

[compl3x]

Mario Kart 8 might be driving these sales?

[LimeMaster]

Mario Kart 8 might be driving these sales?

[JonnyLH]

Has anyone got numbers to compare against say the PS3 at the same time frame? Seems awfully low to me.

[CJ33]

I'm pretty sure its Mario Kart thats the cause of this.

[McKay]

Yeah every Nintendo fan I know has been hyped for Mario Kart for months.

[jerzdawg]

I'm pretty sure its Mario Kart thats the cause of this.

 

 

Yeah every Nintendo fan I know has been hyped for Mario Kart for months.

yet it didnt even make the top 10 for sales?  seems odd... that being said.. cant wait for tomorrow!

 

edit.. wait is mariokart 8 out yet in Japan?  :rofl:

[theyarecomingforyou]

 

Here are the hardware numbers

 

1. Nintendo 3DS LL ? 20,304

2. PS Vita ?13,334

3. Wii U ? 8,858

4. PS4 ? 7,387

5. PS3 ? 7,383

6. Nintendo 3DS ? 4,711

7. PSP ? 1,201

8. PS Vita TV ? 762

9. Xbox 360 ? 104

I think the difference between the PS3 and the X360 is much more interesting. You can understand why Microsoft hasn't bothered to release the XB1 in Japan yet.

[compl3x]

 

 

LOL. Totally unintentional :p

 

 

I think the difference between the PS3 and the X360 is much more interesting. You can understand why Microsoft hasn't bothered to release the XB1 in Japan yet.

 

Yeah. 104. Maybe there was a clearance sale and people bought them for cheap DVD p layers or to watch Youtube with  :rofl:

[Lord Method Man]

yet it didnt even make the top 10 for sales?  seems odd... that being said.. cant wait for tomorrow!

 

edit.. wait is mariokart 8 out yet in Japan?  :rofl:

 

Just released today, it wouldn't be on any charts yet.

[neoadorable]

This isn't bad news for PS4, it's good news for Wii U, and much deserved. Really wish i could afford a Wii U right now. Love that console.

[Shiranui]

edit.. wait is mariokart 8 out yet in Japan?  :rofl:

 

Released on the 29th.

[compl3x]

I think Japan got it first ... By like 1 day. lol.

[George P Global Moderator]

I think the difference between the PS3 and the X360 is much more interesting. You can understand why Microsoft hasn't bothered to release the XB1 in Japan yet.

 

They're doing the smart thing and waiting to release it with some exclusives from Japanese developers that they know will at least sell it.  3 so far that they've talked about.  No point in releasing it with games that tend not to sell well in Japan anyways.

[theyarecomingforyou]

They're doing the smart thing and waiting to release it with some exclusives from Japanese developers that they know will at least sell it.  3 so far that they've talked about.  No point in releasing it with games that tend not to sell well in Japan anyways.

If they had taken the territory seriously those titles would have been ready for launch.

[George P Global Moderator]

If they had taken the territory seriously those titles would have been ready for launch.

 

I don't see any indication they haven't taken the territory serious.   Just because it's not released sooner or quicker doesn't mean anything.  I mean if we're going to go with launch delays as an indication why then wouldn't Sony release the PS4 in Japan first being it's home market?    MS can't force or rush developers to meet it's schedule, that's never happened.   We're seeing games being delayed left and right on both systems now.

[theyarecomingforyou]

I don't see any indication they haven't taken the territory serious.   Just because it's not released sooner or quicker doesn't mean anything.  I mean if we're going to go with launch delays as an indication why then wouldn't Sony release the PS4 in Japan first being it's home market?    MS can't force or rush developers to meet it's schedule, that's never happened.   We're seeing games being delayed left and right on both systems now.

Actually, Sony launched the PS4 in Japan three months after North America and Europe. Microsoft has yet to release the XB1 in many territories, including Japan, Russia, Korea, India and many European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland).

 

Microsoft is terrible at releasing products internationally. We saw the same thing with the Zune, which meant it never stood a chance in the marketplace.

[George P Global Moderator]

Actually, Sony launched the PS4 in Japan three months after North America and Europe. Microsoft has yet to release the XB1 in many territories, including Japan, Russia, Korea, India and many European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland).

 

Microsoft is terrible at releasing products internationally. We saw the same thing with the Zune, which meant it never stood a chance in the marketplace.

 

You just sidestepped my point, if it was a case of just not taking those markets serious like you said then any delay would count, thus even if the PS4 was 3 months after other markets it would still count, as per your reasoning here.  It's their home market, and in the past they've released things first there. 

 

I think there are other, legit and logical reasons as to the delay, none of which have to do with them simply not caring about those markets. 

[trooper11]

MS did not delay the release of the X1 just for fun or out of some kind of spite. They had legitimate reasons for doing so. Of course they would prefer for everything to just work for everyone and be able to launch in all countries day one, but that was not possible.

I'm sure that in some regions, it came down to wanting to have good content in place for the launch, such as in Japan, where a lack of content will kill you. In other regions, at least part of the delay was so that they had more localization time for using voice commands. Those features were important to MS' vision for the platform, so they wanted it to work correctly in each region at launch.

We only know a small part of MS' plans, so who knows what other reasons led to the delay.

No one would say its a good thing that it happened, but if this meant a better launch experience for customers in those regions, well then maybe its worth it.

[neoadorable]

I don't see any indication they haven't taken the territory serious.   Just because it's not released sooner or quicker doesn't mean anything.  I mean if we're going to go with launch delays as an indication why then wouldn't Sony release the PS4 in Japan first being it's home market?    MS can't force or rush developers to meet it's schedule, that's never happened.   We're seeing games being delayed left and right on both systems now.

 

While i agree with theyarecomingforyou (we really need to find you a nickname dude) that MS do not take Asian markets seriously, i also agree with you that the transition to new devices caught developers mentally unprepared as they got so soft and comfortable with nearly a decade of stability and relatively easy sales. The latter is the cause of all these sudden delays - developers and publishers realizing projects are not even close to taking advantage of new hardware or PC for that matter, and realizing the jig is up so better delay and work on them some more. But theyarecomingforyou is correct, MS and ironically Sony have a very 19th century approach to Asian markets, which is a shame.

[123456789A]

Yeah. 104. Maybe there was a clearance sale and people bought them for cheap DVD p layers or to watch Youtube with  :rofl:

 

The good news about the Xbox One launch in Japan is that Microsoft just needs to scrounge up about 1,000 refurbished U.S. units and get those ready for the few dozen people who will buy them later this year. Inventory should last a while.

[George P Global Moderator]

The Xbox in Japan jokes are old guys, let's at least try to be more creative if you're going to take shots.   MS had a good thing going for a while with the 360, and it was selling pretty good in Japan, then they stopped making exclusives or timed exclusive deals with Japanese developers for games that they know sell best there.  That's when it started to fall, it's as simple as that.  I hope this time around they stick with it and keep working and getting exclusives, then it'll do better.  

[dead.cell]

You can understand why Microsoft hasn't bothered to release the XB1 in Japan yet.

You can? I can't! Can't be that hard to shoot a few hundred consoles to Japan every month.

 

Anyway, I'm surprised to see a number of Vita games on the list. I'm really hoping the handheld does well here in the US. Looks to be much more feature rich than the 3DS. All they really need is more games, which they are starting to get. PS+ is certainly helping too.

[theyarecomingforyou]

You just sidestepped my point, if it was a case of just not taking those markets serious like you said then any delay would count, thus even if the PS4 was 3 months after other markets it would still count, as per your reasoning here.  It's their home market, and in the past they've released things first there. 

 

I think there are other, legit and logical reasons as to the delay, none of which have to do with them simply not caring about those markets. 

As my post highlighted, it's not just Japan that Microsoft is struggling with. The PS4 has been released in a lot of territories that the XB1 hasn't. Microsoft just doesn't seem to have the same commitment to international markets that Sony does. I think that taking a year to release the XB1 in so many territories demonstrates that Microsoft doesn't take them seriously.

 

While i agree with theyarecomingforyou (we really need to find you a nickname dude)

Hehe. It shortens to TAC4U.

[George P Global Moderator]

As my post highlighted, it's not just Japan that Microsoft is struggling with. The PS4 has been released in a lot of territories that the XB1 hasn't. Microsoft just doesn't seem to have the same commitment to international markets that Sony does. I think that taking a year to release the XB1 in so many territories demonstrates that Microsoft doesn't take them seriously.

 

 

That only works if there's no other reason for the delay, which I'm betting there is.   You're going to completely neglect the possibility that there are legit reasons for the delays and just cough it up to lack of commitment?   That makes no business sense to say the least.