• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Media Create Sales: Week 18, 2012 (Apr 30 - May 06)

E

electroplankton

Banned
matmanx1 said:
So you are privy to Sony's internal plans are you? I'd like to see the document or hear the quote that shows that Sony has no plan in regards to the Vita because taken at face value that's a highly ridiculous statement.

I'm a Vita owner and I'm quite pleased with it. I've already played through Uncharted and Unit 13 and enjoyed both of them greatly and I've played but have yet to finish Wipeout 2048, Disgaea 3, Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus and Dynasty Warriors Next. It's ergonomically the best handheld I've ever owned and the gameplay experiences I've had with just the launch titles have pretty much moved me completely off of my PS3 in terms of gametime. I assure you, there's no suffering going on with this Vita owner.

Perhaps if we all had magic crystal balls and could make dreams come true we could craft a perfect launch year for the Vita that included everything that every fan would want out of the platform but because we don't (and neither does Sony) sometimes you just have to go with the best you have at the least offensive time.
Click to expand...

Being pleased with a product doesn't mean it's well-placed in the market. Furthermore, you played basically each good game that has been released since the launch, without any genre distinction, like you had to justify the purchase. I own a 3DS, but I didn't buy it at launch since there weren't games that appealed to me; a year later, I found, instead, a nice line-up to start digging into.

PSVita is like a ghost ship now. It's struggling in each market. It has no great announcements so far. Advertising? The few commercials that still are aired are useless, and fail to show which kind of product PSVita is. People say to wait at least E3, where probably Sony will show something. Well, wait. By being Sony, I would announce everything NOW, if there's something to show.
 
J

jman2050

Member
Sony's plan was to A) sell their console to hardcore Sony fans who are starved for a handheld platform and can't have that need addressed elsewhere and B) have the library fill out early with PS3 crossports from third parties and transition to a more complete software profile later on, and C) generate additional interest with various ancillary multimedia and social networking features to compliment the gaming library.

Unfortunately for them, A) that demographic doesn't actually exist, B) it's looking increasingly likely that third parties aren't biting at all and Sony is incapable of drumming up interest in their own platform on their own, and C) they're about seventy million miles behind Apple in trying to create a mobile platform.
 
E

Erethian

Member
jman2050 said:
Sony's plan was to A) sell their console to hardcore Sony fans who are starved for a handheld platform and can't have that need addressed elsewhere and B) have the library fill out early with PS3 crossports from third parties and transition to a more complete software profile later on, and C) generate additional interest with various ancillary multimedia and social networking features to compliment the gaming library.

Unfortunately for them, A) that demographic doesn't actually exist, B) it's looking increasingly likely that third parties aren't biting at all and Sony is incapable of drumming up interest in their own platform on their own, and C) they're about seventy million miles behind Apple in trying to create a mobile platform.
Click to expand...

I get the feeling that so far as third-party support goes, Sony made a lot of assumptions on the level of support that would be there and so didn't do the necessary follow up to ensure the games were actually being made. It'd explain why they lost Monster Hunter to Nintendo, for one.

Because I can't believe they'd knowingly release the system with such pitiful third-party support without at least trying to buy some exclusive games. Though, on the other hand, by the time the level of third-party support (or lack thereof) became apparent it'd be too late to save the first year of the system.
 
C

catashtrophe

Member
A question.

If a monster hunter game is never released on the Vita and neither are other big games and the Vita continues this abysmal decline.

What happens if in a year or 2 Sony pull the plug on Vita and pulls out of the handheld market?

Would a 3DS only handheld market be good or bad for 3rd parties in Japan?

Would it not be in the best interest of 3rd parties to support the Vita?
 
E

electroplankton

Banned
catashtrophe said:
A question.

If a monster hunter game is never released on the Vita and neither are other big games and the Vita continues this abysmal decline.

What happens if in a year or 2 Sony pull the plug on Vita and pulls out of the handheld market?

Would a 3DS only handheld market be good or bad for 3rd parties in Japan?

Would it not be in the best interest of 3rd parties to support the Vita?
Click to expand...

catashtrophe
New Sony's strategy
(Today, 09:27 AM)
Quote
 
F

frankie_baby

Member
catashtrophe said:
A question.

If a monster hunter game is never released on the Vita and neither are other big games and the Vita continues this abysmal decline.

What happens if in a year or 2 Sony pull the plug on Vita and pulls out of the handheld market?

Would a 3DS only handheld market be good or bad for 3rd parties in Japan?

Would it not be in the best interest of 3rd parties to support the Vita?
Click to expand...

Thanks to mobile gaming it doesn't really seem like there is room for 2 dedicated handheld gaming systems so its probably in 3rd parties best interests to support the system that actually has some life in it
 
B

beril

Member
extralite said:
It was revealed together with the pricing of 1 to 3 months worth of subscriptions.

Anyway, there's basically no hurdle left to keep DQ from achieving similar success to previous entries. Some people still aren't online at all with their Wii and Nintendo has tried really hard to change that with the ambassador program. DQX will be much more efficient in achieving this goal though which I think is why they're pushing it as a MMO.

A customer can't ever download anything from the online shop if they're not yet online. DQX will benefit the VC and WiiWare also. Even more on the Wii U of course.

Horii would have wanted the series to go MMO at one point anyway since DQ was always supposed to introduce RPGs to a Japanese audience and MMORPGs are a natural evolution. SE know how much money they make. Nintendo needs a stronger online presence in Japan. Everybody wins.
Click to expand...

I think it's way too late in the console cycle for Nintendo to really care about how much Dragon Quest X drives the Wii connectivity. Maybe for Wii U but that version seems like a bit of an afterthought anyway. You make it sound like it was Nintendo who pushed for it being an MMO which I really don't buy. No matter how badly they want to dominate the online market it just wouldn't make sense to try to strongarm their biggest third party exclusive to be something radically different
 
K

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
catashtrophe said:
A question.

If a monster hunter game is never released on the Vita and neither are other big games and the Vita continues this abysmal decline.

What happens if in a year or 2 Sony pull the plug on Vita and pulls out of the handheld market?

Would a 3DS only handheld market be good or bad for 3rd parties in Japan?

Would it not be in the best interest of 3rd parties to support the Vita?
Click to expand...
A 3DS only dedicated handheld market would be a good outcome for Japanese 3rd parties. The dedicated handheld market being undivided means there's larger sales potential for any single platform game. There's little reason to be concerned about Nintendo abusing its position and mistreating third parties as in the NES era, since the smartphone and tablet market is providing significant competition and other avenues for developers.
 
S

sphinx

the piano man
catashtrophe said:
Would it not be in the best interest of 3rd parties to support the Vita?
Click to expand...

not when everything points to the perceivable fact that investing resources and money in Vita games is the worst business decision you could ever make this day and date.



the pre-pricecut 3DS story should be in the minds of everyone and be a reminder that the world will give you the middle finger right away if you slack off, no matter your name, your brand, or being the successor to this and that.

and there is no place for a handheld whose company doesn't understand how freaking hard and mercyless market is. Sony brought Vita stillborn to the market, no real marketing push, no real key-mustbuy software, no enticing announcements, unsustainable price point, no physical backwards compatibility, expensive own property memory cards. It's doesn't get any worse.
 
E

electroplankton

Banned
sphinx said:
not when everything points to the perceivable fact that investing resources and money in Vita games is the worst business decision you could ever make this day and date.



the pre-pricecut 3DS story should be in the minds of everyone and be a reminder that the world will give you the middle finger right away if you slack off, no matter your name, your brand, or being the successor to this and that.

and there is no place for a handheld whose company doesn't understand how freaking hard and mercyless market is. Sony brought Vita stillborn to the market, no real marketing push, no real key-mustbuy software, no enticing announcements, unsustainable price point, no physical backwards compatibility, expensive own property memory cards. It's doesn't get any worse.
Click to expand...

And the problem with PSVita is even more stressed in Japan, where PSP had a pretty strong performance in the last 3-4 years.
 
G

grimshawish

Banned
matmanx1 said:
So you are privy to Sony's internal plans are you? I'd like to see the document or hear the quote that shows that Sony has no plan in regards to the Vita because taken at face value that's a highly ridiculous statement.
Click to expand...

How could I have seen the internal plans? They didn't exist :p
Look its not ridiculous to see that Sony have no strategy here. The product is not selling.

I'm a Vita owner and I'm quite pleased with it. I've already played through Uncharted and Unit 13 and enjoyed both of them greatly and I've played but have yet to finish Wipeout 2048, Disgaea 3, Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus and Dynasty Warriors Next. It's ergonomically the best handheld I've ever owned and the gameplay experiences I've had with just the launch titles have pretty much moved me completely off of my PS3 in terms of gametime. I assure you, there's no suffering going on with this Vita owner.
Click to expand...

Then I won't feel for you. I will however feel for those buying the system looking for a long life cycle and a variety of games.

Perhaps if we all had magic crystal balls and could make dreams come true we could craft a perfect launch year for the Vita that included everything that every fan would want out of the platform but because we don't (and neither does Sony) sometimes you just have to go with the best you have at the least offensive time.
Click to expand...

Or you know...take a piece of paper - your best team - some brain thinking and write up a ...wait for it...wait for it...STRATEGY!
Its not a hard concept 'strategy'. For Sony it always has been and the company is making huge unintentional losses (Nintendo as a counter point still made a loss, their original strategy 'failed' but they formed a new one that looks to have a clear path to success); they have very very serious corporate and decision making problems - very serious.

Vita didn't have anywhere near the best Sony had as all those overpaid clever people were not put to use to form...a strategy.
Fact is this is not a product made to sell to the market; nor is it a product made to be profitable; nor does it have any identifiable partnerships with other companies (when your business relies on others, relationships and deals are key); or any strategy beyond a 'launch week' - then left it to the open market to sort out.


/sigh for some on the internet this reads like trolling/hate - but am afraid its just simple facts. Sony might pull something out the bag, but thats only with a clear strategy behind Vita. They have problems at the first hurdle though - its the wrong product for the market.
 
M

matmanx1

Member
If the Vita is the wrong product for the market then does that make the 3DS the right product?

I own both and between the two of them they make up 90+% of my gaming time. As far as I can see at this point the big difference between the two is that the 3DS has a better price and a healthier Japanese library while the Vita is unquestionably superior in terms of hardware (which is a difference that may not matter to many but does to me).

The Vita's price will come down over time so that really only leaves software as a major concern and that's a point we've discussed to death. Between E3 and TGS will be very important to see what kinds of new announcements we get but also to determine how many more releases the Vita is actually going to get this calendar year.

I still think it's very early to be shouting "Vita is dead!" from the rooftops but it seems to be the popular thing to do around here regardless. If we get to towards the end of the calendar year and the Vita game lineup doesn't look appreciatively better than it does now and there are no major titles on the way then I'll probably join you but until then you have my skepticism.
 
D

disco

Member
I think two players instead of three in the handheld market will be much healthier for everyone. Sony will be unburdened by leaving the handheld market. Nintendo will get real focus from 3rd parties and a dedicated market for everyones games, their own and 3rd party. However, Nintendo won't be complacent like they were when they had the Gameboy because iOS will keep them on their toes.
 
C

Chris1964

Sales-Age Genius
Famitsu Sales: Week 20, 2012 (May 07 - May 13)

01./01. [WII] Mario Party 9 <ETC> (Nintendo) {2012.04.26} (¥5.800)
02./02. [PS3] Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City <ACT> (Capcom) {2012.04.26} (¥6.990)
03./00. [PS3] Starhawk <STG> (Sony Computer Entertainment) {2012.05.10} (¥5.980)
04./03. [3DS] Fire Emblem: Awakening <SLG> (Nintendo) {2012.04.19} (¥4.800)
05./05. [3DS] Monster Hunter 3G # <ACT> (Capcom) {2011.12.10} (¥5.800)
06./06. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 <RCE> (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} (¥4.800)
07./04. [3DS] Super Mario 3D Land # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2011.11.03} (¥4.800)
08./07. [3DS] Kid Icarus: Uprising <ACT> (Nintendo) {2012.03.22} (¥5.800)
09./08. [3DS] Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games <SPT> (Nintendo) {2012.03.01} (¥4.800)
10./09. [WII] Wii Sports Resort # <SPT> (Nintendo) {2009.06.25} (¥4.800)
 
N

Nibel

Member
FFS Japan! You will buy a trillion copies of RE6, right?!

Also: 3DS madness! And why is Wii Sports Resort in the top 10? :lol
 
M

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
Between 4th and 9th...the old DS times coming back a bit...
Awesome: Fire Emblem the best selling 3DS game again.
 
Z

zroid

Banned
At this point it almost seems fair to officially welcome this new pair into our Trinity. Icarus in particular is just not letting up. I think we'll need to wait another month or so before declaring legs, but things are looking pretty good for it. I had a sense that the game would sustain appeal through word-of-mouth and online play.
 
T

test_account

XP-39C²
frankie_baby said:
This will be hilarious if it happens
Click to expand...
Just wondering, what would be hilarious about it? It only needs a drop of like ~3k to do that, so the chances arent exactly low that it can happen. No new Vita games this week either to boost the hardware sales. It is kinda expected in my opinion (expected as in not surprising if it happens). But it is not like it matters much if it is 10k or 7k anyway, still low numbers regardless.
 
G

Gianni Merryman

Member
allan-bh said:
Because of Golden Week, Wii had a bump.
Click to expand...

Yeah, of course we all know golden week has affected sales somehow, especially giving a bump to those games with longer legs, but it's not as if WiiSports has sprung out of the blue just on account of low sales, that's what I was pointing out, as much as I didn't expect as well it making its comeback in top 10.
 
M

mclem

Member
Mpl90 said:
Awesome: Fire Emblem the best selling 3DS game again.
Click to expand...

Given this is shaping up to be the best-performing Fire Emblem in *ages*... is there any chance of a Fire Emblem chart of a similar nature to the Mario Chart? Might help put the numbers in perspective.
 
E

extralite

Member
beril said:
I think it's way too late in the console cycle for Nintendo to really care about how much Dragon Quest X drives the Wii connectivity. Maybe for Wii U but that version seems like a bit of an afterthought anyway. You make it sound like it was Nintendo who pushed for it being an MMO which I really don't buy. No matter how badly they want to dominate the online market it just wouldn't make sense to try to strongarm their biggest third party exclusive to be something radically different
Click to expand...

Actually I said all three parties involved would have an interest in making DQX an MMO. DQIX being multiplayer-heavy was an important first step into that direction too, so the original intention for it is much older than DQX or its eventual release date.

In the Making of DQ manga Horii is portrayed as saying that he didn't want to make the original DQ multi-member party because it would be too much for an audience unaccustomed to RPGs. But even before DQ was released Horii already had plans for DQ2 and the introduction of a party-system to the series.

The same pattern can be observed in IX and X. Introduce something new and build on it in the sequel.
 
D

donny2112

Member
Gianni Merryman said:
I gather bundles are not counted here,
Click to expand...
Chris1964 said:
10./09. [WII] Wii Sports Resort # <SPT> (Nintendo) {2009.06.25} (¥4.800)
Click to expand...

When Nintendo released the new Wii Sports Resort bundle that included a full Wiimote+, Media Create started a new title in their database, whereas Famitsu just lumped it in with the original title.

Famitsu:
WII Wii Sports Resort - 2.87m

Media Create:
WII Wii Sports Resort - 2.00m
WII Wii Sports Resort (w/ Wii Remote+) - 936K

Edit:
Oh, wait. You're talking about bundled with hardware. Yes, hardware bundles are counted by both Famitsu and Media Create.
 
G

grimshawish

Banned
matmanx1 said:
If the Vita is the wrong product for the market then does that make the 3DS the right product?
Click to expand...

Not yet. Nintendo need to identify that iOS is a problem, but only as an obstacle NOT a 'murder weapon' as some seem to think.
Whats the one big complaint about phones these days? Battery Life.
Whats the one big complaing about 3DS these days? Battery Life.

Nintendo's next revision (whenever) - needs to have long battery and this needs to be marketed to the max. Fact is smart phones need all that operating software and apps running at once - Nintendo can fashion their machines as they like.

Better battery - market this (the real thrust of the marketing) and they'll start to win back customers. Apple can't really compete as their main focus will be on adding features. Nintendo has the manuvarability that Apple doesn't have - Nintendo is not competing with other phone companies as a 'phone'

I own both and between the two of them they make up 90+% of my gaming time. As far as I can see at this point the big difference between the two is that the 3DS has a better price and a healthier Japanese library while the Vita is unquestionably superior in terms of hardware (which is a difference that may not matter to many but does to me).
Click to expand...

This is the same for me. I've moved to just 3DS/PC now - consoles hold little love for me (and a 'new gen' makes me roll my eyes - Wii U 'might' win me if its got some good games however - Nintendo's USP coming into play there!

I still think it's very early to be shouting "Vita is dead!" from the rooftops but it seems to be the popular thing to do around here regardless. If we get to towards the end of the calendar year and the Vita game lineup doesn't look appreciatively better than it does now and there are no major titles on the way then I'll probably join you but until then you have my skepticism.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. As I say - I worried with 3DS over games; however I feel the Vita is different as I think its a 'bad product'.
Now that doesn't mean its not as good 'hardware wise' I just feel that A LOT of its features and unnecessary and expensive.

discocaine said:
I think two players instead of three in the handheld market will be much healthier for everyone. Sony will be unburdened by leaving the handheld market. Nintendo will get real focus from 3rd parties and a dedicated market for everyones games, their own and 3rd party. However, Nintendo won't be complacent like they were when they had the Gameboy because iOS will keep them on their toes.
Click to expand...

Quite. Nintendo also have merged their handheld and console business much more than the game boy days. One sells the other.
3DS will leave a long memory too, they won't under-estimate consumer power again.


PS: My weekly "GO KID!".
How did we expect Starhawk to do and what does that mean for FE?
 
S

saichi

Member
test_account said:
Just wondering, what would be hilarious about it? It only needs a drop of like ~3k to do that, so the chances arent exactly low that it can happen. No new Vita games this week either to boost the hardware sales. It is kinda expected in my opinion (expected as in not surprising if it happens). But it is not like it matters much if it is 10k or 7k anyway, still low numbers regardless.
Click to expand...

That a new system is selling only 7K and reaching new low after on the market for 5 months?

If it is less than Wii, it would be hilarious because it got outsold by a "dead" console in Japan again.
 
D

DGRE

Banned
Mpl90 said:
14 minutes.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I think word of mouth is the key to KI's success. We all know that Smash bros garnered its audience based on the fact that it had every Nintendo character you could dream of, but after that, the audience expanded because the game was ridiculously fun, and gamers wanted to share the experiencr with their friends.

I think KI is exactly the same. it will be an evergreen title and it will go on to sell over a million copies in Japan, and Nintendo will have successfully relaunched a 20 year dormant franchise.
 
M

Mr Swine

Banned
matmanx1 said:
If the Vita is the wrong product for the market then does that make the 3DS the right product?

I own both and between the two of them they make up 90+% of my gaming time. As far as I can see at this point the big difference between the two is that the 3DS has a better price and a healthier Japanese library while the Vita is unquestionably superior in terms of hardware (which is a difference that may not matter to many but does to me).

The Vita's price will come down over time so that really only leaves software as a major concern and that's a point we've discussed to death. Between E3 and TGS will be very important to see what kinds of new announcements we get but also to determine how many more releases the Vita is actually going to get this calendar year.

I still think it's very early to be shouting "Vita is dead!" from the rooftops but it seems to be the popular thing to do around here regardless. If we get to towards the end of the calendar year and the Vita game lineup doesn't look appreciatively better than it does now and there are no major titles on the way then I'll probably join you but until then you have my skepticism.
Click to expand...

As it looks now Sony was/is:

1. A year late with Vita, or roughly 8-9 months in Japan which has lost Sony sales big time.
2. Software sales are horrid, only a very few titles have managed to sell over 100k in Japan.
3. Creating software using the PSV hardware is costing to much, very similar to the PS3/Xbox360.
4. No exlusive big hit software like MonHun for Vita.
5. Costing more than 3DS + you need to buy a memory card which makes PSV more costly.

I believe also that maybe for the first time in years the market can only support one handheld console like in the good "old" days before Sony introduced the PSP. Also I believe that people are probably still a bit sour over the PSP fiasco.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Famitsu Sales: CY 2024 (2024 Jan 01 - 2024 Dec 29)
Sales-Age
16
859
Woopah replied
Famitsu Sales: Week 40, 2024 (Sep 30 - Oct 06)
Sales-Age
43
3K
Woopah replied
Famitsu Sales: Week 16, 2023 (Apr 10 - Apr 16)
Sales-Age 2
55
5K
Woopah replied
Famitsu Sales Week 18+19, 2023 (Apr 24 - May 07)
Sales-Age 2
56
6K
Woopah replied
Famitsu Week 17, 2023 (Apr 17 - Apr 23)
Sales-Age 2 3
110
8K
Woopah replied
Top Bottom