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[1st Course]

I can see Sony releasing another handheld. Just maybe not a handheld designed for commercial mass-market, but instead one that is positioned as a "premium" device and is sold for a very high margins. Similar approach to what they are doing with the Walkman lineup these days.

 

[casiopao]

I can see Sony releasing another handheld. Just maybe not a handheld designed for commercial mass-market, but instead one that is positioned as a "premium" device and is sold for a very high margins. Similar approach to what they are doing with the Walkman lineup these days.

I on the other hand had the opposite reaction here. I don't think Sony would love to throw/burn their resources to even make any more dedicated handheld game. They probably will focus more on their Xperia to make it more accessible rather than eating another Vita.T_T

And, Vita is already example of "premium" devices and we had already see so many bad example of how bad "premium" gaming devices perform. 3DO anyone? It does not matter how good one thing is. If it is unable to reach consumers, it is not going to do well at all.

 

[sörine]

If Sony comes back to handhelds, why not take an NX approach? Make it cross compatible with (digital) console software or something and simply be a market extension rather than a platform unto itself. Could the PS4 spec get shrunk down to handheld size in the next several years? It's already relatively low power draw iirc and uses a laptop cpu?

I guess it depends on how successfully they can transition their remaining handheld base over to PS4 in Japan though. Might not be worth bothering if they can manage that going forward.

 

[1st Course]

I on the other hand had the opposite reaction here. I don't think Sony would love to throw/burn their resources to even make any more dedicated handheld game. They probably will focus more on their Xperia to make it more accessible rather than eating another Vita.T_T

And, Vita is already example of "premium" devices and we had already see so many bad example of how bad "premium" gaming devices perform. 3DO anyone? It does not matter how good one thing is. If it is unable to reach consumers, it is not going to do well at all.

I wouldn't call the Vita a premium device, it's actually cheaper than the new 3DS model. 3DO was indeed was priced as a premium product but it didn't have high margins as far as I know. A premium product isn't meant to sell to a wide install base since the core idea behind the business model is trade low sales with high profit margins, this is where the PS3/3DO failed. The PS3, 3DO etc were all designed as premium devices but didn't have high margins to make them successful.

I think what I'm trying to say it'd be interesting to see if a game manufacture can mimic the Apple's model and make a viable business out of it. Let's take the Mac for example: Mac sales are much less than Window (Mac market share is like 6% apparently), yet Mac accounts for like 50% of the entire PC industry profit. Apple is by far the most successful PC manufacture despite having lower sale volume overall compared to Lenovo/Dell etc.

Tl'dr: Would an approach where Sony sells 2M PSP3 with $150 profit per unit be better than an approach where they sell 10-12M units for $20-$30 profit per unit? I wonder how many people are willing to pay for $400-$500 handheld.

 

[StevieP]

If Sony comes back to handhelds, why not take an NX approach? Make it cross compatible with (digital) console software or something and simply be a market extension rather than a platform unto itself. Could the PS4 spec get shrunk down to handheld size in the next several years? It's already relatively low power draw iirc and uses a laptop cpu?

I guess it depends on how successfully they can transition their remaining handheld base over to PS4 in Japan though. Might not be worth bothering if they can manage that going forward.

Even on 16/14 the ps4 would suck far too much energy to be used in a handheld despite its modest specs

 

[Hero of Legend]

I wouldn't call the Vita a premium device, it's actually cheaper than the new 3DS model. 3DO was indeed was priced as a premium product but it didn't have high margins as far as I know. A premium product isn't meant to sell to a wide install base since the core idea behind the business model is trade low sales with high profit margins, this is where the PS3/3DO failed. The PS3, 3DO etc were all designed as premium devices but didn't have high margins to make them successful.

I think what I'm trying to say it'd be interesting to see if a game manufacture can mimic the Apple's model and make a viable business out of it. Let's take the Mac for example: Mac sales are much less than Window (Mac market share is like 6% apparently), yet Mac accounts for like 50% of the entire PC industry profit. Apple is by far the most successful PC manufacture despite having lower sale volume overall compared to Lenovo/Dell etc.

Tl'dr: Would an approach where Sony sells 2M PSP3 with $150 profit per unit be better than an approach where they sell 10-12M units for $20-$30 profit per unit? I wonder how many people are willing to pay for $400-$500 handheld.

I don't think Sony would want to make hardware to sell low but profit high, because 3rd-parties would not like that at all, they care about how many people own the thing, not how much Sony makes out of their hardware.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

The biggest issue I see with the premium product idea is software support. This isn't really an issue with computers or media players because most stuff they would run is standardized. But I can't imagine that many publishers would be willing to publish games on a system with such a tiny install base. At best you'd get ports and some really niche games. There wouldn't be much reason for anyone to support the system, and thus there wouldn't be much reason for anyone to buy it.

 

[CaviarMeths]

If Sony comes back to handhelds, why not take an NX approach? Make it cross compatible with (digital) console software or something and simply be a market extension rather than a platform unto itself. Could the PS4 spec get shrunk down to handheld size in the next several years? It's already relatively low power draw iirc and uses a laptop cpu?

I guess it depends on how successfully they can transition their remaining handheld base over to PS4 in Japan though. Might not be worth bothering if they can manage that going forward.

This sounds quite reasonable. The opposite had crossed my mind - Nintendo using Sony exiting the handheld market as an opportunity - but this seems more likely, and also a healthier scenario for consumers and developers.

 

[Vena]

If Sony comes back to handhelds, why not take an NX approach? Make it cross compatible with (digital) console software or something and simply be a market extension rather than a platform unto itself. Could the PS4 spec get shrunk down to handheld size in the next several years? It's already relatively low power draw iirc and uses a laptop cpu?

I guess it depends on how successfully they can transition their remaining handheld base over to PS4 in Japan though. Might not be worth bothering if they can manage that going forward.

Nah, they picked a bad build for that with the Jaguar and even with multiple die shrinks it still would be completely untenable for a handheld from power draw and heat considerations. They'd have to switch to a something akin to Intel's Atom but then that'd be another hardware transition even if its from x86 to x86, they're still different for anything that was or is built with the machine in mind and will come with their own quirks.

They'd have to sink a ton of R&D into such a venture as well, potentially having to completely redesign their UI and OS, and with out any actual IP strength in handheld gaming.

This sounds quite reasonable. The opposite had crossed my mind - Nintendo using Sony exiting the handheld market as an opportunity - but this seems more likely, and also a healthier scenario for consumers and developers.

Nintendo eating the existing Vita handheld market if far more likely than AMD suddenly designing a mobile-friendly Jaguar and the PS4 OS working perfectly in a much smaller envelope.

 

[StevieP]

Nah, they picked a bad build for that with the Jaguar and even with multiple die shrinks it still would be completely untenable for a handheld from power draw and heat considerations. They'd have to switch to a something akin to Intel's Atom but then that'd be another hardware transition even if its from x86 to x86, they're still different for anything that was or is built with the machine in mind and will come with their own quirks.

That's before you consider the real issue with this speculation: the GPU. 8 cores of jaguar (or even atom) are untenable in itself, but once you factor in the GPU and its required memory, it just isn't possible any year soon.

 

[1st Course]

I don't think Sony would want to make hardware to sell low but profit high, because 3rd-parties would not like that at all, they care about how many people own the thing, not how much Sony makes out of their hardware.

The biggest issue I see with the premium product idea is software support. This isn't really an issue with computers or media players because most stuff they would run is standardized. But I can't imagine that many publishers would be willing to publish games on a system with such a tiny install base. At best you'd get ports and some really niche games. There wouldn't be much reason for anyone to support the system, and thus there wouldn't be much reason for anyone to buy it.

Good point but isn't this not much different from the current support? Most Vita software support these days is from indie and small publishers from what I understand. If Sony can't get the big developers on the system either way, they might as well try they to get more out of the hardware.

 

[flaviusconstantius]

If Sony comes back to handhelds, why not take an NX approach? Make it cross compatible with (digital) console software or something and simply be a market extension rather than a platform unto itself. Could the PS4 spec get shrunk down to handheld size in the next several years? It's already relatively low power draw iirc and uses a laptop cpu?

I guess it depends on how successfully they can transition their remaining handheld base over to PS4 in Japan though. Might not be worth bothering if they can manage that going forward.

The PS4 is probably impossible. Had the PS2 or PS3 been as logically designed as the PS1 was, something that might be worth doing would be playing towards BC there(or would have been with the VITA) but of course they are not designed in a way that makes emulation or development easy.

The only way I can see this working is if Sony partners with someone else who wants to put up the capital, but use Sony's name. Nvidia seems determined to sink millions into the portable market with Shield-offshoots despite sales volume that makes the Vita look like a juggernaut. Would Nvidia be willing to partner on a Vita2 in which they front the cost for hardware and technology, Sony does the marketing and software licencing? Would Sony be willing to give up that degree of control of the Playstation brand which is still worth a lot?

 

[Chris1964]

YSO predictions

Week 37, 2015 (Sep 7 - Sep 13)

[WIU] Super Mario Maker < 150k (average 120k)
[3DS] Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village DX < 80k (average 60k)
[3DS] Dragon Quest VIII < 70k (average 60k)
[PS4] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain < 70k (average 60k)

 

[faridmon]

I can see Sony releasing another handheld. Just maybe not a handheld designed for commercial mass-market, but instead one that is positioned as a "premium" device and is sold for a very high margins. Similar approach to what they are doing with the Walkman lineup these days.

That would really suck.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Good point but isn't this not much different from the current support? Most Vita software support these days is from indie and small publishers from what I understand. If Sony can't get the big developers on the system either way, they might as well try they to get more out of the hardware.

No, I don't think so. The Vita gets plenty of support from larger and mid range publishers. I can't imagine even companies like Falcom supporting the proposed premium system. I think you'd be looking almost exclusively at super niche titles, such as otome games and the like. Stuff that will be happy with 10k. The hunting games, big and mid size RPGs, etc would be nowhere to be found, aside from maybe some ports if porting from the NX was easy.

I just don't see enough of a market there.

 

[Nirolak]

You can tell Sony isn't planning to make another handheld because their studios are neither making Vita games nor missing in action.

They've divested from handhelds internally.

 

[Refreshment.01]

YSO predictions

Week 37, 2015 (Sep 7 - Sep 13)

[WIU] Super Mario Maker < 150k (average 120k)
[3DS] Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village DX < 80k (average 60k)
[3DS] Dragon Quest VIII < 70k (average 60k)
[PS4] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain < 70k (average 60k)

The Mario Maker number is in order to what was expected in this thread. The interesting part would be the game's stamina and it's overall effect (or not) in the weekly hardware numbers for the subsequent weeks. This is probably the last important release for the Wii U for this year if not for it's entire future depending on Zelda U's fate. At least the only really interesting release for a long time.

How early does YSO publish these numbers? i wonder if there's some subconcious feedback if you look at the numbers and then make an estimation XD

 

[Arzehn]

You can tell Sony isn't planning to make another handheld because their studios are neither making Vita games nor missing in action.

They've divested from handhelds internally.

Perhaps the PS4 games they are currently making are scalable to a future handheld.

 

[Oregano]

You can tell Sony isn't planning to make another handheld because their studios are neither making Vita games nor missing in action.

They've divested from handhelds internally.

I think the reason it's kind of confusing is that the Vita is so well supported and a lot of the PS4's support has come from leveraging existing Vita games. It could have quite the knock on effect.

 

[Xbro]

If Sony comes back to handhelds, why not take an NX approach? Make it cross compatible with (digital) console software or something and simply be a market extension rather than a platform unto itself. Could the PS4 spec get shrunk down to handheld size in the next several years? It's already relatively low power draw iirc and uses a laptop cpu?

I guess it depends on how successfully they can transition their remaining handheld base over to PS4 in Japan though. Might not be worth bothering if they can manage that going forward.

I think the best way to do an "NX approach" would be to design both systems with the other in mind. I'm sure it wouldn't be as easy to just attach another system to the mix.

 

[Vena]

Perhaps the PS4 games they are currently making are scalable to a future handheld.

As was said, the PS4 isn't built with this in mind in any way (not the CPU, not the RAM, not the APU form design of the chipset), so software built for it is built only for it. You can't just scale software to handheld form, there are numerous functionality hurdles that need to be accounted for when the systems and the OS are built originally if this was the intent.

Take iOS as an example, that is a scalable operating system and was started from small to then get to big, after that Apple keeps a very tight control of their hardware for compatibility (thought they also get away with completely obsoleting their old hardware within 2 years). Going from bottom to top is logical, going from top to bottom (ie. strong hardware to considerably weaker) is much harder especially if your OS and dev tools are built to take advantage of the stronger hardware. (Or consider how many ports you get from handheld to console rather than from console to handheld. Things are much easier one way than the other. When Vita is included in a PS4/PS3/Vita selection or PS4/Vita selection, the base is built to be able to function first and foremost on the Vita, not on the PS4.)

This is all made even more complicated with x86 architecture, APU designs, and the heat/power draws of the architecture. ARM was pretty much built to be scalable, x86 wasn't and only Intel is fighting to get it anywhere near mobile form factor with heavy subsidizing in an attempt to make the product tennable (especially given that it has next to no app or mobile support).

I think the reason it's kind of confusing is that the Vita is so well supported and a lot of the PS4's support has come from leveraging existing Vita games. It could have quite the knock on effect.

I fully expect this to happen, especially since Sony has positioned no strong IP from internal development. Why, as a third party, spend your time developing Sony's base for them on a market unreceptive platform while the receptive form factor is getting the shaft/getting retired and its population growth potential getting ever smaller, when you can work off on hardware that you know will also be building its own install base from internal software that is exceptionally strong in Japan.

As I said before, I think this coming transition will be one of the first times where Japan's third party doesn't wait for Nintendo to first build a multi-million userbase.

 

[Exterminieren]

If Sony comes back to handhelds, why not take an NX approach? Make it cross compatible with (digital) console software or something and simply be a market extension rather than a platform unto itself. Could the PS4 spec get shrunk down to handheld size in the next several years? It's already relatively low power draw iirc and uses a laptop cpu?

I guess it depends on how successfully they can transition their remaining handheld base over to PS4 in Japan though. Might not be worth bothering if they can manage that going forward.

Nah, the whole idea of the NX is that the different platforms are designed hand-in-hand from the very beginning. Any attempt to retro-fit PS4 into a similar arrangement now would be a nigh-impossible task, and would probably just handicap any counterpart right from the start.

 

[Arzehn]

x86 vs arm

So do you think that DQXI NX will be the 3DS version then?

Are you saying both the NX handheld and home console will be ARM?

 

[Vena]

So do you think that DQXI NX will be the 3DS version then?

Are you saying both the NX handheld and home console will be ARM?

The 3DS version will be for the 3DS, and built for that hardware specifically which is going to be as different from whatever the NX is (a modern ARM chipset) as it is from the Vita or the PS4. The PS4 version is UE4 middleware built on an engine that supports ARM instruction sets and compilation. There will be potential snags in physics if S-E pushes really hard into PS4 optimization but I highly doubt they will.

Sony's not building their internal software on middleware tools that are ubiquitous, they are building on very dedicated, very specifically made tool sets.

 

[Jigorath]

I fully expect this to happen, especially since Sony has positioned no strong IP from internal development. Why, as a third party, spend your time developing Sony's base for them on a market unreceptive platform while the receptive form factor is getting the shaft/getting retired and its population growth potential getting ever smaller, when you can work off on hardware that you know will also be building its own install base from internal software that is exceptionally strong in Japan.

Japanese devs ain't gonna ditch PS4 to go NX exclusive. The age of exclusivity is done. Exclusivity shot itself in the foot. I fully expect almost everything to be PS4/PC/NX multiplat outside of moneyhats of course. It'll mirror publishers in the west going PS4/Xbone/PC multiplat.

As I said before, I think this coming transition will be one of the first times where Japan's third party doesn't wait for Nintendo to first build a multi-million userbase.

Did that really happen with 3DS? For the first 12 months or so it got

Super Street Fighter IV 3D
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
Resident Evil: Mercenaries
Tales of the Abyss
Devil Survivor Overclocked
Monster Hunter 3G
Ace Combat
MGS3
Resident Evil Revelations
Kingdom Hearts DDD

Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Metal Gear, Shin Megami Tensei, Tales of, and Kingdom Hearts all appeared on the system in it's first year. 3DS's slow start was more because of Nintendo's poor decisions than anything to do with 3rd parties ignoring it.

 

[Oregano]

So do you think that DQXI NX will be the 3DS version then?

Are you saying both the NX handheld and home console will be ARM?

Well DQXI is going to be a port to NX and will likely require quite a bit of effort regardless of which version gets ported. It's definitely possible Sony could port PS4 stuff to a handheld in the future but I think that's slightly different than the approach NX will be taking and what people are suggesting. I think the idea is that software runs natively on both platforms which wouldn't be possible with PS4 stuff for quite some time.

Spoiler

It's kinda funny people think Sony could put out a PS4 level handheld but Nintendo won't be able to put out a Wii U level one.

 

[Fafalada]

Sony's not building their internal software on middleware tools that are ubiquitous

Erm, compare to what?

 

[heidern]

I think the reason it's kind of confusing is that the Vita is so well supported and a lot of the PS4's support has come from leveraging existing Vita games. It could have quite the knock on effect.

It's only confusing if you are assuming that Sony still care about the Japanese gaming market. I don't see much point in them wasting resources on Japan when they could be better directed to the western console market where they're having a lot of success.

In terms of the knock on effect, I'm not so sure. Assuming the 4DS is around Vita/PS3 level then 3rd parties can just go to a full multiplatform strategy which will see them continuing support for Vita/PS3 for another 5+ years along with 4DS and with up-ports to PS4/NX.

 

[test_account]

I'm really looking forward to see what NX really is. There is no hits (as far as i know) on what exactly it will be and how developing is. I'm also wondering exactly how the content distribution will be, if basically everything will run on all the hardware (if thats what it is) or if it will be more of a copy to a PS4/Vita solution.

 

[Arzehn]

The 3DS version will be for the 3DS, and built for that hardware specifically which is going to be as different from whatever the NX is (a modern ARM chipset) as it is from the Vita or the PS4. The PS4 version is UE4 middleware built on an engine that supports ARM instruction sets and compilation. There will be potential snags in physics if S-E pushes really hard into PS4 optimization but I highly doubt they will.

Sony's not building their internal software on middleware tools that are ubiquitous, they are building on very dedicated, very specifically made tool sets.

I think it's a bit bold to say that Sony could not create their own middleware that would do the same.

Not all Sony studio's use the same middleware. Obviously no one is expecting a team like Naughty Dog to be making their middleware work with a handheld. I'm thinking more of Sony Japan and their 2nd parties. For IPs like Freedom Wars, Gravity Rush, Hot Shots, etc.

 

[Oregano]

It's only confusing if you are assuming that Sony still care about the Japanese gaming market. I don't see much point in them wasting resources on Japan when they could be better directed to the western console market where they're having a lot of success.

In terms of the knock on effect, I'm not so sure. Assuming the 4DS is around Vita/PS3 level then 3rd parties can just go to a full multiplatform strategy which will see them continuing support for Vita/PS3 for another 5+ years along with 4DS and with up-ports to PS4/NX.

Do people seriously think that's a viable strategy? Look at the amount of software those platforms are moving right now and think where they'll be in five years.

I mean I'm sure it's possible for some games but look at what games the PSP(a much healther system) is getting now.

 

[sörine]

Did that really happen with 3DS? For the first 12 months or so it got

Super Street Fighter IV 3D
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
Resident Evil: Mercenaries
Tales of the Abyss
Devil Survivor Overclocked
Monster Hunter 3G
Ace Combat
MGS3
Resident Evil Revelations
Kingdom Hearts DDD

Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Metal Gear, Shin Megami Tensei, Tales of, and Kingdom Hearts all appeared on the system in it's first year. 3DS's slow start was more because of Nintendo's poor decisions than anything to do with 3rd parties ignoring it.

That's sort of like saying PS4 had Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Resident Evil, Yakuza, Metal Gear, Winning Eleven, Musou, etc, all within it's first year or so. It might be technically true but it's still somewhat misleading.

 

[Neuromancer]

It still hasn't sold as much as the Xbox 360 sold on launch day.

Or the original Xbox

What?! How is that even possible.

 

[Vena]

I think it's a bit bold to say that Sony could not create their own middleware that would do the same.

Not all Sony studio's use the same middleware. Obviously no one is expecting a team like Naughty Dog to be making their middleware work with a handheld. I'm thinking more of Sony Japan and their 2nd parties. For IPs like Freedom Wars, Gravity Rush, Hot Shots, etc.

I am not saying they can't or couldn't, but that they won't invest the money in doing such R&D for a potential handheld into which they would also need to sink a very, very large amount of R&D. And which, of Sony's studios, is building anything that even remotely looks like it could run on a handheld or was built with a handheld in consideration for any developmental step?

They built the PS4 in a way that cannot be, within any reasonable time frame, turned into what the NX purportedly is looking to be and that's simply a reality of production. They dug their heals into the console form factor.

Japanese devs ain't gonna ditch PS4 to go NX exclusive. The age of exclusivity is done. Exclusivity shot itself in the foot. I fully expect almost everything to be PS4/PC/NX multiplat outside of moneyhats of course. It'll mirror publishers in the west going PS4/Xbone/PC multiplat.

I didn't say they would all go exclusive (or at all), in fact its the opposite as I expect Sony/PS4 to lose its exclusives (or specifically their exclusive status). The knock-on effect is the loss of exclusivity which then turns the question away from unique third party offerings and more onto first party offerings as well as SKU preference.

 

[Ryng_tolu]

YSO predictions

Week 37, 2015 (Sep 7 - Sep 13)

[WIU] Super Mario Maker < 150k (average 120k)
[3DS] Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village DX < 80k (average 60k)
[3DS] Dragon Quest VIII < 70k (average 60k)
[PS4] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain < 70k (average 60k)

So... Mario Maker as expect should sell at Splatoon level or a bit less first week.

And Metal Gear should dropped by 80% or so most likely. Well, that's usually the main dropped of a huge game, so i guess is ok.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Doesn't help that a few of their devs were shutdown after a single Vita game; Liverpool with WipEout 2048, Zipper with Unit 13, and Bigbig with Little Deviants.

Surprising actually that Sony Bend got spared after Uncharted: Golden Abyss, but their output is so near non-existent that it almost feels like they were (who knows what's up with their supposed PS4 game).

So literally Sony's running out of handheld-suitable devs anyway unless they intend on having their large console teams on said handheld like Naughty Dog who've never made a handheld game aside from starting Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier before that got moved to High Impact Games.

I think they're down to just Sony Bend (UC:GA), Guerrilla Cambridge (Killzone Mercenary), Media Molecule (Tearaway), and Japan Studio (Gravity Rush) right in terms of 1st-party Vita devs? Oh and the San Diego team who do the MLB The Show games.

 

[Ryng_tolu]

Weekly ranking:

Index Period: August 31 - September 6, 2015, 2015

[PS4] METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN (Limited Edition) - 273Pt
[PS4] METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN SPECIAL EDITION - 265Pt
[PS3] METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN (Limited Edition) - 186Pt
[PS3] METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN SPECIAL EDITION - 181Pt
[3DS] Dragon Quest VIII sky and Shi cursed with the sea and the earth princess - 168pt
[3DS] specter watch Busters white dog Corps - 48pt
[WiiU] Splatoon - 44pt
[3DS] Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer (Soft Only) - 44Pt
[3DS] specter watch Busters Akaneko-dan - 31pt
[Vita] IS 2 Love and purge (Limited Edition) - 23Pt
[Vita] IS 2 Love and purge (Limited Edition) - 22Pt
[Vita] Main Craft: PlayStation Vita Edition - 21Pt
[3DS] rhythm heaven The Best + - 19Pt
[3DS] Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer Nintendo 3DS NFC reader / writer set - 15pt
[PS4] Dragons Dogma Online Limited Edition - 13pt
[PS3] IS 2 Love and purge (Limited Edition) - 13Pt
[PS3] Main Craft (English) - 12pt
[3DS] Super Robot Wars BX - 11pt
[PS3] IS 2 Love and purge (Limited Edition) - 10pt
[Vita] Taiko Drum Master V version - 9pt

 

[BriBri]

I do miss Brave Lee but Main Craft is a close second.

 

[ZhugeEX]

I do miss Brave Lee but Main Craft is a close second.

Remember Tails of Syria.

 

[Pankratous]

Wow I'm surprised Dishonoured got as high as 18, especially considering how bad a port it is.

 

[Nirolak]

I think the reason it's kind of confusing is that the Vita is so well supported and a lot of the PS4's support has come from leveraging existing Vita games. It could have quite the knock on effect.

I think we need to step back and look at the bigger picture here.

Dedicated devices in Japan are a shrinking and - on the worldwide scale - largely irrelevant market.

The PS4 has moved 1.7 million units in Japan out of 25+ million worldwide. Japanese software marketshare in the West is minuscule.

Sony could never get another Japanese developed game on PlayStation again, and it'd have no meaningful impact on their business.

Sony's behavior reflects this reality too. For all intents and purposes, they're a Western publisher. They're not making new studios in Japan. They're not giving them progressively bigger projects. They're not buying companies like Atlus or From Software when they're up for sale. The few larger investments Sony has been making in Japan (Gran Turismo, Bloodborne, Street Fighter) have been about appealing to a variety of highly dedicated audiences in the West.

Sony also doesn't have to worry about losing audiences for any notable product lines because they don't have any content that appeals to Japan. They're giving up a few games that sell a very modest number of copies, not losing Animal Crossing, Tomodachi Life, and millions of copies of Mario.

No one at Sony is talking about how handhelds are important to them. In fact, they get progressively more dismissive of the system both through statements and actions. They aren't attempting to hype some major comeback or even excite people about the product line in general. Basically the entire focus is on the PS4.

It's a dead product line. There's no incentive for them to continue. It doesn't matter if they lose fifteen Bandai Namco anime tie-ins and a bunch of niche games, because they're completely insignificant. If there's a third party game that's actually relevant in the markets that make up their fundamental business, chances are very high it will show up on their platform regardless, and if it doesn't, it's still not a big deal because they have an endless line-up of Western titles instead.

 

[Darius]

Weekly ranking:

Index Period: August 31 - September 6, 2015, 2015

[PS4] METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN (Limited Edition) - 273Pt
[PS4] METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN SPECIAL EDITION - 265Pt
[PS3] METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN (Limited Edition) - 186Pt
[PS3] METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN SPECIAL EDITION - 181Pt
[3DS] Dragon Quest VIII sky and Shi cursed with the sea and the earth princess - 168pt
[3DS] specter watch Busters white dog Corps - 48pt
[WiiU] Splatoon - 44pt
[3DS] Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer (Soft Only) - 44Pt
[3DS] specter watch Busters Akaneko-dan - 31pt
[Vita] IS 2 Love and purge (Limited Edition) - 23Pt
[Vita] IS 2 Love and purge (Limited Edition) - 22Pt
[Vita] Main Craft: PlayStation Vita Edition - 21Pt
[3DS] rhythm heaven The Best + - 19Pt
[3DS] Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer Nintendo 3DS NFC reader / writer set - 15pt
[PS4] Dragons Dogma Online Limited Edition - 13pt
[PS3] IS 2 Love and purge (Limited Edition) - 13Pt
[PS3] Main Craft (English) - 12pt
[3DS] Super Robot Wars BX - 11pt
[PS3] IS 2 Love and purge (Limited Edition) - 10pt
[Vita] Taiko Drum Master V version - 9pt

It looks like that at least at COMG Metal Gear Solid 5 PS3+PS4 1st week combined was worse than the Dragon Quest 8 port first week (905 compared to 1094 points). Will be interesting to see how this will translate into Japan wide sales.

 

[KillerMan91]

It looks like that at least at COMG Metal Gear Solid 5 PS3+PS4 1st week combined was worse than the Dragon Quest 8 port first week (905 compared to 1094 points). Will be interesting to see how this will translate into Japan wide sales.

Well considering how MGSIV launched with around 465k of sales and Peace Walker with 434k I think it was pretty much expected that MGSV launches below those DQVIIIr numbers.

 

[ivysaur12]

[WiiU] Splatoon - 44pt

The end of the world will be new episodes of Supernatural, the cockroaches, and 20,000 more copies of Splatoon for Japan.

 

[Moor-Angol]

It looks like that at least at COMG Metal Gear Solid 5 PS3+PS4 1st week combined was worse than the Dragon Quest 8 port first week (905 compared to 1094 points). Will be interesting to see how this will translate into Japan wide sales.

MGS opening less than DQ

what a surprise...

 

[MatrixMan.EXE]

I didn't say they would all go exclusive (or at all), in fact its the opposite as I expect Sony/PS4 to lose its exclusives (or specifically their exclusive status). The knock-on effect is the loss of exclusivity which then turns the question away from unique third party offerings and more onto first party offerings as well as SKU preference.

I honestly doubt this. We'll probably see some experimentation in the first year or two, but that's about it. And that depends entirely on what the specifications of the system are.

Remember this thread? http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1074926 The consensus is that NX, if a console, still won't compete with PS4/Xbox One, so how can anyone expect it to chip away at PS4's unique 3rd party offerings in any meaningful way?

Sure, we have PSVita/PS3/PS4 or "PlayStation family" titles, but the reason those exist is obvious so I doubt NX will be thrown into the mix. I don't think Sony has anything to worry about in that regard. No Final Fantasy XV, no Kingdom Hearts 3, no DMC5, no Resident Evil 7. Not if it can't go toe to toe with current generation systems. And even if it can, it's still unlikely.

What will probably happen though, is that we'll see Japanese developers doing what they do with PS4/Vita, but with NX, and people will finally get that console Monster Hunter they crave for god knows what reason xD!

 

[mclem]

The end of the world will be new episodes of Supernatural, the cockroaches, and 20,000 more copies of Splatoon for Japan.

That'd be the "'Everything but grey' goo" scenario, right?

 

[Vena]

Remember this thread? http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1074926 The consensus is that NX, if a console, still won't compete with PS4/Xbox One, so how can anyone expect it to chip away at PS4's unique 3rd party offerings in any meaningful way?

This is Japan we're talking about, and we know that the NX is a handheld and a console there is no "if" since we have Matt's info on the matter. And why are you using a thread that was rather clearly rebuffed for being pointlessly uninformative?

Being "at" PS4/X1 level is not what matters, its if the system (in console form) is capable of easy porting and supporting modern development tools and engines with suitable RAM allocations for the current memory hungry gen (aka: not the WiiU) which it can accomplish below even X1 specs though I doubt it will be far from that. The chipping away is going to come from the loss of a crutch in the form of the Vita in making PS family only games a tenable venture for the Japanese audience.

And yes, the point was that the NX would effectively assume the position of the Vita in many of the PS4/Vita games... hence chipping away at the usual "Playstation Family" exclusives as there would be no family and there would be a major loss in form-factor. I mean, that was the point. At which point, again, the only distinguishing factor outside of the minority within the minority of western interested players in Japan, is first party offerings.

 

[ZhugeEX]

This is Japan we're talking about, and we know that the NX is a handheld and a console there is no "if" since we have Matt's info on the matter. And why are you using a thread that was rather clearly rebuffed for being pointlessly uninformative?

Being "at" PS4/X1 level is not what matters, its if the system (in console form) is capable of easy porting and supporting modern development tools and engines with suitable RAM allocations for the current memory hungry gen (aka: not the WiiU) which it can accomplish below even X1 specs though I doubt it will be far from that. The chipping away is going to come from the loss of a crutch in the form of the Vita in making PS family only games a tenable venture for the Japanese audience.

And yes, the point was that the NX would effectively assume the position of the Vita in many of the PS4/Vita games... hence chipping away at the usual "Playstation Family" exclusives as there would be no family and there would be a major loss in form-factor. I mean, that was the point. At which point, again, the only distinguishing factor outside of the minority within the minority of western interested players in Japan, is first party offerings.

Question. Why is "Matts" word definitive?

 

[Vena]

Question. Why is "Matts" word definitive?

Same reason we take the word of other insiders? Because we trust them?