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INTEREST: Japanese Variety Show Displays Nintendo Switch's Market Share Dominance At a Glance




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ZelosZoidberg



Joined: 23 May 2018
Posts: 748
PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:14 pm Reply with quote
Sony is DOOOOMMMED!/s

Jokes aside If the next Nintendo console is a hybrid like the Switch (hopefully it is) I expect it to crush the PS5 like it has the PS4 and XBONE (at least in Japan). Hopefully it won't be a "Pro" version but a "Super" or "Switch 2" considering it still sells well and they make money off the hardware (at least more per unit then the PS5 and X Series) along with 4K still being expensive both price and storage wise (shudders with Guardians of the Galaxy file size).
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AiddonValentine



Joined: 07 Aug 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:37 pm Reply with quote
Oof, there was competition at one point, but now it's clear Nintendo is pretty much running the show in Japan. And that's led to an awkward position for a lot of 3rd parties because they've scrambling to put stuff on the Switch ever since, sometimes in the most haphazard ways (like the cloud versions of stuff like Kingdom Hearts). Some of them like the ports of Doom and The Witcher III are pretty good despite compromises, others are just a mess. As old Roger Corman once said "Have a plan, but be ready to change it."
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Wyvern



Joined: 01 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:08 pm Reply with quote
Poor PS4 got stuck in one of those James Bond deathtraps where you're in a room and the walls close in slowly until you get squished.
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:04 pm Reply with quote
The Vita seemed to do alright in Japan, at least compared to the West.
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Silver Kirin



Joined: 09 Aug 2018
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:38 pm Reply with quote
AiddonValentine wrote:
And that's led to an awkward position for a lot of 3rd parties because they've scrambling to put stuff on the Switch ever since, sometimes in the most haphazard ways (like the cloud versions of stuff like Kingdom Hearts). Some of them like the ports of Doom and The Witcher III are pretty good despite compromises, others are just a mess.

It seems that not all game developers are willing to make the effort and port a game to the Switch, the Kingdom Hearts trilogy releasing on cloud makes me think that Square Enix don't have enough confidence on the platform despite the number of consoles sold, however the fact that they and other publishers are willing to make cloud versions means that they know there's an audience there as well. Some say the Switch is a secondary console for some, but looking at Japan's numbers that doesn't seem to be the case for the majority.
I don't know if there's a loyalty of preference to a particular console as well, publishers like Falcom, SEGA and Namco making games like Kuro no Kiseki, Shin Sakura Wars and Scarlet Nexus for PS4 and not selling well in Japan, despite that a Switch version could have been possible. Obviously the Switch technical specs are a major problem, but if games like MH: Rise and Momotaro Dentetsu selling millions means that developers can make tailored for the Switch and doing great numbers.
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ThatMoonGuy



Joined: 13 Oct 2017
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 6:05 pm Reply with quote
This gives a lot of context for some of the recent Sony decisions, like focusing more on the western market and doing away with Team Japan. Nintendo has such an stranglehold in the Japanese market that it, together with the mobile market, leaves nearly no space for anyone else.
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Fluwm



Joined: 28 Jul 2009
Posts: 1059
PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 7:26 pm Reply with quote
Silver Kirin wrote:
AiddonValentine wrote:
And that's led to an awkward position for a lot of 3rd parties because they've scrambling to put stuff on the Switch ever since, sometimes in the most haphazard ways (like the cloud versions of stuff like Kingdom Hearts). Some of them like the ports of Doom and The Witcher III are pretty good despite compromises, others are just a mess.

It seems that not all game developers are willing to make the effort and port a game to the Switch, the Kingdom Hearts trilogy releasing on cloud makes me think that Square Enix don't have enough confidence on the platform despite the number of consoles sold, however the fact that they and other publishers are willing to make cloud versions means that they know there's an audience there as well. Some say the Switch is a secondary console for some, but looking at Japan's numbers that doesn't seem to be the case for the majority.
I don't know if there's a loyalty of preference to a particular console as well, publishers like Falcom, SEGA and Namco making games like Kuro no Kiseki, Shin Sakura Wars and Scarlet Nexus for PS4 and not selling well in Japan, despite that a Switch version could have been possible. Obviously the Switch technical specs are a major problem, but if games like MH: Rise and Momotaro Dentetsu selling millions means that developers can make tailored for the Switch and doing great numbers.


Seems a bit odd to attribute SE's decisions w/r/t Kingdom Hearts to a lack of confidence in the NS, when they're kind of infamous for extremely low-effort ports.
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khaos1019



Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 93
PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 7:38 pm Reply with quote
MarshalBanana wrote:
The Vita seemed to do alright in Japan, at least compared to the West.


The Vita underperforming and being abandoned by Sony as a result is one of the greatest crimes in recent video game history. I love that little console.

If Sony would have just buckled down and supported it, like Nintendo did with the 3DS (that console also didn't sell so hot when it was first released), I think it would have thrived. Instead Sony killed it as soon as it wasn't an instant success.
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AiddonValentine



Joined: 07 Aug 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 9:18 pm Reply with quote
Silver Kirin wrote:

It seems that not all game developers are willing to make the effort and port a game to the Switch, the Kingdom Hearts trilogy releasing on cloud makes me think that Square Enix don't have enough confidence on the platform despite the number of consoles sold, however the fact that they and other publishers are willing to make cloud versions means that they know there's an audience there as well. Some say the Switch is a secondary console for some, but looking at Japan's numbers that doesn't seem to be the case for the majority.
I don't know if there's a loyalty of preference to a particular console as well, publishers like Falcom, SEGA and Namco making games like Kuro no Kiseki, Shin Sakura Wars and Scarlet Nexus for PS4 and not selling well in Japan, despite that a Switch version could have been possible. Obviously the Switch technical specs are a major problem, but if games like MH: Rise and Momotaro Dentetsu selling millions means that developers can make tailored for the Switch and doing great numbers.


I think it's a combination of overcommitting to a plan instead of changing it when reality changed, outright stubbornness because they're too embarrassed to admit they misread the market, and probably a lot of money-hatting on Sony's part because if the Switch had the third parties Sony has, there would be no point to the PS5 in Japan. Monopolies are bad of course, but companies also doing asinine business decisions are also bad.
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BonusStage



Joined: 24 Oct 2011
Posts: 307
PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 10:13 pm Reply with quote
Silver Kirin wrote:
It seems that not all game developers are willing to make the effort and port a game to the Switch, the Kingdom Hearts trilogy releasing on cloud makes me think that Square Enix don't have enough confidence on the platform despite the number of consoles sold, however the fact that they and other publishers are willing to make cloud versions means that they know there's an audience there as well. Some say the Switch is a secondary console for some, but looking at Japan's numbers that doesn't seem to be the case for the majority.


Cloud versions of games has nothing to do with confidence in sales, it's about the fact the Switch is not powerful enough to run the game so the only way for people to play it on Switch is to have the remote server run the game and broadcast the output to the Switch, which is what cloud games are. The games can not run on the Switch normally.

Nomura even commented on the Switch limitations during the announcement.
"For some time, our director Tetsuya Nomura had expressed his desire to deliver the Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch players, him having seen and heard the demand, and so a great deal of consideration went into this internally," Hazama said. "Bringing these titles to Nintendo Switch proved to be quite difficult for various reasons, including the storage capacity of the hardware, but we’re excited that we were able to make it happen for the first time ever by utilizing the Cloud service."
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Honeyman



Joined: 23 Oct 2012
Posts: 135
PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 2:39 am Reply with quote
Its no surprise the Switch has dominated the console market for the last 3-4 years given its hybrid nature and brand power. At the risk of suggesting that it limits the options for gamers in the Japanese market its Nintendo's time to shine currently. That will switch when consumers can more easily purchase PS5s which will be the same the world over. The Xbox brand will continue to be niche given its treated like an outsider in the Japanese market.

Here's hoping a more powerful Nintendo console won't be too many years away.
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Dark Mac



Joined: 17 May 2008
Posts: 323
PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 9:43 am Reply with quote
BonusStage wrote:
Silver Kirin wrote:
It seems that not all game developers are willing to make the effort and port a game to the Switch, the Kingdom Hearts trilogy releasing on cloud makes me think that Square Enix don't have enough confidence on the platform despite the number of consoles sold, however the fact that they and other publishers are willing to make cloud versions means that they know there's an audience there as well. Some say the Switch is a secondary console for some, but looking at Japan's numbers that doesn't seem to be the case for the majority.


Cloud versions of games has nothing to do with confidence in sales, it's about the fact the Switch is not powerful enough to run the game so the only way for people to play it on Switch is to have the remote server run the game and broadcast the output to the Switch, which is what cloud games are. The games can not run on the Switch normally.

Nomura even commented on the Switch limitations during the announcement.
"For some time, our director Tetsuya Nomura had expressed his desire to deliver the Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch players, him having seen and heard the demand, and so a great deal of consideration went into this internally," Hazama said. "Bringing these titles to Nintendo Switch proved to be quite difficult for various reasons, including the storage capacity of the hardware, but we’re excited that we were able to make it happen for the first time ever by utilizing the Cloud service."


While understandable for KH3, the previous games were all playable on the PS2 and PS3. The Switch is 100% powerful enough to run them normally.
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ATastySub
Past ANN Contributor


Joined: 19 Jan 2012
Posts: 700
PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:22 pm Reply with quote
Dark Mac wrote:
BonusStage wrote:
Silver Kirin wrote:
It seems that not all game developers are willing to make the effort and port a game to the Switch, the Kingdom Hearts trilogy releasing on cloud makes me think that Square Enix don't have enough confidence on the platform despite the number of consoles sold, however the fact that they and other publishers are willing to make cloud versions means that they know there's an audience there as well. Some say the Switch is a secondary console for some, but looking at Japan's numbers that doesn't seem to be the case for the majority.


Cloud versions of games has nothing to do with confidence in sales, it's about the fact the Switch is not powerful enough to run the game so the only way for people to play it on Switch is to have the remote server run the game and broadcast the output to the Switch, which is what cloud games are. The games can not run on the Switch normally.

Nomura even commented on the Switch limitations during the announcement.
"For some time, our director Tetsuya Nomura had expressed his desire to deliver the Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch players, him having seen and heard the demand, and so a great deal of consideration went into this internally," Hazama said. "Bringing these titles to Nintendo Switch proved to be quite difficult for various reasons, including the storage capacity of the hardware, but we’re excited that we were able to make it happen for the first time ever by utilizing the Cloud service."


While understandable for KH3, the previous games were all playable on the PS2 and PS3. The Switch is 100% powerful enough to run them normally.

Yeah their own quoted piece doesn’t even say they can’t. It’s that at base the Switch doesn’t have enough space to hold all of them. Which is easily solved by upgrading the SD card, but Nintendo doesn’t want to sell anything that won’t natively fit because some people won’t realize they don’t have space and that’s a headache they don’t want to deal with.
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CastMember1991



Joined: 06 Feb 2012
Posts: 866
PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 10:21 am Reply with quote
ThatMoonGuy wrote:
This gives a lot of context for some of the recent Sony decisions, like focusing more on the western market and doing away with Team Japan. Nintendo has such an stranglehold in the Japanese market that it, together with the mobile market, leaves nearly no space for anyone else.


Sony made a big mistake by moving their gaming division to Silicon Valley. They're still a very Japanese company. but you can tell that their gaming division has been completely westernized.
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