The Sony PlayStation 4 has sold 9M units worldwide. In the wake of Mario Kart 8's release the numbers for the Wii U remain unclear, but many would agree that the number is still less than what Sony has managed to accrue despite the fact that the PS4 was released a year after the Wii U.
However, despite the PlayStation 4's initial popularity, the console remains a tough sell in Japanese markets, and has failed to have any sort of considerable impact on the Japanese console market. A report from Famitsu, translated into English by Dr. Serkan Toto, reports that since the PlayStation 4 was released in Japan on February 22, the numbers for the Japanese console market as a whole have remained static.
In the first half 2014, the total console and hardware sales in Japan totalled $1.685B. In the last half of 2013, before the PS4 had dropped, these numbers were at $1.683B. The difference is surprisingly marginal.
The report also indicates that the PlayStation 4 has failed to sell more than 10,000 units per week in over two months. The PlayStation Vita, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS have all sold better in that same amount of time. The graph below, created by using data from VGChartz, provides visual evidence for this fact.
So, where exactly is Sony making their money? American audiences have been much kinder to the PlayStation 4, as well as the Europeans.
Still, however, Sony clearly has work to do on gaming's coveted homefront. Microsoft has never performed well in Japan. But the country is Sony's home turf. What can they do to re-inspire their native audience?
An earlier version of this article implied that the Xbox One had already been released in Japan. The error has been corrected.
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[via GamesIndustry]
