Japanese devs react tepidly to post-E3 PS3 [update 1]

by Ross Miller { Jun 30th 2006 at 1:25PM }

"Tepid reaction" is a phrase we have used before, in describing the Wii-naming and the Japanese Xbox 360 launch. Now it seems appropriate to add to that list Japanese PS3 developers in a post-E3 world.

A survey released in the latest issue of of Japan's Ge-Maga magazine, which IGN purports to be the oldest videogame magazine in Japan, revealed that many Japanese developers are unhappy with the current state of the PS3 for a variety of reasons. A quick summary:

90.29% of those surveyed disagreed with the PS3's price point.
56.31% disagree with the multiple SKUs.
55.82% think the console will not sell with its current announced lineup (what about Riiiiidge Raaaacer?).
While 48.54% are unfazed, 32.52% of those survey were less confident with the PS3 after its E3 showing.
62.13% feel the PS3 won't reach its goal of 6 million units sold by March 2007.

In each case, the number of unsure responses were less that five percent (except for E3 impressions, with 15.5% giving no impressions). While the price point and multiple SKU reactions may not phase Sony, the other opinions should scare them. If developers feel that the PlayStation 3 user base will not be large enough to support their titles, they might consider more multiplatform titles (Sony doesn't care) or abandoning PS3 development altogether.

Knowing the Japanese audience cares little for the Xbox 360, will developers flock to the Wii? Aside from its rabid fan base, Sony is going to have a hard time convincing detractors and unsure consumers to spend $600 on a console at $60 to $100 per game.

[via PS3Fanboy]

[update 1: Maybe it is regional to write "unphased," but having to make a few spelling corrections anyhow, the debated word has been altered to "unfazed."]

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Darcrequiem @ Jun 30th 2006 1:32PM

None of this comes a surprise to me. Sony is overestimated the power of their brand name. Just like Nintendo did before them, and Atari did before Nintendo. Of course some oblivious PS3 fanboy will post about how Joystiq is hating on the PS3 again. Wait for it....

Kevin @ Jun 30th 2006 1:33PM

Screw Ps3 Its All About Wii60

Mitochondria @ Jun 30th 2006 1:33PM

Wow, ain't nobody got love for the PS3, holy shiznit!!!

(I really don't talk like this)

Capt. Castellanos @ Jun 30th 2006 1:35PM

so what if the price too high?
those same people will save thier money, buy it, and be pleased with it because its pretty awesome.

so what if the games suck so far?
they'll get better.

sure i'm not gonna get a PS3 on launch date, i'll wait.
but it'll be worth it.
sony will pull it through somehow

crono141 @ Jun 30th 2006 1:38PM

@Capt. Castellanos

I said almost the exact same thing...

Before N64 hit market.

Pedro @ Jun 30th 2006 1:43PM

Still getting a PS3.

John Q. @ Jun 30th 2006 1:44PM

I'm going to be a grammar nazi here and remind you that the word you mean is "unfazed." True, many people make the mistake (even Wiktionary!) but I expect better!

On-topic, yes, the Sony rhetoric does remind one of Nintendo in the mid-90's. We'll see if history repeats.

leojsoap @ Jun 30th 2006 1:44PM

I find it strange that people accuse Joystiq of being biased against Sony, when the general consensus anywhere I go seems to be negative, but even the developers? wow, I thought things were going bad before… easy come, easy go, eh?

WedgeTalon @ Jun 30th 2006 1:47PM

Good call crono141.

(Though, to be fair, N64 did have its fair share of good games - Mario64, Zelda:OoT, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark. But overall I do think it was a disappointment.)

C @ Jun 30th 2006 1:54PM

Wii may be the console to beat in Japan. Sony seems more interested in using the PS3 to sell their HDTV's, online music service, and bringing Bluray to the mass market (so they can go on to sell movies and high end BluRay players). I can't blame them, they're here to make money, but as a gamer, so far I'm not too interested in what they have to offer and it seems many others are feeling the same way including Japan.

molecule @ Jun 30th 2006 2:00PM

I wonder how Japanese gamers feel about a PS3/Wii combo?(the Wii60 in Japan? I don't think so) If history is any clue, then only one console will sell freaky-crazy in Japan while the other will sale relatively "meh".

Boy, Sony could really have their hands full with stiff competition from MS in the States and an unstoppable Wii launch in Japan. Just saying, of course.

nalgae @ Jun 30th 2006 2:01PM

Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the #1 reason N64 failed was because it stuck to the cartridge format. While I'm sure it was all fine and dandy for Nintendo, the format meant consumers couldn't mod the system and burn their own copies of games.

Yes, yes, piracy is wrong, yadda yadda yadda. The thing is, of all my friends who own a PS2, only about 20% of them don't have it modded or a slide card. It's just the fact that you can either buy 20 games for 1000 dollars, or download 20 of them and burn them to a DVD for 20 dollars. Also, you can play GGXX Slash before it even comes to the States. Hard choice.

PS3 will eventually succeed. At launch? Probably not. $600 dollars is simply too high of a price point for most middle class parents, which form a large base of purchasers. You can all go "Hey I'm 26 and I have a job. I can afford a PS3." Unfortunately, you are not 100% of the purchasing power. But, with Wii and Ps3 launching together (both will obviously want to be available for Christmas), parents will definitely look to the Wii for both price and point and the "family friendly" image Nintendo is marketing.

Hardcore gamers are definitely important. But, we are not the only factors. PS3 is appealing to the hardcore gamer and pricing it at a point which only hardcore gamers can stomach. Most people recognize the folly of this, so it comes as no surprise developers recognize this, too. I predict success for PS3 when FF13 launches. But by then, the Wii will have already found its way into every home.

Sean @ Jun 30th 2006 2:01PM

Not a suprise to me. I have a feeling that maybe the PS3 will do poorly in the beginning but, will do a bit better as time goes on.

--Well, that's assuming it doesn't do so bad that they have to pull the console.

I remember Sony saying how this is gonna be a long term type of system. As in, lasting 10 years. I'm sure it'll be cheaper as time goes on but not much cheaper.

Anyways, my opinion on this? I will be just getting a Wii, maybe a 360. IMO, the 360 is just a gaming PC, which is something I already have and considering I don't do much console gaming to begin with...

I'm no Nintendo fanboy but, the Nintendo Wii is looking pretty damn good over the PS3 and the 360. =

Eagle @ Jun 30th 2006 2:04PM

Well, none of those questions are really saying anything...of course nobody agrees with the price point, and no systems launch is ever good.

Almost everyone thinks less of Sony after E3, and the only way Sony wouldn't reach 6 million was if they didn't meet demand themselves...I'm positive that every PS3 will sell within minutes until 5 million...if they supply 6 mil, 6 mil will sell.

I wish they would have asked better questions, anyway...this really isn't anything new...And about these "Japanese developers." Can you be more specific...for all we know they could have interviewed 30 different developers making first-party Nintendo games.

Because if you asked REAL Japanese developers (a.k.a Capcom, Konami (including Kojima Productions), Square Enix, and the other big one, I'm fairly sure you'd get different reactions.

In Japan or not, all small developers don't find the PS3 too attractive because of costs. Frankly, I'd prefer if it stayed that way...I don't need B-games on my system of choice, thank you. I'll sick to proven titles if they don't mind.

dreddgab @ Jun 30th 2006 2:06PM

I wouldnt call the N64 a disappointment at all if you have exclusives like that on your system who needs anything else?

If I had to pick I'd still choose a N64 over a PSone.

nalgae @ Jun 30th 2006 2:13PM

>Eagle

Yeah, why should companies take risks with rogue games
like Katamari Damacy, Shadow of the Colossus and other crap like that?

I'd much rather see Halo 5, Final Fantasy XXX and
Xenosaga III Alpha Sharp Reload Slash Melee: Fight for the Future's Past of the Present Japan No. 1

Sarcasm off.

Eli @ Jun 30th 2006 2:13PM

This "long term system" is just more hype. Sony will release the PS4 along with the WiiToo :P and the Xbox 1080. And anyway, by then Sony will be attempting to push their holographic storage and the PS3 (in five years) will need a lot more than a 20 gig HDD in the base model if Sony's gonna push the whole online content thing.

Catalyst @ Jun 30th 2006 2:16PM

To #10:

That's a hell of a limb to climb out on, and logic will break that thing in half.

First of all, the N64 can be EASILY modded. You break off two little plastic things and bam, universal play. No soldering, no chipsets, nothing. True, you couldn't copy any games for it, but it could play imports. And as for your copying argument anyway...

No one makes money off of selling the actual console. All of your friends who bought a PS2 and don't buy any software for it are NOT making Sony any money. Why do you think they keep going to such great lengths to stop people from modding it? By your logic, they would want to make it as easy to pirate as possible.

The N64 failed because cartridges cost too much to produce. That is all.

fahmi @ Jun 30th 2006 2:16PM

if you mean A-games by Madden 2133, Final Fantasy Infinity, Gran Turismo -17, and God of War's kitty.. no thank you.

Catalyst @ Jun 30th 2006 2:18PM

Also Nalgae, the game would be called Xenosaga III: Alpha-Scharfes Umladen-Schrägstrich-Handgemenge: Kampf während der Zukunft hinter dem anwesenden Japan Nr. 1.

Baboon @ Jun 30th 2006 2:18PM

The problem with reasoning that the Hard Core gaming market will be able to carry the PS3 out of a launch slump until it can get support from the wider consumer markets is this: the Hard Core market isn't supporting them.

At least not entirely. A good way to gauge the Hard Core gaming market's response to a game system is to look at these online blog responses. We are exactly the sort of people who frequent these sites, and pretty much no one who does not consider him or herself a "hard core" gamer takes the time to post. If you look at the responses the PS3 has gotten, ever since the E3 press conference their support has been waning. In fact, on a lot of the message boards I see, the tact has changed from defending Sony's position at the top of the consol world to arguing that they are not going to fail as much as people think.

That is not to say that it might not eventually catch on. A lot depends on the format war. (Personally I think both formats will fail, but that is another topic) If Sony’s Blu-ray format succeeds like they hope, I think that will probably be the biggest reason they might be able to capture enough market share to keep themselves in contention as a platform.

Eagle @ Jun 30th 2006 2:23PM

@14

Shadow of the colossus is a first-party game. Nice argument you got there, buddy.

Thanks for playing.

(The game is right in front of me now...that's where I'm getting the info...)

nalgae @ Jun 30th 2006 2:23PM

Catalyst:
As I said, out on a limb. But when talking to my roommate about the next-gen systems:
Me: "Alright, I'll get a PS3 and you get a 360"
Him: "I'll wait till they mod the 360."

Maybe all the people I know are frugal. Who knows? It'll be interesting to see how the ridiculous prices of PS3 media will affect the mod scene. 1000 dollar Blu-ray burners and 20 dollar Blu-ray discs. Delicious.

Darcrequiem @ Jun 30th 2006 2:24PM

There is no hope for the blind PS3 faithful. Capt. Castellanos and Eagle have done a better job at illustrating why the PS3 will fail than any of the rest of us ever could. Sadly,they don't even realize it.

David @ Jun 30th 2006 2:27PM

Alright. I loved my PS2 and I will still be buying games for it (GOW2, FFXII, and Madden maybe) but the PS3 is slowly dissapointing me.

The core reason that the PS2 is so great is that their market share is monsterous. Almost everyone has owned or does own a PS2. How many people you know do not know how to play Madden on the Dual Shock?

That being said, the price point will kill this generation for Sony. Not enough owners, not enough exclusives, not emough production dollars, not as much anything.

I think there is a reason GTA did not stick to just a Playstation system and why GOW2 is coming out for the PS2.

Just me though.

Fatbasket @ Jun 30th 2006 2:27PM

Does anyone else feel like they're living on the edge of a bubble when it comes to this stuff? I mean it seems like the companies involved (Sony, M-soft, Nintendo) are all just throwing loose items around the lab into this huge fusion reactor just to see what happens...Hd!? sure, throw it in! Blu-Ray!? Why not? Wireless, motion control, online, downloadable content, wi-fi, connectivity....throw it all in! Throw the switch, turbines to speed...IT'S ALIVE!
Meanwhile the big, glowing orb at the center of this volatile reaction is just getting bigger and bigger, always on the cusp of total implosion taking everything and every-one unfortunate enough to be standing nearby with it and squeezing them into an infinitely dense speck of matter.
I think I'll just hang back and watch the dust settle and pick through the rubble. I lived through one video game crash, I am prepared this time. My skin is thicker, tempered to a leathery consistency, not unlike low-level RPG armor and I have many unfinished games. I will survive, my friends.
Of course, since Sony announced it's new price point, that's all anyone has been talking about (360 what?). Wouldn't surprise me if this is part of some elaborate ruse and Sony sucker punches everyone and comes in selling the gear much lower than anticipated.
But, what do I know? I bought a Sega CD.

nalgae @ Jun 30th 2006 2:28PM

>eagle
"I'll stick to proven titles if they don't mind."

SuicideNinja @ Jun 30th 2006 2:28PM

Isn't it funny how journalists and gamers bitch about sequel hell, yet the whole reason to buy a new system is Final Fantasy 13, Metal Gear Solid 4, PGR3, Halo 3, Metroid Prime 3, and Mario 27?

Hmmm...

Anyway, it shouldn't be surprising. You really have to TRY to be happy with what Sony has been doing lately. They are chock-full of diversions, fallacies, and excuses.

Jason W @ Jun 30th 2006 2:28PM

$600.00 is a bitch. I agree, but Ive been looking at $500.00 HDDVD playes and thinking thats not a bad deal. Why not 100 more and get to play games. I dont think it will be the big seller that the PS2 was and is, but It will not be a gamecube either. Even though the cube had some great games it didnt get the mass market that the xbox and the ps2 had. It even took some time for the xbox to pick up steam. It didnt start out selling the PS2 until right before the 360 was announced and then it killed the old boxes sales. The PS3 will pick up steam latter in life. If the hardware is good enough it may have a better middle age than birth.

Paul @ Jun 30th 2006 2:29PM

"Knowing the Japanese audience cares little for the Xbox 360, will developers flock to the Wii?"

I don't think I can completely agree with this. I'm not saying the Wii won't get good developer support, I just don't think the PS3's lack of support will generate more games for the Wii. Despite the 360's lack of success in Japan, I really think if devs are going to make a switch, it's going to be in favor of the 360.

To be clear, the 360 problems in Japan aren't because "the Japanese audience cares little for the Xbox 360". It's because there are no good Japanese games for the 360, a problem that can easily be solved when a bunch of unhappy PS3 developers turn to another platform.

Baboon @ Jun 30th 2006 2:29PM

By the way, anyone else seen this yet?

http://news.spong.com/article/10326/Sony+PooS+on+competition,+Apparently?cb=163

It must surely be fake, but hilarious none the less.

Catalyst @ Jun 30th 2006 2:30PM

Nalgae:

I think you're right about the PS3 mod scene. It would be safe to say that we are probably 3 years away from modding/burning games on the PS3 as people do on the PS2. And that's assuming Blu-ray wins the format war.

Night Elve @ Jun 30th 2006 2:30PM

I have another statistic: 90% of the news here about Sony are Anti PlayStation 3.

ihateuall @ Jun 30th 2006 2:30PM

ok there is one thing that proves that joystiq is a sony bashing site

every pro-sony guy here has a negative star

yessssssss i caught you you dirty homos go play with your $50 dollar wii for 5 mins than get ur fatasses tired from waving that thing around

well its ps360 for me so suk it!!!!!!!

Baboon @ Jun 30th 2006 2:37PM

-FatBasket
I don't know about you, but all the news I have seen sicne E3 about the PS3 has been bad, and all the news I have seen about the Wii has in general been good (I mean for the companies who make the respective systems). Nintendo's PR machine deserves a raise for the work they have done in the last few weeks.

As for the 360, I haven't really seen anything on them for the last two weeks, but in this instance, the old adage "no news is good news" may apply.

Raynre @ Jun 30th 2006 2:39PM

I believe unphased =/= unfazed just as gray =/= grey. Theres no actual true spelling of it, its just a geographical preferance. =D

Baboon @ Jun 30th 2006 2:40PM

-ihateuall
If the Wii fanboys of which you speak are really so fat in the ass that using the Wiimote for 5 minutes tires them, wouldn't the healthy choice for them to make be to continue using it to build a healthier lifestyle than to buy a PS3 and further their cycle of physical deterioration?

Catalyst @ Jun 30th 2006 2:40PM

Baboon,

COUGH *Red Steel* COUGH!

Blue Spotted Frog @ Jun 30th 2006 2:42PM

#31 is obvously a child and a Sony fanboy. That coment is worth negative 5 stars.

Baboon @ Jun 30th 2006 2:42PM

-Catalyst
That is the exact reason I said "generally".

And to be fair, that is more Ubisoft than Nintendo.

J B Cougar @ Jun 30th 2006 2:43PM

NO offense, but maybe there's an abundance of negative stars in that department because, on average, there are more ignorant posts from people who also happen to like the PS3. Also, for those who argue Joystiq is biased, they usally link to other sources in their posts, so maybe the negativity is market-wide, and not just Joystiq. This kind of thinking requires connecting the dots however.

Enosh @ Jun 30th 2006 2:46PM

You know, someone should do a comparison of the N64 launch with the PS3 launch ala the xbox360/dreamcast article that 1up.com had. That would be rather fascinating. :)

Moogle @ Jun 30th 2006 2:50PM

Counterpoint to nalgae: Of all my friends and the numerous PS2s owned thereby, only one got his system modded, and that was strictly for imports. I've never even SEEN a pirated PS2 disk.

OTOH I've seen plenty of pirated dreamcast games.

I'm not a fan of sony and I think the price is far too high, but I've been thinking about getting a PS3 anyway, mainly out of spite towards MS. There were a lot of PS2 games I might want to go back and play as well. Maybe I just like the thought that using it to play PS2 games on a 15 year old TV through composite video would make the heads of some people around here explode. Hehehe. I wonder if I can get my 3" black and white TV working again...

Cheers!
Moogle

Pii3.14 @ Jun 30th 2006 2:52PM

OK.

Faze - To disrupt the composure of; disconcert. Middle English fesen, to drive away, frighten, from Old English fsian.

Phase - A distinct stage of development: “The American occupation of Japan fell into three successive phases” (Edwin O. Reischauer).
A temporary manner, attitude, or pattern of behavior: just a passing phase.
An aspect; a part: every phase of the operation.
Astronomy. One of the cyclically recurring apparent forms of the moon or a planet.
Physics.
A particular stage in a periodic process or phenomenon.
The fraction of a complete cycle elapsed as measured from a specified reference point and often expressed as an angle.
Chemistry.
Any of the forms or states, solid, liquid, gas, or plasma, in which matter can exist, depending on temperature and pressure.
A discrete homogeneous part of a material system that is mechanically separable from the rest, as is ice from water.
Biology. A characteristic form, appearance, or stage of development that occurs in a cycle or that distinguishes some individuals of a group: the white color phase of a weasel; the swarming phase of locusts.

tr.v. phased, phas·ing, phas·es
To plan or carry out systematically by phases.
To set or regulate so as to be synchronized.

Phrasal Verbs:
phase in
To introduce, one stage at a time.
phase out
To bring or come to an end, one stage at a time.

Idioms:
in phase
In a correlated or synchronized way.
out of phase
In an unsynchronized or uncorrelated way. Back-formation from New Latin phases, phases of the moon, from Greek phaseis, pl. of phasis, appearance, from phainein, to show.

Any region that uses "unphased" to mean "unfazed" is just wrong. They aren't even of the same derivative.

Orangecoke @ Jun 30th 2006 3:00PM

Console success tends to hinge on the games and software combined with the price of the hardware.

In the past Microsoft lacked the kind of games that sold consoles (Halo being an exception), and PS2 had a very strong hand (GTA etc). Now I'm seeing PS3 as a really expensive console with no games that look very compelling (the bulk of those on the show floor at E3 were just "ok").

When PS3 launches it will be at a time when the second generation 360 games like Gears of War are coming to retail. For the holiday, I can easily see kids asking their parents for a 360 with one of the hot new games for it, and the request being easier for parents to swallow than a 600 dollar PS3 with nothing terribly exciting to play on it.

dreddgab @ Jun 30th 2006 3:08PM

@21

I was mainly stating in reply @8 that I wouldnt refer to the N64 as a disappointment with the game that were released for it.
I have to agree with you that Shadow of the colossus was an excellent game from start to finish. What are you just getting around to it? Quite suprising for someone such as yourself. oh, and the studio who developed Shadow of the Colossus as well as ICO wasnt exactly a big name studio before sony began publishing it's games. and what position was rockstar games in before the release of GTA3??? it wasn't exactly a Capcom or a Square Enix.