Japanese gamers confirmed their overwhelming interest in the PlayStation line of products according to a new survey conducted during the recent Tokyo Gaming Show.
In the poll conducted by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, an astounding 71.8 percent of respondents voiced the PlayStation 3 as their next generation console choice. An equally surprising 35.7 percent of participants voiced interest in Sony’s newest portable console, the PSP.
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 consequently captivated a much smaller portion of the gaming audience, mustering up interest only in 23 percent of those surveyed. Nintendo also posted less than promising numbers, tallying in at 20 percent of respondents’ interest in their upcoming Revolution. Their Nintendo DS also only scrapped in at 13.7 percent.
These latest numbers should not come as much of a surprise to the gaming industry. Microsoft has been generally unsuccessful in their quest for the Japanese market, only selling a small fraction of its consoles compared to its main rivals Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo’s Dual Screen may have ended up suffering due to its popularity, as many of the polled may already own it. The lack of enthusiasm for the Revolution may simply be due to the lack of information about the console, courtesy of Nintendo’s prolonged silence.
While Sony maintains an advantage in its home market, it still faces stiff competition in the other marketing regions, mainly North America and Europe. With the PlayStation 3 having a later launch and a possible higher MSRP than both of its competitors, Sony has a potential of losing in the long run. However, if Sony can mirror the success of its previous two consoles, the PlayStation 3 has the potential to successfully retain Sony’s market share. Stay tuned for more PlayStation 3 news!