Ironically, I'm far more interested in Eternal Sonata for the 360 than FFXIII. But Disgaea 3 has potential. I haven't played a truly great SRPG since Shining Force 3.
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PS3 Sales on the rise in Japan
- Thread starter GFLPraxis
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Ironically, I'm far more interested in Eternal Sonata for the 360 than FFXIII. But Disgaea 3 has potential. I haven't played a truly great SRPG since Shining Force 3.
Man, Akihabara is Otaku territory, it does not represent anything real. Who goes there to buy anything other than tourist and people into cosplay
Its like going to some electronics district in any major city and saying, gosh, this "SUPER DUPER BIG ASS ELECTRONICS STORE" is sold out here so it must be sold out in the whole damn country.
Nah, you have to look at the mainstream outlets that are found across Japan. Places that are like BestBuy in the USA, or Yamada Denki, Yodobashi Camera and BEST in Japan. If it's sold out outside AKIHABARA then you got something.
BTW, Akihabara is where technology goes to die. It is where Japanese companies test ideas. I worked for a short time for a product viability company. Products where dumped in Akihabara to test consumer interest and there viability outside of Japan. The companies that dropped the products had little interest in actually following through with the ideas. A suckers paradise that place.
It (Wii) was also in Stock in Yodobashi, and Bic in Shinjuku, Ginza (Bic), along with Kyoto (Both)
The Wii isnt hard to find in Japan, if you think it is then you aren't really looking. But I suppose all those locations are where things go to "die" too eh? DS Lites seem to fly off shelves but considering how transient the general population is with taking trains and all it makes sense.
PSP Accessories were a pain to find, I finally found the camera in Bic Shinjuku. NG Sigma was a pain to find too. However the Bic in Ginza was announcing they had Wii's the day i went there, the next day they still had plenty of stock.
The Japanese won't snub their nose at Sony and turn to MS, it won't happen ever. There is too much nationalistic pride along with other elements like the massive Playstation following that basically guarantee Sony sales over MS in Japan.
Those French Maid Cafes in Akiha were quite trippy...
Ed
It (Wii) was also in Stock in Yodobashi, and Bic in Shinjuku, Ginza (Bic), along with Kyoto (Both)
I never suggested the WII was particularly hard to find. I was simply stating that the PS3 isn't flying off the shelves and if it is in Akihabara it certainly is not in the rest of the country.
The Wii really has nothing to prove, it is selling very well. The only console that has some making up to do is the PS3. That was pretty much my point, again, I own a PS3.
If you read my posts carefully, I already said that. How sad that the reasons are rooted in cultural ignorance rather than reality. But thanks for speaking for the Japanese anyway. I'm glad you have a pulse on what we are going to do next, how is Ishihara doing?
But, if us Japanese will "never" turn to MS, you know, they said that about the iPod. I am not turning to anyone, I am not a slave to brand, I don't drink that type of koolaide, I simply buy it all and pick a product I like better by using it.
But on that note, why do I have an XBOX and a bunch of Japanese buy them every single day? are those Japanese not Japanese? No, some people have a little more depth than that and it is truly sad to buy something mainly because its from any particular company. But on the other hand, that type of thinking is what eventually sink products and companies.
When people where singing the death of Apple I took a close hard look and bought Apple stock. You may be ecstatically investing in Toyota (its a great company, but it has serious flaws too). I on the other hand see it as a time to look at GM, it's not going to pack up and close its shutters, nor should it and much of its problems are not even related to the quality of its products or an inability to innovate, remember EV1?
It is not the end of SONY, I never said that nor meant to suggest it in anyway, but we are not in the middle of its best days and brighter days for SONY are further than brand loyalist want to believe, IMHO. So buy SONY, and enjoy, or buy whatever console you like if you feel its moving in the right direction for you.
Anyway, this is too deep of a discussion for this thread...
As for those Otaku maid outfits, they are certainly interesting to look at, but I prefer a woman with womanly features not a woman masquerading as a young child dressing in erotica. This is what you find in Akihabara, this is of course is the more benign things that you can find there as it gets astronomically more disturbing. I prefer not to think of Akihabara as the cultural center of Japan because it isn't. It certainly is the strangest place in Japan and some people like that. I simply am not one of them. But like I said, it brings in the tourist.
For those of you who are confused I included a picture or three.
Attachments
Agree 100% with that sentiment. It's a shame that some people biggest concern is the brand name, rather than the actual goods. That they will then form negative opinions based on nothing but ignorance simply because a device carries an alternative brand.
And you are also right. It's that kind of stupid loyality that causes a company like Sony to become so utterly complacent and lose focus of what consumer's actually want.
Ignorant silly people = Ignorant silly company.
Arrogance and contempt breeds nothing but the same arrogance & contempt.
Firstly, Madfuku your posts are excellent.
And to MRU, well, brands are important. I think twice about buying anything from Sony because 100% of Sony's products I have bought in the past decade have had some fault with them. And recently I can say the same for Microsoft (Habu mouse broke, 360 controller left shoulder "bumper" not working, red ring 360).
On the other hand Nintendo, Apple, IBM, Dell, Roland and Gibson have never shipped me problematic goods (save for the hinge problem, which they shipped me brand new units each time). I feel confident buying them.
Trust & confidence leads to brand loyalty. Lack of loyalty or experience leads to trepidation.
And to MRU, well, brands are important. I think twice about buying anything from Sony because 100% of Sony's products I have bought in the past decade have had some fault with them. And recently I can say the same for Microsoft (Habu mouse broke, 360 controller left shoulder "bumper" not working, red ring 360).
On the other hand Nintendo, Apple, IBM, Dell, Roland and Gibson have never shipped me problematic goods (save for the hinge problem, which they shipped me brand new units each time). I feel confident buying them.
Trust & confidence leads to brand loyalty. Lack of loyalty or experience leads to trepidation.
Heh, madfuku. My friends and I totally walked into a Cosplay Cafe in Akihabara by accident. That was an extremely awkward moment. I think every single person in there turned and looked at us until we quietly backed out.
Yikes.
Yikes.
This is so spot on in so many ways.
I agree with you here...buy what you like not what people like. If you feel a console(s) is giving you what you want then by all means go ahead buy it and enjoy it.....but this moves it into a whole new place...a place where if a person buys it he wants everyone else to get it so in doing so he/she degrades the other brand just because...it all connects and I'm hungry.
Note: Those dolls scare me.
Bless
Oh that must of sucked. I assume your not Japanese so it must have been extra fun. When I lived in Tokyo (man like over 9 years ago) I dated a girl who was addicted to cosplay. I went to this cosplay party with her and I just sat back dumbfounded. I knew then that it simply wasn't something I could roll with and I changed up my GF while I was at it. Then the Otaku explosion happened...
I lived in New York City (three blocks from WTC on 9/11), London, Paris, Beijing and Hamburg and now I am full circle from Japan back to Japan in now Kyushu (south western Japan) in a city named Fukuoka. I do shuttle into Tokyo too may times than I care to admit.
I'm fixing at least 1 Dell PC per week
I've had loads of problems with my Apple computers - Our 2 macbooks have had LCD screens and logic boards replaced. My 15" 1.6ghz powerbook had the lines on the screen issue, My G5 powermac had 3 major repairs and eventually died just before it's 3rd year.
We have a load of Roland, Korg and others; equipment pack in on us, after all we do have a recording studio, and a video studio - so we see a lot of this type of equipment and are usually quick to adopt new tech & devices
A lot of our Sony Pro camera equipment that has screwed up too, and a lot of the time it has cost a lot of money to repair.
However do I now say to people never buy Dell ? Do I stay away from Apple computers ? Will we stop using anything by Roland etc.. in the future? Do I think all Sony equipment is doomed to failure and should not be touched ?
NO of course not.
I have enough 'cop on' to realise that hardware fails at times and some really do have flaws - which only become obvious given time and experience.
I stick by my earlier statement
Count me lucky then Even back at college the only part of an Apple computer that would break was the keyboard/mouse. *shrugs*
Either way, I trust brands that are trustworthy and stay clear of ones that aren't. In the case of MS I won't be throwing a penny at them until they clear up their mess. I can't believe I spent £45 on a high-end gaming mouse only to have it break and nobody to take the blame. Logitech took full responsibility when my last mouse broke and sent me a new one. The awesome people.
Even back at college the only part of an Apple computer that would break was the keyboard/mouse. *shrugs*Either way, I trust brands that are trustworthy and stay clear of ones that aren't. In the case of MS I won't be throwing a penny at them until they clear up their mess. I can't believe I spent £45 on a high-end gaming mouse only to have it break and nobody to take the blame. Logitech took full responsibility when my last mouse broke and sent me a new one. The awesome people.
that's because the habu is made by Razr
and we all know that quality confidence can't be high with a company's product if their warranty goes from "life long free replacement policy" to "1 year" gradually like it did with Razr
that's why i always smile seeing 15 year olds buying their stuff for the little "i'm so hardcore-gamer" feeling
on sony and arrogance: a little arrogance might be import to bring over confidence i ntheir product but with sony it got worse and worse over the last years not only in the new playstation part but also in others like the camera division: the arrogance in keeping the memory stick only instead including SD killed every 5th sale and the high pricing, just for the hell of it not because the stuff was that expensive to produce
and of course "our product quality is so good we don't need an service department in austria" (that is an actual sony quote) .. instead they drove products to the netherlands or even UK for repairing
yeah i actually worked for sony (mostly promotion works): since then my opinion about them hasn't been that good
sony i got news for you: in terms of customer products you're last shining beacon were your CRT computer screens and TVs (even rivaling the german CRTs of the 70ties and 80ties) and small hifi systems around 10 years ago
That's the beauty of the situation -- the shop doesn't care, Microsoft tell me to contact Razer and Razer tell me to contact Microsoft!
As it's also my first Razer product I'll likely never buy from them again. Back to Logitech
On the other side of things, I accidentally damaged my Dell monitor (the stand fell onto the display whilst in the car) yet along came Dell and replaced it with not only a new unit, but an entirely new model. 2005fwp to the 2007 model.
Might just be luck again
As it's also my first Razer product I'll likely never buy from them again. Back to Logitech
On the other side of things, I accidentally damaged my Dell monitor (the stand fell onto the display whilst in the car) yet along came Dell and replaced it with not only a new unit, but an entirely new model. 2005fwp to the 2007 model.
Might just be luck again
On the other side of things, I accidentally damaged my Dell monitor (the stand fell onto the display whilst in the car) yet along came Dell and replaced it with not only a new unit, but an entirely new model. 2005fwp to the 2007 model.
Might just be luck again
No Dell and monitors are very good in my experience too when it comes to service. I even have a Dell LCD TV and they have replaced that three times no quibbles next day.
Here we go with the Dell stuff again...
If Dell is so good, why did you have to replace it 3 times???
Sounds like a fun time. We didn't have any other particularly weird experiences, except for staying at a fantastic internet cafe in Shinjuku and being wedged between a guy who played Lineage II (as a female) for like six hours and did NOTHING but sit in a circle with a bunch of other people and chat and another guy who was wanking to porn in the corner. I guess that since that was the weirdest thing we came across, and okonomiyaki the best, the balance of the trip was good times.
As weird as the trip was, and if I wasn't so averse to learning to speak (read/write) the language, I'd love to live in Japan one day. It's a very pleasant place to be a foreigner. Even their mild xenophobia is sort of charming.
If I were a native, though, I think I'd be eager to get out. The best part of being a gaijin (an American, no less) is that people just assume you're going to be rude, forthright, independent-minded, etc etc. I know it's an entirely different proposition if you're actually Japanese.
I meant their customer service in regards to monitors
The fact they changed the monitor for 1 dead pixel was good.
Apple would not do the same when my at the time £1200 20" ACD (the previous style) had 1 dead pixel.
The fact that they sent out a replacement and the same people collected within 24 hours and I'm in the middle of nowhere in rural Ireland.
The fact that Apple don't offer me a similar service even with Apple Care here.
The fact that the telephone call to Dell customer support was actually to someone in Ireland who spoke English and within 10 minutes the replacement was organised...
Unlike Apple where your put through to India with people who struggle to understand anything your saying and read off the basic reset p-ram crap even though you've already explained that you've done that. After an agonising 40 minutes or more on the phone to get a case id, and then you still have to arrange to send your machine upto the repair center here, because they do not have anyone who comes out to you in Ireland. It's bloody painful dealing with Apple here in Ireland, even though their European HQ is located here.
So yes - in regards to Dell and monitors - I think they are very good.
Are you happy now Mr. Pedantic ?
I meant their customer service in regards to monitors
Unlike Apple where your put through to India with people who struggle to understand anything your saying and read off the basic reset p-ram crap even though you've already explained that you've done that. After an agonising 40 minutes or more on the phone to get a case id, and then you still have to arrange to send your machine upto the repair center here, because they do not have anyone who comes out to you in Ireland. It's bloody painful dealing with Apple here in Ireland, even though their European HQ is located here.
So yes - in regards to Dell and monitors - I think they are very good.
Are you happy now Mr. Pedantic ?
Oh, you're in Europe...
Here in the US, it's opposite. Apple Customer Care is either in Texas or in Canada.
Dell Customer Service gets you to India...
I'm an American boy so I don't know who Mr. Pedantic is.
The ever popular Dell complaint site has users now having massive problems with their monitors (I have an older Dell LCD and it's fine).
Cheers to you across the "pond". The secret is to find good customer service these days...
^ Sorry, yeah I'm in Ireland.
What's weird here is that both Dell & Apple's European HQ's are both in Ireland. In fact Apple is based in the next county 'Cork'. And yet the difference they offer in customer service is worlds apart.
Mr. Pedantic ? Guess you don't know who Mr. Sarcastic is either
The Wii is doing really well, but its aiming at a mass market, its for kids. It has a market on its own.
The ps3 is still sold as a lost, so all they have to do is produce enough of those consoles to gather a descent user base until their cell optimized games come out in september and everyone goes craze. Sony has record profit for this year, they know what they are doing and cannot lose anything in the long run. They have over 10 strong exclusives coming soon, some deal with Epic, they will get Guild Wars 2 etc.
As for microsoft, it has some good games but they are limited to an American market and things are not going so well:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6175367.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;9
The ps3 is still sold as a lost, so all they have to do is produce enough of those consoles to gather a descent user base until their cell optimized games come out in september and everyone goes craze. Sony has record profit for this year, they know what they are doing and cannot lose anything in the long run. They have over 10 strong exclusives coming soon, some deal with Epic, they will get Guild Wars 2 etc.
As for microsoft, it has some good games but they are limited to an American market and things are not going so well:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6175367.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;9
Games consoles by definition are for kids. Or, according to LIVE magazine - "games are for the emotionally immature".
Damn that's a pity. I guess you forgot all about Europe.
You know it's this big continent made up of a lot of countries. I understand that teaching geography doesn't feature highly on school syllabus's these days; but you may want to open up your horizons a little
That's right. Europe has a bigger population than that of America.
The 360 is very popular over here. Far more so than the PS3. Even here in Ireland in paticular, where Sony used to reign supreme (the highest PS2 ownership per populace outside of Japan) the PS3 has failed to ignite the flames of enthusiasm. Sony have missed the ball big time.
Yes the PS3 represents great value for money as a BluRay player, and has nifty media card slots, ....... but it's a frickin 'games' console and at the end of the day - they mean jack didly squat to the vast majority of the gaming audience.
So they do not see €630 as a fair price for high tech equipment, they see a games console €250 over priced.
bless.... If you honestly believe that in September all of a sudden the magic of the supposed 'Cell' will be unlocked, then I truly congratulate you for your vivid imagination and noble belief in a lost cause.
Just has the untapped power of the emotion engine never materialised, the hype around the 'Cell' is only matched by the naievity of those that truly believe in the mass marketing hyperbole that accompanies it.
1. (1 / 1) Dragon Quest IX NDS Square Enix 2.417
2. (2 / 2) Final Fantasy XIII PS3 Square Enix 2.101
3. (3 / 3) Biohazard 5 PS3 Capcom 1.549
4. (5 / 6) Monster Hunter 3 PS3 Capcom 1.117
5. (4 / 4) Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 Konami 1.028
6. (6 / 7) Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii Nintendo 839
7. (8 / 8) Everybodys Golf 5 PS3 Sony 761
8. (9 /11) Lost Odyssey Xbox 360 Microsoft 702
9. (10/ 9) Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII PSP Square Enix 694
10. (13/16) Doubutsu no Mori [Animal Crossing] Wii Nintendo 575
11. (14/10) Zelda no Densetsu: Phantom Hourglass NDS Nintendo 533
12. (16/14) Final Fantasy IV NDS Square Enix 526
13. (16/13) Subarashiki Kono Sekai: Its a Wonderful World NDS Square Enix 517
14. (20/18) Super Mario Galaxy Wii Nintendo 514
15. (17/15) Final Fantasy Versus XIII PS3 Square Enix 499
16. (11/12) Devil May Cry 4 PS3 Capcom 493
17. (12/22) Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 14 PS2 Konami 438
18. (15/17) Gran Turismo 5 PS3 Sony 394
19. (19/21) Halo 3 Xbox 360 Microsoft 369
20. (21/19) Layton Kyouju to Akuma no Hako NDS Level 5 366
In other news: Sales for the Xbox 360 fell 60 percent in year-to-year sales, the company announced this week.
The 360 moved 700,000 units in the fiscal fourth quarter. I guess more people are annoyed with MS than Sony.
the famitsu list is only worth a bit in the hardcore market.. it's exactly like looking at 1up or ign for their most anticipated titles ... their readers send in their msot awaited lists
for example there have been titles which were under the top 3 for most of development and then barley sold 300k
meanwhile during the last week the wii sold 100k and the ps3 14k and the 360 perhaps 3k
after all blue dragon was number 2
for example there have been titles which were under the top 3 for most of development and then barley sold 300k
meanwhile during the last week the wii sold 100k and the ps3 14k and the 360 perhaps 3k
after all blue dragon was number 2