It seems exceedingly weird that a Japanese console launches so late in its home country. However, Sony had their reasons.
Now, the PlayStation 4 is officially on sale in the Land of the Rising Sun. Believe it or not, Japan is the 49th region to receive the new system. It retails for 41,979 yen (approximately $410) and early reports say Japanese consumers are responding in droves.
Sony recently announced that as of February 8th, the PS4 had sold 5.3 million units worldwide. That number is bound to jump now that the console is available in Japan, where it’s destined to be quite popular. On the flip side, Microsoft has always had extreme difficulty selling the Xbox brand in Japan, so expect Sony’s lead this generation to grow considerably.
It’s still early yet, but Sony is off to a good start. Numerous locations throughout Japan held midnight launches and the lines were long. Gamers have waited patiently – or not so patiently, as the case may be – for months.
Japan loves PlayStation
At least, it usually does. Historically, the brand has performed very well in Japan, so it’s likely that the PlayStation 4 will enjoy strong sales out of the gate. It also helps that the Wii U already appears to be on the decline and as the Xbox isn’t much of a competitor in that country, the PS4 has all the momentum in the world.
