PS4 Sales falling in Japan

In Japan, traditional game consoles are still on the decline.  Despite the recent release of the PlayStation 4 on Sony’s home turf, the console has been surpassed by the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and Nintendo 3DS, according to the most recent numbers from Japanese publication Famitsu.

The PlayStation 4, which launched on February 22nd in Japan. had a solid launch, but it looks like the general trend of consumers preferring handhelds to home consoles is taking hold. According to data released by Famitsu, the PS4 sold a total of 6,887 consoles,  compared to 7,060 for PS3 and 6,836 for the Wii U. The magazine reports that it took PlayStation 3 about 101 weeks to fall to this level of sales.

Sony’s new console is winning the war when it comes to worldwide sales with over 7 million sold.  Though Japanese consumers are proving their disinterest.  With waning interest, it’ll be interesting to see how Microsoft’s Xbox One does in its Japan launch, which is slated for later this year.

Last month, Microsoft released a long list of developers who were committed to making games for the Xbox One in Japan, but considering the troubles that Nintendo and Sony are facing in the home console market in their home country, it’s odd they aren’t focusing their efforts elsewhere.