14 DAY TRIAL // Japan is one of the countries that have had an overwhelming influence on gaming as we know it today. A lot of great games but also consoles, in the form of the Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation or the DS, have arrived from the Land of the Rising Sun, so the inhabitants are extremely open and interested in such things.
That is why the most famous games magazine from Japan, Famitsu, conducted a few surveys on how satisfied gamers were about their consoles, be it home or portable. The results were actually pretty shocking, as after the answers were collected, the North American Xbox 360 provided its users with more satisfaction than the local PlayStation 3 or Wii.
Here are the results based on each of the platforms:
Nintendo DS 377 replies • Don't have a Nintendo DS: 15.1 percent • Dissatisfied: 7.4 percent • Somewhat dissatisfied: 14.1 percent • Ordinary: 21.8 percent • Satisfied: 22.5 percent • Extremely satisfied: 19.1 percent Composite Satisfaction Score: 3.4
Wii 376 replies • Don't have a Wii: 43.3 percent • Dissatisfied: 4.3 percent • Somewhat dissatisfied: 13.3 percent • Ordinary: 12.5 percent • Satisfied: 18.4 percent • Extremely satisfied: 8.2 percent Composite Satisfaction Score: 3.2
PSP 387 replies • Don't have a PSP: 15.5 percent • Dissatisfied: 4.1 percent • Somewhat dissatisfied: 5.6 percent • Ordinary: 11.4 percent • Satisfied: 46.3 percent • Extremely satisfied: 17.1 percent Composite Satisfied Score: 3.8
PS3 361 replies • Don't have a PS3: 41.6 percent • Dissatisfied: 5.3 percent • Somewhat dissatisfied: 7.6 percent • Ordinary: 6.2 percent • Satisfied: 22.7 percent • Extremely satisfied: 16.6 percent Composite Satisfied Score: 3.6
Xbox 360 370 replies • Don't have an Xbox 360: 53.5 percent • Dissatisfied: 1.4 percent • Somewhat dissatisfied: 4.3 percent • Ordinary: 0.8 percent • Satisfied: 16.2 percent • Extremely satisfied: 23.8 percent Composite Satisfied Score: 4.2.
Each of the consoles gathered even more interesting statements from a lot of people, like the DS, which doesn't have a lot of titles that people want to play, hinting at the saturation of the market. The PSP is believed to have turned into a purely Monster Hunter-based platform, because of the popularity of the title, and many people only use it for its non-gaming functions. Regarding the PS3, Japanese gamers also share the opinion of other people, that the console is too expensive, but the Blu-ray player might make them buy it. The Xbox 360 on the other hand, gathered both concerns, in regards to the hardware failure, but also praises for its online services and the big library of Western titles.
All in all, some pretty interesting results that showcase a lot of things about the Japanese gamers as they are today.