Japan News, Japan Features - Page 2 of 23

Sony's system finally knocks its counterpart off the summit

Savour the moment: the PlayStation Vita has finally toppled the Nintendo 3DS in Japan. Sales for Sony’s handheld stayed strong following last week’s price drop, with Soul Sacrifice pushing the system’s tally up to a colossal 63,581 units – a small improvement over last week’s...

Deploying this summer in Japan

The ongoing battle for Gamindustri and its inhabitants will make the transition to PlayStation Vita, an article in Dengeki PlayStation magazine has revealed. Siliconera reports that Hyperdimension Idol Neptunia PP will launch on 20th June in Japan, though additional details are scarce. Previous instalments in the...

Sony forgoes sanity for latest spot

Sony is pushing PlayStation Vita exclusive Soul Sacrifice extremely hard in Japan. We’ve already seen a couple of the platform holder’s more conventional commercials for the Monster Hunter-esque title, but this one steps headfirst into nonsense territory. It shows a group of Japanese office workers going nuts...

Onwards and upwards

PlayStation Vita sales surged to 62,543 units in Japan following last week’s price cut. The system – which saw its cost slashed to ¥19,980 on 28th February – sold out in some stores, prompting SCEJ executive Hiroshi Kawano to hint that sales had quadrupled. However,

System primed for positive week overseas

We already know that the PlayStation Vita’s commercial performance has improved dramatically since the console’s recent price drop, but just how much has remained a bit of a mystery. Fortunately, speaking at a One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 presentation earlier today, SCEJ president Hiroshi Kawano has...

Celebrate good times

See that red text at the bottom of those PlayStation Vita promotional posters? That's the sign of victory. After having its price slashed to just ¥19,980 yesterday, Sony’s struggling handheld has finally started flying off the shelves, with the above Akihabara retailer only having two models left in stock. The image...

Is that dude on fire?

Soul Sacrifice is easily the PlayStation Vita’s biggest piece of software since the system's launch in Japan, so it’s little surprise that Sony’s making a big song and dance about the release. This hyperactive fifteen second commercial uses actors to demonstrate the title’s magic-based action and co-operative gameplay...

Platform holder has big plans for the handheld

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan president Hiroshi Kawano has admitted that the PlayStation Vita has failed to meet expectations in its home territory – but has promised that the platform holder will be on the offensive in 2013. The comments come days after Sony announced a significant price-drop...

Shows off God Eater 2, Soul Sacrifice, and Final Fantasy X HD

In a surprise press conference overnight, Sony has announced that it is set to slash the price of the PlayStation Vita in Japan. The company confirmed that from 28th February, you’ll be able to pick up either a Wi-Fi or 3G console for around ¥19,980 ($215), down from ¥24,980 ($269)...

Demon malaise

In the past, it’s been pretty easy to attribute the PlayStation Vita’s commercial woes in Japan to the platform's worrying lack of software. After all, whenever a new title has arrived, the system’s sales have almost always spiked. Worryingly, that wasn’t the case this week. Despite netting two major new releases in dungeon...

Also breaks the bank

If you’re in need of a suitable timepiece to accompany your overpriced Leon S. Kennedy themed jacket, then look no further than Resident Evil: Revelations’ Japanese collector’s edition. The premium bundle includes a US Agency watch sporting the BSAA logo. It’s based on the same design worn by protagoni

Moral victory

The system may be locked in a constant conflict with the bottom half of the Japanese hardware charts, but it turns out that local consumers want to love the PlayStation Vita after all. A recent Famitsu magazine survey discovered that more than 64 per cent of readers are eager to snap up the struggling hardware, a sample greater than...

And maybe overseas, too

A couple of custom PlayStation 3 Super Slim colours will hit the console catwalk in Japan next month, platform holder Sony has announced. The newly unveiled 250GB Garnet Red and Azurite Blue systems will launch on 28th February in the land of the rising sun, and will set you back ¥24,980 ($279). Interestingly, the...

Acceptable in the 80s

We’ve never quite understood the fascination with using modern hardware to emulate ancient experiences, but it’s big business – and now Capcom is looking to get into the lucrative market. Chatting in the latest issue of Famitsu magazine, the publisher has revealed Capcom Arcade Cabinet, a free application for the...

Scribble time

It looks like an infant armed with a tub of crayons designed the cover for Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin. The title – which could well be the last PlayStation 2 game ever released – is due out on 27th March in Japan. It’s the fifth expansion for Square Enix’s popular online adventure, and marks the MMO’s tenth...

End of an era

It’s the beginning of the end – but not in the way that the Mayans predicted. After almost 13 years on the market, the iconic PlayStation 2 is finally starting its transition into the console retirement home. Reports coming out of Famitsu magazine suggest that Sony has ceased shipping the system to Japanese retailers today, meaning...

You can’t keep a good platform down

The aging PlayStation Portable has reaffirmed its relevance by outselling the PlayStation 3 and Vita in the Japanese sales charts this week. Sony’s classic handheld sold 65,859 units during the tracked timeframe, and had two titles in the top five. Both One Piece: Romance Dawn and AKB1/149: Love Election sold...

Reports claim D:ream performed at the party

Somewhere in the corner of Sony’s main Tokyo office are a gaggle of glum looking executives sat around a sombre looking PlayStation Vita cake. Exactly twelve months ago, the handheld released in the organisation’s home territory amidst much expectation. But despite a huge turnout at launch, sales have...

Like a dragon

Yakuza 5 landed a devastating blow on all of the other new releases in Japan this week. The latest title in SEGA’s seedy series registered 356,757 sales, which was enough to score it a spot at the summit of the region's charts. The hotly anticipated sequel sold more than the combined total of the top three Wii U launch games – but...