A new report by Japanese site TV Tokyo has revealed that Sony’s recently announced Japan-only PlayStation 5 console was only brought about after the company executives learned that Nintendo were preparing a Japan-only Nintendo Switch 2, which has since proved popular with Japanese consumers. The system is a cut-price, Japanese language only model which Sony hopes will reverse the fortunes of the PlayStation 5 in Japan. The PlayStation 5 has been selling poorly in comparison to the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 in Japan. Here’s some translated highlights from the TV Tokyo piece.
- In the PS5 resale market for China, the mainland version has strict content regulations and very few playable titles, so the unrestricted Japanese PS5 sells at high prices.
- The decision to sell a Japan-only PS5 model began when Sony executives saw that Nintendo was preparing a Japan-only Switch 2. They decided “we should do the same”, and the price cut was approved in only four months.
- This price reduction carries significant risk and may mean Sony is selling the console with a substantial loss.
- In the background, while global PS sales are growing, the brand has been losing share in Japan, as a result, there was an internal sentiment within SIE that “it is acceptable if the Japanese market continues to shrink”.
- However, the new president Nishino, who is Japanese, feels a strong sense of crisis about the decline of the PlayStation brand in Japan, this sense of urgency shared by Nishino and the Japanese team helped push forward the Japan-focused measures.
