The Nintendo 3DS has been the big seller in Japan.

JULY 9, 2014 • Japanese game publication Famitsu has released a tally of Japan video game console hardware sales in Japan for the first six months of 2014. Despite the PlayStation 4’s recent launch in the market last February the sales leader was the Nintendo 3DS at 1.1 million units. The PlayStation Vita was second at 639,730, in third at 613,785 was the PS4, The PS3 was fourth at 300,386, while fifth was held by the Wii U at 291,605. What’s more, Famitsu discovered Japanese hardware sales have remained flat as a whole despite the PlayStation 4’s introduction. For the six months ending June 30, total hardware sales were reported as ¥70.6 billion ($695 million). For the first half of 2013 hardware sales were ¥66.4 billion ($654 million).

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Impact: The fact is that console video game systems no longer have tidal impacts on the purchasing trends of Japanese consumers. The country has made a transition to portable gaming in a big way and there probably is no turning back. Console sales will remain significant as part of the larger game business in Japan, yet it is obvious that the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita will stay on top of the dedicated game system charts. The hardware market is still growing between $40 million and $50 million a year, but with the major embrace of smartphones as game devices, we don’t see major leaps in dedicated hardware growth in the future. So while Japan still loves playing electronic games, the business will continue to be spread between the various platforms, with portable and mobile being the most favored. Nowhere else in the world is on-the-go gaming as attractive as it is in Japan due to social trends there, which explains the muted response to the PlayStation 4.