Survey Finds PlayStation 3, MGS 4 Most Wanted In Japan

Leading Japanese video game publication Weekly Famitsu has released a survey of attendees of the recent 2006 Tokyo Game Show on the level of interest and future purchase tendencies of next-generation game consoles. Popular consumer game website IGN has translated the results, which put Sony's PlayStation 3 as the platform players are most looking forward to playing. In total, the publication queried 4,000 show attendees, though the report notes that most questions were answered by between 2,500 and 3,000 people. According to the report, 58.3 percent of those surveyed identified the PlayStation 3 as their most anticipated next-generation platform, while the competing Wii and Xbox 360 platforms topped just 33.8 percent and 7.9 percent participants' wish lists respectively. Looking to the price of each console, 56.5 percent of respondents noted that they felt the 20GB PlayStation 3 model was too expensive at 49,800 yen, while 35.7 percent felt it was just right and 7.8 percent noted it was inexpensive. Looking to the 60 GB version, which will carry an open price, 64.6 percent of those surveyed felt the price was “extremely high”, while 20.1 percent noted that it was just right and 15.3 percent who felt it was cheap. The survey also found that Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4 ranked as the most anticipated future release for the PlayStation 3, as well as across all platforms. Interestingly, 65 percent of survey participants felt that the Xbox 360 core system, which will be released in Japan on November 2 for 29,800 yen, was reasonably priced, compared to 25.2 percent who noted that it's still too expensive and 9.8 percent who felt it will carry a low cost. Predictably, it was noted that Sakaguchi's epic RPG Blue Dragon is the game that most Xbox 360 enthusiasts are looking forward to playing. Looking to Nintendo's Wii, 60.5 percent said that it was priced just right, while 13.6 percent commented that it was too expensive and 25.9 felt it was inexpensive. Those survey noted that the long awaited The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was the most anticipated Wii release on the horizon, beating out other Nintendo stalwarts Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Also interesting, 24.5 percent of respondents indicated that they thought the Wii remote looked “unique and user-friendly”, while a similar 24 percent noted that it looks difficult to use. It is worth noting that Nintendo did not have a presence at the Tokyo Game Show, and while a few third parties did bring Wii units to the event, they were not available to be played by attendees. Looking to what consoles attendees planned to invest in, the publication found that of those people surveyed, 36.2 percent responded that they did not plan to purchase a PlayStation 3 in the immediate future, while 10.5 percent expected to pick up the console at launch. The numbers varied slightly for the Wii, with 33 percent indicating that they did not plan to buy a Wii at this time, and 17.8 percent commenting that they planned to buy one at launch. As expected, the numbers went considerably south when turned to the Xbox 360. 66.4 percent of those asked said they did not plan to pick up an Xbox 360 core system anytime soon, while just 1.4 percent indicated that they would buy it at launch.