Japanese gamers have to wait until February 22 for the PS4

Japan used to be the territory that got everything games related first and it fueled a very healthy import business to Western shores and gamers. But there has been a major shift and focus on the US and Europe over the last two generations of hardware, and Japan is really losing out with this round of next-gen consoles.

When the Xbox One launches on November 22, Japan isn’t counted as a launch territory, in fact Microsoft’s console isn’t expected to launch there for 18 months. That’s no great loss as Japanese gamers have never really liked the Xbox consoles. They do love PlayStation, though, so it’s surprising to hear that thePlayStation 4 won’t launch in Japan this year.

While Sony is set to launch the PS4 across the US and Europe on November 15, Japanese gamers will be left waiting until February 22 to get their hands on one. There will be a PlayStation 4 First Limited Pack available that includes Knack for the same price as the standard machine, which in Japan costs $420. There will also be a PlayStation Camera bundle available for $460.

Sony has explained the long delay before launching in its home territory is because of games. Basically, it wants a lot more of them available from day one in Japan. It seems likely a number of those games will be Japan-specific download titles that wouldn’t be considered for launch elsewhere. However, by February next year there’s sure to be quite a few other games available anyway.

I’d suggest stock levels will also have played a part in Sony’s decision to delay the launch. They need to ensure successful launches across Europe and in the US in order to best compete with Microsoft, and that means getting as many consoles into homes as possible before the end of 2013. As the Xbox One won’t feature in Japan, Sony can take a more relaxed approach to the launch there and still easily beat Microsoft to market.