A survey of 714 Japanese who either owned or were interested in portable gaming devices was conducted in the last half of December, showing that 49% of the respondents picked the PS Vita as the gaming machine they'd most like to try out. The Nintendo 3DS came in second, with 18.8% saying they'd like to try it it out more than any other gaming device.
The audience surveyed was 57.0% male, with 30.0% in their twenties, 49.9% in their thirties, and 20.2% in their forties. Over 83% of them said they owned a Nintendo DS, and 48.9% said they owned a PSP. Slightly over 16% said they owned a Nintendo 3DS, while 5% have already picked up a PS Vita. Interestingly, female ownership of the Nintendo DS was over 90%.
When asked why they were interested in the PS Vita, popular answers were because it’s the latest leading-edge multi-function device, new functions such as the rear touch-panel and online games, it’s a follow-on to a device I love, and I’m a Sony fan. For the Nintendo 3DS, popular answers were interest in 3D and that it has games I want to play.
While PS Vita sales fell sharply after the first two days, it looks like there is still significant interest out there among Japanese gamers. Is that interest shared by American and European gamers? We'll find out next month when the PS Vita launches outside of Japan.
