Quote Originally Posted by Velhart View Post
For poor HD console sales, portable devices have always been more popular, especially the DS/3DS. Companies know this, which is why there is a 2:1 ratio of portable JRPG's to console ones. Can I 100% explain why portable devices are grossly more popular there? Not really, can only think of a few things. Dragon Quest IX really showed this. Seriously...4.2 million copies sold, that is insane.
I really think it comes down to population density. Especially in the big cities like Tokyo and Osaka, for example, you'll probably get 20-30 Nintendo 3DS streetpasses on a bad day. Compare that to my experience in Boston and even NYC, just walking around or to work, which is 0-2 streetpasses per day, depending on the exact route. In Japan, there are more people per square mile and more of them have handheld gaming consoles. It's just completely normal there for a kid or adult to have a handheld. Compare that to America where usually only kids can get away with playing games on the train without getting judgmental stares. Smart phones are slowly changing that perception but games on smart phone tend to be shorter, less meaningful/intense experiences.

Also Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter is a cultural phenomenon in Japan on the same order of magnitude as Michael Jackson in the US. Everyone and their mother has at least heard of Monster Hunter and a disgustingly large number have played it. Monster Hunter has sold over 21 million units since the first game in 2004. That's more than Castlevania (20 million sold) which has 3 times as many games in the series and has been around since 1986. Monster Hunter is a large reason why portables are so popular in Japan.