Masaya Matsuura thinks big is not always better
by Peter Vrabel 
{ May 15th 2007 at 1:30PM }
No one can deny the deeply-rooted desire for increased portability in our gadgetry. MP3 players, phones, PDAs and even Game Boys have all succumbed to its forward-moving push by getting smaller over the years. At the Nordic Game Conference in Sweden, revered designer Masaya Matsuura shared his thoughts on why Nintendo's Wii was outselling Sony's PS3: It's too big! Citing Japanese consumer tastes as the main reason, he believes the system itself is, "too big for the Japanese." Xbox fans should note that he didn't care for the power brick either.While praising the Wii for introducing new game play ideas, he also brings up an interesting point on longevity, not believing gamers would want to withstand hours of "shaking the controller." Those that get winded walking up a flight of stairs should consider this if choosing their second console.
Hey Matsuura-san: it's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it. I've got my PS3 nestled in its rightful place inside my cool and spacious TV cabinet and don't frequently juggle it or take it out to play fetch with my dog. Maybe the PS3 was too Americanized for Japanese tastes, but a console doesn't get a lot of portability anyway so I fail to see its size as being an issue. As for exercise, we'll stick to curls (cheese curls) so we can focus our free time on PS3 time-suckers like Motorstorm and Oblivion.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Real Gambler @ May 15th 2007 2:14PM
For it's time, the Gamecube was small and didn't work.... ooops Even had a handle for portability...
And I've stop using cases to move my console around long time ago. Yeah for huge gym bag with lots of pockets for all the cables, games, controller, etc...
Real Gambler @ May 15th 2007 2:02PM
For it's time, the Gamecube was small and didn't work.... ooops Even had a handle for portability...
And I've stop using cases to move my console around long time ago. Yeah for huge gym bag with lots of pockets for all the cables, games, controller, etc...
mccomber @ May 15th 2007 2:07PM
I hate to generalize, but I do think the Japanese are more conscious of the design of products that they use and the impact they have on their lives than we are in the US.
However, as THE reason for the poor ps3 sales? Doubt it. It's the lack of big, exclusive games this summer and a high price, same as it is everywhere else.
TK00 @ May 15th 2007 2:19PM
Those that get winded walking up the stairs might want to consider spending less time on the couch playing video games; you need probably need a Wii.
Bangbang... @ May 15th 2007 7:32PM
I cant see how everyone is praising the wii. The controls are too inaccurate for most games, espically when using the nunchuck (try doing a shield push in zelda). The only games that do not suffer from the inaccurate (and sunlight hating) wiimote are the mini games. But hey, the majority of the games available for the wii are mini games anyway.
Honestly, The PS3 has poor sales in Japan because it's expensive and Japanese people have decided that no man woman or child should be without a DS lite.
Bangbang... @ May 15th 2007 7:32PM
I cant see how everyone is praising the wii. The controls are too inaccurate for most games, espically when using the nunchuck (try doing a shield push in zelda). The only games that do not suffer from the inaccurate (and sunlight hating) wiimote are the mini games. But hey, the majority of the games available for the wii are mini games anyway.
Honestly, The PS3 has poor sales in Japan because it's expensive and Japanese people have decided that no man woman or child should be without a DS lite.
Bangbang... @ May 15th 2007 7:34PM
Sorry :-(