Something about Japan: No next-gen hardware in Japan means the holiday is Nintendo’s

http://media.edge-online.com/wp-cont...mario-3d-u.jpgLucky old Nintendo. By delaying the launch of PS4 in Japan, Sony has given the Wii U pretty much an uncontested run of the home-console sales this holiday season. (Xbox One was unlikely to be a contender in Japan even if it was coming this year, which it isn’t.) And with brand new Mario and a slew of family-friendly causal titles either on the way or freshly released, the troubled dual-screen tween-gen hardware is beginning to seem like an attractive proposition.Christmas isn’t as big a deal in Japan as it is in the West, but people do still exchange gifts, and even more so around New Year’s, when kids are given money by doting parents and grandparents to spend on whatever they like. Shougatsu, as the New Year’s holiday is known in Japan, is a family occasion just like Christmas is for us, and Nintendo is clearly betting that families in Japan will want to do their bonding over a Wii U.For a start, there’s Mario. Who needs next-gen hardware when Japan’s favourite plumber is back in a full-fledged new big-screen outing? Super Mario 3D World is released in Japan on 21 November, and its importance cannot be overstated. When 3DS was ailing in its first year in Japan, it was Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 (along with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate 3) that saved it, right at the end of 2011, turning the handheld into the ubiquitous carry-everywhere item that it is today. It is obviously no coincidence that Super Mario 3D World’s release is at the same time of year as those games.

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