That's actually almost a 50% increase to install base. The numbers are kind amisleading. That said, I really don't expect a game like MGS to change the fate of the PS3 entirely. It's too keyed in to a limited demographic. It'll help though.

Boxelder

Its news worthy because its a negative PS3 story.

A Poll on here would be even more unreliable though.

sparced

Lets see, Japans population is around 127.7 million, this poll has 625 votes. What is the significance of this?

Quaddw

@TheIrishNinja:
I have no idea, I'm not from Japan. But since there's maybe seven or eight people with JUST the 360 in Japan, I doubt that an option like that would even be a drop in the bucket.

Archaotic

I love how EVERY other post is MGS4!!!

icegoat

That's a pretty pathetic amount of voters if I do say so myself...

suya123

@Archaotic: is yahoo more relevant over there? just wondering.

TheIrishNinja

@Sailorcancer: The number of votes would be "*crickets*".

Yuki

Kojima on world tour

+ Watch video

+ Watch video

+ Watch video

to bad i can´t edit my previous post ;)

RafiRAF

@Sailorcancer:
This is Yahoo Japan we're talking. :P

Archaotic

Actually, if you add up the percentages, 102% of people polled either have a PS3 or are interested in MGS4. Now that is interesting!

...I know, rounding error....

CatPope

Where's the "Will buy if on 360" option?

Sailorcancer

@Brian Ashcraft: Well, I figured you noticed that but just in case any readers didn't...

Nirolak

I'm not sure how it's going to go, because the MGS games usuallt had a bigger Western following, but Japan really ate up that last PSP Metal Gear title. I don't think the perfect Famitsu score will have much to do with it since a lot of 360 games have gotten all 9s or above from Famitsu and didn't move systems for jack.

AlKusanagi

I would say anyone who didn't want to get a PS3 would select Interested, but not picking it up with a PS3.

GreenCard200

@Nirolak: CRAZY, HUH?

Brian Ashcraft

i brought my ps3 last week only for this game D:!

mespme

"And if you add all those numbers up, you'll see that one hundred percent of those polled either own a PS3 or are interested in MGS4 - for whatever that's worth."

In all fairness, unless I am reading the poll wrong, there is no option that allows you to both not own a PS3 *and* not be interested in MGS4. I can't say that if that was a choice someone would pick it, but considering it isn't an option, that 100% of the people concurred with that statement is, well, only logical.

Nirolak

wtf? how is a small pool on a non game related website news worthy

RafiRAF

Those number of votes are way too small to give any recognition to this poll. The error marging must be quite large !

Shteve

I never trust these polls, since the amount of people is so small it make the poll pretty much useless

dhlt25

Polls are useless. 13% of the people know it :P

Anyways, I wouldn't compare this with any of the 360's title that have been scored 9 in Famitsu, because here in Japan the 360 is almost inexistent. Really! You just need to go to your neares game shop and take a look at the 360 section. Really small.

GamerMx

@TheIrishNinja: Well, Yahoo's still relevant everywhere; they're still the most visited website in the world, after all, and much of the older generation of internet users grew up with Yahoo as their start page (in much the same way AOL's start page has been able to truck along all this time...).

Datheron

@GregoriRasputin: Let's keep the flamebait outside shall we?

slomo788

Xbox wants to play exclusives. LETS PLAY !Lol i can imagine how many xbox players are gona give this game a low score.

GregoriRasputin

@icegoat:
[kotaku.com]

[kotaku.com]

Brian Ashcraft

@icegoat:
Now you know how everyone felt when every post was about GTA4.

Archaotic

@icegoat: I loved how every other post was Halo 3 for a while. And how every other post was SSBB for a while. So i say. Shut it goat. Most of us like MGS to hear about every other post.

NessD12

On the 1up boards there is a similar poll (which is probably even less representative):

"Are you going to buy MGS4?"

215 Vote(s)
Yes, already have PS3. (42%)

43 Vote(s)
No, I have a PS3 but I'm not interested. (8%)

90 Vote(s)
Yes and I'm buying a PS3 to play it. (17%)

8 Vote(s)
MGS? What's that? (2%)

160 Vote(s)
No, don't have a PS3. (31%)

Total Votes: 516

500 votes is still 500 votes, on Yahoo or on 1Up. They probably would spread a little diferent if you ask 10000, but it's still a point of reference that shouldn't be written off as insignificant.

Now I'd like to see a poll like this for FF XIII here and in Japan. That would be interesting.

maxax

@Boxelder: Don;t drink and do math kids.

Boxelder

@Boxelder:
It'll start the wheels turning, but it probably won't be until Final Fantasy XIII comes out that they start to kick into full gear.

That's the way I see it, at least. Baby steps, then the Square games start hitting and everything goes crazy.

Archaotic

Looks more like a poll on cigarette lengths to me, fitting that MGS4b is involved then.

Dr.Tran

Yahoo is definitely bigger there. Yahoo auctions is their ebay.

greeble

Here's two polls from GameFAQs that, combined, could help supplement some sort of image of how large the release of MGS4 will be. Then again, it is GameFAQs, so take them with a grain of salt if you wish.

Poll on Purchase of MGS4:
[www.gamefaqs.com]

Poll on Purchase of a PS3 (includes MGS4 option):
[www.gamefaqs.com]

Blah8

625 votes online? How is this representative?

Garo

@Dr.Tran: MGS4 i mean, not MGS4b - damn these fatman's fingers.

Dr.Tran

@VakeroRokero: Uh no...retailers say they can't sell Blu-Ray players because they run out of stock.

jsf49

The 52 inch Bravia, Bose surround sound system and the PS3 in my house (oh yeah, and me!) cannot wait for this freaking game already! 90 minute cutscenes and all! bring it on!

eviltower01

Hopefully, people will buy a Ps3, retailers say bluray isn't moving at all...

VakeroRokero

maybe Kotaku should poll its readers... that would give us an idea of how many of us plan to buy it... Not I.
*it is true however that 75% of poll Statistics are lies and the other 25% are accidental.

*=see what i did there.

Arcticfox400

@VakeroRokero: Enjoy learning. [www.videobusiness.com]

jsf49

ouf, nearly half of the VOLUNTARY RESPONSE vote don't want it

genbeef

This is a Japan poll? Japan? They (Japanese) are "interested" but they "don't want to purchase it with a PS3"? What do they want to wait for? The Wii version? LOLLLL! This poll is teh fraud.

jsf49

this poll seems really pointless imo

Dante18

@RafiRAF: Because...GASP!- Kotaku isnt a news site.

NoBullet

I'm thinking about picking up a PS3 for this game, though I'm not Japanese.

Been wanting a hi-def player (wisely skipped the hddvd add-on for my Xbox), but was turned off by the lack of backwards compatability in the 40gb PS3. Going to try to score the 80gb version along with the $100 gift card from Walmart when MGS4 comes out. It's like the perfect storm.

Atrahasis

100% percent of statistics are made up.

Seriously, though, has this series EVER been huge in Japan? MGS sold some 780,000, MGS2 850,000 and MGS3 860,000. While those are definitely good numbers, they aren't among the HUGE games in Japan (Wii Fit sold over that in only 5 weeks). So this poll shouldn't be a surprise.

I really wish people would stop elevating this game to Halo, GTA or even Smash Brothers levels. It'll be big enough in its own right. Comparing it to those types is just setting oneself up for disappointment.

DARTH_TIGRIS

I bought my PS3 solely for MGS4. I've been playing GTA IV meanwhile ;)

Herodito

@GamerMx: +2 for the simpsons reference.

i don't think anyone really has to worry about MGS4 not selling, i think it's the perception that if MGS4 doesn't sell like halo 3, then it's a complete failure and as such, so is the PS3. MGS4 has reached mythic heights as being one of the THE PS3 games, like it or not. so everyone is going to be doing polls and whatnot to gauge what people are thinking about it.

i, personally, am not really surprised at the response. not so much that people think that the game sucks, since i don't think i've seen anyone post that in any of the threads i've read.

i think it has more to do with the perception of the PS3 that may taint the game. face it, the public as bought the notion as fact, that the PS3 is a piece of shit and nothing is going to change that. or at the very least, it's going to very, very difficult to sway people from their preconceived thoughts on the console. i think that's why you're seeing kojima and company hedging their bets with what reviewers can and can't write about. they don't want the negative connotations of the PS3 to carry over into their game. reviewers can't wait to poke holes in PS3 games because of the promises sony made about the PS3, so the games get extra scrutinized for faults. remember heavenly sword? it wasn't that bad, really. (i'm figuring that most that will say it sucked and whatever favorite fanboy internet insult didn't play it, or didn't play it that long) but the perception of the PS3 made it expectations for the game higher then it really should have been. even with the games that were really good and did well, (uncharted and ratchet) and sold well, everyone focused on that fact that neither game sold halo 3 or gears of war numbers, thus the game failed, ultimately.

ok, got off track...alittle.....

so, get used to the polls. you're going to be seeing alot of them in the next week or so. i'm not really worried about anything about MGS4. other then the fact that i suck at MGS games, yet i still play them pretty religiously. i am waiting for the backlash once the game is out. it should be alot bigger then the GTA4 backlash. it'll be fun to watch. i'm also waiting for the NPD numbers to come out so we can start up with the "MGS4 didn't sell on PS31!!!!1!!11LOL zOMG!11!1 360 verson comfirmed!11!1!"

sorry for the long post. at times, i've got somewhat interesting things to ponder, i think.....

jfx316

@Sailorcancer: It's a JAPAN poll.

stargateheaven

the first bar looks just like a cigarette.

pasquinelli

@KirkDouglas: How did you pretend to read the article and poll and still post that?

ostartero

I think the 46% you're speaking of actually refers to people who are buying the game stand alone, and not with a PS3 (in a bundle, or just buying a PS3 at the same time)

KirkDouglas

A poll if less than 1,000 people is a joke.

Let's just look at the numbers when this is all said and done.

Not to mention MGS is the type of game that will continue to sell with time.

I predict they will move 4-5 million units this year (not fiscal).

sascha23

@Nirolak: and that's the true meaning of the post: EVERYONE IN JAPAN either has a PS3 or are interested in the game! Gotta love rigged voting systems, eh?

muu

Where's the option of "not interested"

mcool93