Japan has long been a dominant driving force in the video game industry. Decades ago, western brands like Atari and Coleco did well. After the video game crash in the 1980s, Japan really stepped up. Nintendo, Sega, and Sony were really the only companies with successful video game consoles from the late 80s until Microsoft launched the original Xbox in 2001.

This current generation of consoles with the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii has been a very interesting seven years, and it is becoming clear that Japan isn't the force it once was. The western world has made a huge comeback in this industry, and it seems like it has a lot to do with Japan's strange relationship with electronics and digital content.

I've been a user of Nintendo consoles since I was able to hold a controller. Some of my most vivid gaming memories have been with Japanese games on Japanese hardware. In the past few years, my gaming life has shifted heavily towards western developers and western hardware. It's incredibly frustrating to see companies and franchises that once ruled the roost slip into a niche role. While the Nintendo Wii has sold over 97 million consoles compared to the Xbox 360's 70 million, the Wii missed out on third-party AAA games for its entire lifespan. That's due in no small part to Nintendo's reluctance to use the latest technology in visuals and connectivity.