Why is japan so good at hardware, but bad at software?

It's a known fact that Japan is a technological powerhouse. They make some of the finest hardware in the world. However, there is one area where Japan seems to be absolutely horrendous at, and that is software. How come the Japanese excel at making hardware, but seem to be lagging behind at the software front? ( Except videogames of course. )

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Comments ( 3 )
  • LloydAsher

    I have zero knowlage of the industry of why. But I can offer some culture differences that could impact why.

    It's easy enough to develop hardware since it takes less effort to make something more efficient by way of components. Theres a monotony of standard of wanting to get a cookie cutter job. Work 9/5 get a kid, raise a family, retire, die. High risks arent taken as much because of the collectivist nature of japan.

    America on the other hand is largely free to do whatever you want. Individualism is the name of the game, got an idea for some kickass software? Develop it, sell it, you are a millionaire. The risk of failure is high enough to keep most people in line until they make the decision to do something. Individual drive is what makes the most of capitalism.

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  • 1WeirdGuy

    Sonys got some good shit. The USA is definitely the leader in technology at the moment. China may produce good products but we are still far ahead in terms of technology. Sillicon valley is one of the biggest industries USA has goin

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    • Sony's software is alright. However, I think the software, the operating system, and the whole online infrastructure that Xbox runs on is better than the one Playstation has, judging from my personal experience, and it's always been the case through every console generation. Nintendo is by far the worst at this.

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