Last updated: September 11, 2023
China has been a difficult market to break into. The country has some of the most difficult consumer laws concerning gameplay and gambling in Asia. The Chinese government didn’t allow gamers to play with gaming consoles for years, so online gambling is nearly impossible. Large technology companies have been trying for years to break into the Chinese market.
Sony has been trying to get into the market since it began its PlayStation series. The company hasn’t had much luck. However, the PlayStation 5 may be the first console that is truly accessible to the Chinese market.
Chinese players have preferred to play games on smartphones and PCs rather than consoles. In fact, the Chinese government banned them until 2015. While it was still possible to buy gaming consoles on the gray market, they were prohibitively expensive. Smartphones and PCs made in China were much cheaper, and that is what the Chinese gravitated toward. Chinese gaming companies, such as Tencent and NetEase, manufactured games for computers and smartphones and became profitable. There didn’t seem to be much need for consoles.
There is a growing market for gaming consoles created by Chinese developers. Large companies, such as Marvelous and Platinum Games, wanted to break into the Chinese market. Gaming companies started encouraging Chinese console development. Sony found a foothold through Chinese designers who made games for the PlayStation 4 console. The quest for the perfect Chinese console began.
In China, the government has some very strict regulations on media. The government controls what companies buy and sell. Any Chinese media products have to make it through the censors first before companies can sell them. However, Chinese gaming companies have learned how to beat the system by playing games on the international site Steam.
Using Steam, Chinese gamers can access PlayStation games on the grey market. Gamers have illegally streamed games on Steam for years. However, Sony is anticipating that Chinese designers will begin to make their own gaming designs for the PS5.
The new PS5 has better graphics and faster loading than the older PS4. Console triggers allow for 3-D audio and responsiveness. The console also has a built-in mike, which streamlines the design further. Gamers in China have already commented on the slick design and adaptability of the console. Chinese gamers have also commented on the attraction of gambling software. Experts expect the Chinese version of the PS5 to feature sic bo, pai gow poker, and mahjong. The gaming choices in China may include the favorite card games of Chinese gamblers — baccarat and Hold’em poker. The system may also introduce arcade games, such as pachinko. Pachinko is a Japanese game, but it has become very popular in China. Keno is popular as well. There might even be a version of the popu
