Tokyo Games Show: Fans Try PS4 And Xbox One

Gamers in Japan have been lining up to be among the first to try the new PlayStation4 and Xbox One consoles.The Tokyo Game Show lets fans experience the latest games and hardware, with more than 350 companies showing off their latest and greatest.As well as huge Sony and Microsoft booths, there are also special areas set aside for the likes of romance simulation games, cloud gaming and the growing smartphone and tablet game sector.The Grand Theft Auto V area also drew a long line - the hit game is not out in Japan until October.More than 200,000 people are expected at the show, Asia's biggest video games trade event, which runs until Sunday.Microsoft's Xbox One is one of the big attractions at the showThe event comes amid worries over the health of Japan's once booming games industry.Sony said earlier this month that, for the first time, it would launch its new PlayStation in the US and Europe in November - three months ahead of Japan.The Xbox One, will be rolled out in 13 countries, including the US, UK and Australia, on November 22.No date has so far been set for its release in Japan.Gamers take it easy while playing a tablet-based gameSome industry experts say it reflects the country's fading position in games development.US and European developers have produced many of the biggest games of recent years, with Edinburgh-based Rockstar North behind game of the moment Grand Theft Auto V.Analysts say encouraging new independent game creators is crucial for Japan to regain its position in the gaming world.Queues for the Grand Theft Auto V standOne games developer at the show, Keiji Inafune, said the downturn was due to some games companies becoming complacent and not taking enough risks."Suddenly, Japanese games weren't selling, and they didn't look as good as they used to look, compared to foreign games."We need to first confront our own defeat, and we need to start learning from the world," he said.Sony and Microsoft however, say the delayed release dates for their consoles are simply to give more time to get things right for the Japanese market.Nintendo meanwhile, which announced the death of its pioneer Hiroshi Yamauchion Thursday, has followed tradition and is not exhibiting at the show.   The Tokyo Game Show is open to media and industry professionals until Saturday, when general admission begins.