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Nintendo DSi sales are still HOT in Japan, with the camera-equipped revision moving another 88,000-plus units last week. The PSP also got a major shot in the arm, thanks to the latest Gundam release.
It was a down week for hardware sales in Japan, with the Wii the only platform to see an uptick in sales week-to-week. The recently launched Nintendo DSi still tops the charts and is in no danger of losing its position to any of its hardware competitors. It does about half of the total hardware sales for the week of November 10 to 16. PlayStation 3 sales stay solid amid a half-dozen new releases over the past month, including Way of the Samurai 3, Resistance 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Wonder how long the DS Lite will continue to chart...
After last week's exciting new hardware debuts, the Japanese hardware sales charts calm down a bit. Sure, the Nintendo DSi is still selling like gangbusters, but the PlayStation 3 starts its journey downward into more normal territory, moving less than half of what it did the week prior. On the flip side of the hi-def console war, the Xbox 360 doubles its week-to-week sales in Japan, making this pie chart a lot less red and a lot more lime green.
The PlayStation 3 hasn't had a good couple of weeks, with sales bottoming out at just 3,931 according to Media Create. Fortunately for Sony, the PS3's fortunes have changed in a major way with the introduction of a new 80GB model and bundles featuring LittleBigPlanet and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III, with a ten times increase week to week. GTA IV's stellar sales certainly didn't hurt.
After taking a breather from consuming video game hardware last week, Japanese gamers return to the electronics stores of their choosing, snapping up almost 160,000 new PSPs. The PSP-3000 model took Japan by storm, outselling every other platform combined. And multiplied by two.
The Media Create weekly hardware charts show some minor shifting, not unlike the earthquake we experienced in Tokyo this week. Fortunately, our hotel didn't crumble as Nintendo DS sales did this week, even though Pokémon Platinum continues to top software sales charts. The Wii and PSP swap places, as do the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. Poor PlayStation 3 settles for last place again.
For the third week in a row, Microsoft has outsold Sony again on its home turf, continuing to move Xbox 360s at a respectable clip. Nintendo remains undaunted in the console wars, as combined sales of both the 360 and PS3 are well below that of the Wii and account for about a third of Nintendo DS sales. In other words, Nintendo rules, everyone else drools, hardware-wise.
...because it only moved a thousand units last week. That's with two Xbox 360 titles charting in the top fifty (Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin and Tales of Vesperia). Sure, it was a slow week for hardware sales across the board, with Wii sales bottoming out at 33K, but it certainly reads like Microsoft's supply is at near-starvation levels. Look at that teeny green slice! Now look away! It's too horrible...
Media Create's weekly hardware sales for September 1 to 7 are as follows.
Nintendo DS - 51,412
PSP - 34,462
Wii - 33,128
PlayStation 3 - 8,317
PlayStation 2 - 7,948
Xbox 360 - 1,044
No relief in sight for the 5000 or so Japanese gamers who might be on the weekly hunt for an Xbox 360. With a limited supply, those looking for a Microsoft brand console on which to play a copy of Tales of Vesperia or a second game will be left wanting until such time as supplies are replenished. That means that only 3500 Japanese gamers could get their hands on a 360 this past week. Just heartbreaking to see demand kind of (maybe) outstripping supply like this.
There's better news for Nintendo, as continued sales of Rhythm Tengoku Gold and Dragon Quest V help the portable carve out a big slice of the hardware pie.
Nintendo DS - 55,995
PSP - 47,604
Wii - 35,173
PlayStation 3 - 9,020
PlayStation 2 - 8,420
Xbox 360 - 3,551
The Xbox 360's Japanese victory over its hi-def console competitor was short lived. Xbox buying fever has broken in a big way overseas, with the flagging console returning to last place on the Media Create hardware charts. Not that Sony's PlayStation 3 is doing that much better right now. At least Microsoft can blame its drop on depleted stock.
The success story this week though is that of the Nintendo DS, which extends its lead over the PSP by a hefty margin. The numbers you need are below.
