This week's hardware numbers for Japanese console sales are in, and due to the release of the second Wi-Fi DS game (Mario Kart DS), the sudden changes in sales numbers are worth noting. Here are the latest handheld console sales:
Nintendo DS 299,328
PlayStation Portable 86,403
PlayStation 2 45,893
Xbox 360 43,970
GameCube 12,212
Game Boy Advance SP 10,456
Game Boy Micro 8,326
Game Boy Advance 396
Xbox 164
It is the first times for several months the Gamecube sales have managed to hit the 12,000 unit mark, nice to see. The Xbox 360 launched in Japan at the beginning of this week, and it has grabbed a healthy share of console sales, though no enough to dominate the home console industry (still a little behind PS2). It's also the first time the Micro's dropped behind the GBA SP in sales, with a small difference of ~2000 units.
Here are the numbers for handheld sales, representated in a pie chart:
You'll see that Nintendo DS sales have really gone bezerk in the last 7 days, this was thanks to the release of Mario Kart. Sales have increased by over 100,000 units compared to the previous week (check my last stat post). Currently, Nintendo are dominating about 79% of the handheld market, and Sony have the other 21%. The gap has widened by a fairly impressive margin since last week. Hopefully this rise will continue into the start of 2006, and be further boosted by the launch of the (long awaited) Metroid Prime.
Here is a quick look at console performances in the States:
1.) GBA / Game Boy micro - 819,733 (+194%)
2.) PlayStation 2 - 535,000 (+112%)
3.) Nintendo DS - 369,012 (+172%)
4.) PSP - 353,434 (unknown)
5.) Xbox 360 - 325,902 (NEW)
6.) GameCube - 272,000 (+166%)
7.) Xbox - 197,000 (+ 79%)
Ha! The Xbox 360 was beaten by 4 consoles, despite it's new release! Just goes to prove that you can't relay on marketing for console performance, only the actualy sales numbers. The Gamecube's overtaken Xbox, guess that's not a suprise thanks to 360. Xbox is officially coming last in console wars in the States, and MS doesn't seem to be performing very well at all. The 360 and Xbox's total sales still can't top the GBA's, or even PS2 for that matter.
Btw, I have removed comment verification, hopefully that will encourage more viewers to comment :).
10 comments:
haha, take that ya sony fanboys!
Nintendo rules! Yeah!
^ fanboys?
Guys, I don't mean to be picky, but the fact that Nintendo are finally leading the market isn't much of a surprise. PS2 dominated for many years, and even PSP outsold the DS for many months after it was released. Sony have dominated both markets.
Now, while I can't deny the fact that PS2 was the topselling home console for this gen, you've seem to have dismissed the existance of the GBA, SP and Micro. Sony NEVER dominated in handhelds, it was a 3, now 4 on 1 competition. PSP may have outsold DS for a while, but it has nevero outsold the GBA, and has now been overtaken by DS.
Gamecube outsold Xbox? That's a surprise, really.
"Hopefully this rise will continue into the start of 2006, and be further boosted by the launch of the (long awaited) Metroid Prime."
That doesn't make any sense. You do know how much the Japanese love Metroid Prime?
Exactly.
Actually, Metroid Primes 1 and 2 on the Cube sold pretty well to Japanese gamers, though the franchise was alot more popular in the states (making top ten GCN games list on IGN).
Seeing how sales of Animal Crossing and Mario Kart have skyrocketed the DS, an online, FPS of one of Ninty's more well known franchises is sure to boost sales.
I would have expected the XBox 360 to do better this time - you would have thought they would have learnt from their mistakes with original XBox.
The original XBox's sales in Japan went something like
2004 - 40,000
2003 - 80,000
2002 - 400,000
so things are probably going to get worse.
Metroid Prime was never a system seller I think. Sure some Nintendo fans bought it, but in Japan they've never really cared about the Metroid franchise as they did over in the USA or Europe(not including the UK).
Especially not since Metroid became a FPA/FPS, and with the next Metroid as a true FPS, Japanese gamers will care even less.
The reason for the low XBOX and XBOX360 sales are because they always fried themselves up after the first few months after release :D
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