Japan software sales: July 3-9, 2006
by Blake Snow 
{ Jul 14th 2006 at 11:00AM }
As the current home console generation nears its death, and while the Xbox 360 struggles in the land of the rising sun, Nintendo's DS Lite titles make up six of the top 10 selling games, followed by three PS2 titles, and one PSP fighter with New Super Mario Bros. as the lead selling game.Software sales (po. | name | this week's total | total sold '06):
- New Super Mario Bros. (NDS, Nintendo) - 134,568 | 2,137,680
- Xenosaga Episode III (PS2, Namco) - 123,847 | NEW
- More Brain Age (NDS, Nintendo) - 50,634 | 2,700,187
- Tekken Dark Resurrection (PSP, Namco) - 49,426 | NEW
- Brain Age (NDS, Nintendo) - 33,771 | 2508373
- Rockman ZX (NDS, Capcom) - 33,652 | NEW
- Winning Eleven 10 (PS2, Konami) - 31,228 | 932,027
- Animal Crossing: Wild World (NDS, Nintendo) - 26,234 | 2,911,295
- English Training DS (NDS, Nintendo) - 21,956 | 1,239,164
- Super Dragon Ball Z (PS2, Bandai Namco) - 21,355 | 116,437
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Darcrequiem @ Jul 14th 2006 11:08AM
New Super Mario Bros. Is just plain unstoppable in Japan. It is even doing pretty well here, number one selling game in June in the US.
Clint @ Jul 14th 2006 11:08AM
Maybe all the Xbox fanboys are too busy playing UNO to go out and buy a game! Ha haaaaa!
Marco Rossi @ Jul 14th 2006 11:10AM
Tekken Dark Resurrection (PSP, Namco) - 49,426 | NEW
Super Dragon Ball Z (PS2, Bandai Namco) - 21,355 | 116,437
I thought North America were the only ones to eat these franchises up still..
Aran @ Jul 14th 2006 11:16AM
I didn't know Japanese like that much of Dragon Ball... Btw is that the same game that is coming out in Wii launch? I remember there was some Dragon Ball game. Anyway, the list looks good if you like Nintendo. Can't stop wondering how much FFIII on DS will sell when it comes out...
Oh, one last thing! Here's a rumour from latest EGM magazine:
-Nintendo will release an Earthbound (Mother in Japan) compilation for the DS, complete with touch screen functionality
I know there's DS mania going on in Japan and if you add FFIII coming soon and if this rumour points out to be true, then there's no end in sight for the huge success of DS.
MosquitoControl @ Jul 14th 2006 11:17AM
"Maybe all the Xbox fanboys are too busy playing UNO to go out and buy a game! Ha haaaaa!"
That's for Japan.
Even if every Xbox fanboy in Japan went out and bought three copies of the same game it wouldn't crack their top 10...
But you don't seem very neutral, either...
Erik Novak @ Jul 14th 2006 11:25AM
Awesome, go Tekken!
idioteraser @ Jul 14th 2006 11:25AM
Sparkling Neo is the Dragonball Wii game that is also coming to the PS2 later this year.
If Nintendo could ship a million units a week to Japan they would all sell out.
Clint @ Jul 14th 2006 11:29AM
"But you don't seem very neutral, either..."
I didn't think this site was neutral either!
Clint @ Jul 14th 2006 11:32AM
Here's some Sony related news...
Ubisoft loves the PS3 controller
by Bhavin Shah
After a number of Microsoft execs slated the PlayStation 3 motion sensing capabilities, including Bill Gates, Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot has promised that many of the company's future titles will support the six degrees of freedom.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Guillemot was very confident with Sony's decision to include motion sensing in the PlayStation 3 controller. Sony unveiled the final controller at E3 earlier this month, and it looks almost identical to the DualShock 2 controller for PS2 (See PS3 Gallery)
"We were so happy to see that Sony was taking that direction - we think it will help to have a better experience so we are going to use that a lot."
It seems Ubisoft is a fan of motion sensing, as it is already supporting Nintendo's Wii with titles such as Red Steel and Rayman Raving Rabbids.
Unfortunately, Guillemot did not reveal which titles would using the controller's capabilities, but the feature is unlikely to be used in a significant way in the PS3 launch titles since most developers only found out about it at E3 this year.
The interview with Ubisoft's CEO will be broadcast exclusively on Eurogamer TV in the coming days.
student @ Jul 14th 2006 11:33AM
I find it interesting that Valkyrie Profile launched to the #2 spot on the software sales and then vanished, while Mario Bros and Brain Age seem stuck at the top of the charts.
GamerG @ Jul 14th 2006 11:34AM
Nintendo seem unstoppable in Japan 6/10 games in the top 10!
I wonder if their dominance will spill over into the next gen consoles and if so how this will effect Sony's business plan for the PS3 which seems to be based on them selling 100m units and it being number 1 for 10 years!!
Woody @ Jul 14th 2006 11:41AM
@4 I couldn't agree more. Fanboy or not, with Harvest Moon and FF3 around the corner and StarFox on the way soon, thats just more ammo for the *near* future. Through in a little Mana, Zelda, Megaman ZX, Mario vs DK, maybe a Pokemon or 2, I'd say the DS is here for a bit, seriously own'ng some sales.
Duscrom @ Jul 14th 2006 11:49AM
funny thing is, like 2/3 years ago, Nintendo still owned that chart with all the editions of Pokemon. Will it spill over itno the console market? I dunno, I mean the GBA wasn't a very good indicater as to how well the Gamecube did.
glitched @ Jul 14th 2006 11:57AM
I sent in a tip to joystig for US JUNE hardware numbers... hopefully they post them, they did last month...
http://videogamecharts.com/page3.html
Jeff @ Jul 14th 2006 11:57AM
"I wonder if their dominance will spill over into the next gen consoles "
I think the point is this *is* the next generation of consoles in Japan. The non-portable war doesn't really matter at this point. What you're seeing is a major shift going on away from home systems and towards portables. It will happen eventually in this country as well, but as in everything else, we'll probably be a few years behind Japan.
The Wii and PS3 will sell well in Japan, but neither is going to top the DS. This is just the way games are played in Japan now - on the go, anywhere. The current crop of handhelds means you don't really need to give up much of anything in the way of gameplay or even graphics in a portable system.
It makes sense - why be tied down if you don't have to be?
The next generation of portables will probably feature TV output and then there will really be no reason to use home systems at all anymore. Sure, the graphics won't be *as* good as you could get from a big system, but they'll be good enough - and as all the Wii fans around here will tell you (not that I necessarily completely agree), graphics don't really matter anyway. In Japan, though, that's probably more true.
spil @ Jul 14th 2006 12:03PM
Where's the little green up arrows and red down arrows? youarent avtually going to make me READ the numbers, are you joystiq?
Clint @ Jul 14th 2006 12:06PM
The PS2 is still the number one console in America...It outsold the Xbox 1.5 again! Microsoft is doomed.
martinj88 @ Jul 14th 2006 12:16PM
the current standing in japan sees nintendo's popularity at an all time high..(almost)...and Sony at an all time low
and if this carries on until the ps3 and Wii arrive i could see Sony being even more unpopular......and unless the 360 becomes a lot more popular i wouldn't be surprised to see a new games consoles come from somewhere in the next few years.
MosquitoControl @ Jul 14th 2006 12:18PM
The PS2 is still the number one console in America...It outsold the Xbox 1.5 again! Microsoft is doomed.
By that logic the PS3 is equally doomed.
The PS2 sold more. Likely because it is cheaper, in better supply, and has more games.
When the PS3 comes out the 360 will be cheaper, in better supply, and have more games. Therefore, it will sell more.
I didn't think this site was neutral either!
I shouldn't even have replied to you.
You have no grip on reality.
And somehow you see gaming consoles like sports teams and rather than enjoy them as a product you feel the need to put on a miniskirt and be a cheerleader for them while discussing how much the competition sucks.
Weird mentality.
Aran @ Jul 14th 2006 12:22PM
Lmao, nice post MosquitoControl (18.)! :D
Also, so very true.
J B Cougar @ Jul 14th 2006 12:25PM
Dear Joystiq,
Why must you post these "numbers" and "hard facts" and "statistics?" Your bias against Sony is so palatable I could cut it with my razor thin second generation PS2.
Sincerely,
Sony Fanboy
Rob X. @ Jul 14th 2006 12:36PM
"The next generation of portables will probably feature TV output and then there will really be no reason to use home systems at all anymore."
I'm not so sure that's the reason portables are taking off. It seems that as the gaming population ages, more and more parents will have gaming aged children. More household will have one or two home systems for the whole family, but when it comes to portables, everybody has to have one.
Though it will be a great day when I can play a handheld system through a TV wirelessly without dealing with set top box.
Wizrd54 @ Jul 14th 2006 12:40PM
LOL i cant believe people buy English training. No offense but that only happens in Japan. I like to try to avoid thinking of school when gaming.
Muttley @ Jul 14th 2006 12:55PM
20. Dear Joystiq,
Why must you post these "numbers" and "hard facts" and "statistics?" Your bias against Sony is so palatable I could cut it with my razor thin second generation PS2.
Why not? Just because Sony isn't dominating the top ten?
mis @ Jul 14th 2006 12:56PM
@ Jeff #14 -
I've always felt this to be the case. The real growth area does seem to be in H/helds at the moment. It's obvious why - with both the DS and PSP, we're seeing console quality titles. eg Mario Kart DS (which many judge to be better than Double Dash) and Metroid Prime Hunters to name but two for the DS. On the PSP we have Outrun 2006 and Virtua Tennis to name two that equal if not exceed their PS2 equivalents.
We all have big (perhaps ageing) stereo systems at home but where do we listen to most of our music? On ipods and other portable audio devices. Why? Because it's more accessible by virtue of its size and portability.
On new/next-gen consoles as well, if the market slows considerably, it's Nintendo that stands to gain the most (by virtue of it's cheaper Wii chipset) and Microsoft and, especially, Sony who stand to lose the most.
Marco @ Jul 14th 2006 1:00PM
Eh, why so defensive, 20?
It's software sales, nothing else. Why are some fanboys so paranoid? I went to PSP Fanboy once and noticed some ass named pixelator putting down the bloggers and commenters at every opportunity. It's almost amusing.
Can't all us fanboys just get along?
idioteraser @ Jul 14th 2006 1:31PM
I wonder how the psp well do after it's brain training games make their way to the DS?
I predict a ninety percent drop in psp sales since it appears those games sold psps more then any other psp game.
crono141 @ Jul 14th 2006 2:09PM
"13. I sent in a tip to joystig for US JUNE hardware numbers... hopefully they post them, they did last month...
http://videogamecharts.com/page3.html
"
The PSP and DS are neck and neck at the end of '05. Then PSP began outselling the DS by about 20k per month. Then the DS lite hits and totally smashes all those PSP gains in the previous months, and then some:
June:
PSP sales: 221,000
DS sales: 593,000
Turns out, nobody was buying the DS because they thought the old one was ugly and were waiting for the new pretty one.
idioteraser @ Jul 14th 2006 2:20PM
It should also be noted quite a number of stores were reporting they weren't getting shipments of DSs. So a reduced production of DSs also figured into the reduced numbers.
Matters @ Jul 14th 2006 2:30PM
Here are the current US numbers from NDP for the month of June.
The DS almost sold twice as many units as the PS2 and 2 of the top 3 games sold are DS titles.
http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=6631
Clint @ Jul 14th 2006 2:38PM
Do you think maybe the DS finally outsold the PSP in the US because a new one was released?
The XBox 360 is not even selling more than the PS2!
Matters @ Jul 14th 2006 2:38PM
crono141 haha.. true. plus the people who like to point out that the PSP was out selling the DS in the US fail to mention the fact that the DS games have pretty much been whooping PSP games since day 1 in the US. The fact that the PSP has been selling pretty well means almost nothing if nobody is buying games for it.
IslandLife @ Jul 14th 2006 3:30PM
I love it how all the ninty fanboys celebrate about anything DS. But I really don't recall seeing any Gamecube games on that chart. Oh wait a minute, that's 'cause Nintendo abandoned its home console a long time ago, and the Wii hasn't even shipped yet. At least Sony is still giving much love to the PS2.
teknotom @ Jul 14th 2006 3:46PM
Weird thing: English Training appears to be on the release schedule here in the UK. What the hell is that about?
marsel @ Jul 14th 2006 3:50PM
you guy are all crazy. the best part is the fanboys that attack fanboys an non fanboys. yeah. i think thats it. ehh. its friday and im almost out of work. 70 minutes till 5!!! wooohhoooo
oh and ds does seem to rule, maybe i will pick one up one of these days. still pissed that i lost all my gba games. effin a.
Cottonball @ Jul 14th 2006 3:53PM
"I think the point is this *is* the next generation of consoles in Japan. The non-portable war doesn't really matter at this point. What you're seeing is a major shift going on away from home systems and towards portables. It will happen eventually in this country as well, but as in everything else, we'll probably be a few years behind Japan.
The Wii and PS3 will sell well in Japan, but neither is going to top the DS. This is just the way games are played in Japan now - on the go, anywhere. The current crop of handhelds means you don't really need to give up much of anything in the way of gameplay or even graphics in a portable system.
It makes sense - why be tied down if you don't have to be?"
While I do agree that handhelds are growing in popularity, their dominance on the Japanese charts is due in large part to the fact that we're kind of in between console cycles. Once the PS3 and Wii are released, these charts will be vastly different.
J B Cougar @ Jul 14th 2006 3:57PM
Woah fellas. Please look up sarcasm and get back to me.
dan @ Jul 14th 2006 3:57PM
The scary part is that GBA is still selling well!!!
Ace Harding @ Jul 14th 2006 6:13PM
Sony's tilt function on the dual shake controller without rumble cannot EVER contend with The Wiimote which is what the Wii console was built around and I'm glad Miyamoto kept the Wiimote a secret untill 2005 at the Tokyo game show where Sony criticized the Wiimote and called it gimmicky but yet had a change of heart at E3 2006 when Sony unveiled their innovative new Dual Shake controller without rumble cause you know why. Immitation is the purest form of flattery (especialy when its not done correctly).....