
We already know that the Nintendo DS is hotter than sliced bread in Japan, but this week's Japanese sales charts show just how dominant the system is in the land of the rising sun -- the top ten best-selling games in Japan for the week of Aug. 21 - 27 were all Nintendo DS games. The list is dominated by the new DS remake of Final Fantasy III, which quickly sold over half a million copies in the Square-obsessed nation, but older games like the original Brain Age and Animal Crossing Wild World are also holding on to the top ten. The DS also dominated Japanese hardware sales, selling nearly three times as much as all other systems combined.
It would seem Nintendo's Japanese numbers have nowhere to go but down, but with the coming release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, it's anyone's guess how large Nintendo's lead in the country could get.
Read - Japanese source numbers
Read - Translated rankings from NeoGAF
[Thanks Davis]












(Page 1) Reader Comments
(always wanted to do that)
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Wait until the Wii comes out.
(ignore the unintentional pun)
John Lucas
P.S.: the best part of all this is Nintendo profits on all of this by design. No losslead technique here. They're making dollars ON TOP of their dollars!
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Btw 360 > all
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Well, you'd wonder the same about the PS2 which is still near the top of the charts after all these years. =p So really, I don't think the DS is going anywhere soon.
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would a FFVII remake for PSP even matter at this point?
Is Metal Gear Portable Ops and Gran Turismo for PSP going to stop Nintendo's gravy train?
Jeez...I wouldn't want to be a member of Sony's PSP martketing team right about now...
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Yeah great, but exactly how many of those are GAMES and not stupid maths stupid stuff. Rune Factory is a FARMING SIM, NOT A GAME, so shouldn't even be on the chart.
And Every single one of them is from Nintendo, showing that 3rd party games can't sell on the DS. That's why no third parties are making games for it or Wii, because Final Fantasy needs Sony to sell.
And just because the DS succeeds doesn't mean the Wii will. Nintendo has always ruled handhelds. Absolutely no-one expected the PSP to beat the DS, so Nintendo haven't proved anything.
Anyway, it's just little kids buying DS because their parents wont get them a PSP because the games are TOO MATURE and for adults, not little kids games like Mario.
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Pokemon's coming out earlier. And I think it'll have a bigger effect than Zelda..
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Erm... a 'niche cultural market' that make 85% of the best games, and 90% of the worlds gaming hardware?
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You're joking, right? Practically the entire industry scoffed and scratched their heads when Iwata-san unveiled the DS several years ago. The whole press -- and I mean people like Matt from IGN, Dan from EGM, and the folks at Gamespot were skeptical how well the DS would do against the then perceived media powerhouse of the PSP.
The DS' success was surely mentioned by some, but I think it's a misconception to think that the majority held the view that it was going to be the success it has now become.
The same skepticism now surrounds the Wii. No one is banking on it taking the world by storm -- proof: check all those professional analyst reports. While a DS storm by no means predicts Wii's future, it does bode well for Nintendo that gamers -- casual or not -- appear to be gravitating towards different gameplay mechanics.
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Now developers are starting to see this too and are making more games for the DS (which in turn will sell more units).
FYI, I own 12 DS games myself and have another 3 pre-ordered....
I'm NOT a fanboy....I like to play games.
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So now the only argument Nintendo haters have left is to say "they don't count. They aren't really games". If you are interacting with it for ENTERTAINMENT...it's a GAME!! This proves how desparate haters are getting. That argument is REALLY grasping at straws.
{And Every single one of them is from Nintendo, showing that 3rd party games can't sell on the DS. That's why no third parties are making games for it or Wii, because Final Fantasy needs Sony to sell.}
FF3, 3on3 Mario, Tamogachi 2 (I believe) are 3rd party games. There may be others, but I'm too lazy to look them up. The argument is rediculous. Again....grasping at straws.
{And just because the DS succeeds doesn't mean the Wii will. Nintendo has always ruled handhelds. Absolutely no-one expected the PSP to beat the DS, so Nintendo haven't proved anything.}
The first sentence is logical. The last sentence is the most backpedaling I've seen in a VERY long time. Everyone said that Sony was the first to beat Nintendo in the home, so the PSP will obviously be the first to dethrone the gameboy.
{Anyway, it's just little kids buying DS because their parents wont get them a PSP because the games are TOO MATURE and for adults, not little kids games like Mario.}
Once again....coming up with reasons why "sales don't count". This statement is just as desparate as the "they aren't really games" argument. In case you haven't figured it out, kid's and parent's money IS STILL MONEY! Furthermore, haven't you figured out from the previous generations that kids grow up? It's easier to get their loyalty when they are little! This whole argument is the groanings of aging men lamenting that their time is past. It is the fear that the world has begun to slowly forget them because they aren't being targeted for every new product. The next generation is becoming more important. This was inevitable. Sucks when the world moves on, doesn't it?
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Anyway...I really hope this solidifies Square and Nintendo's relationship again for a while. It's clear they both benefit from a friendship.
I predict the DS will not be leaving the top spot in the hardware chart until the Wii/PS3 is released.
Next month you have the first DS designed Pokemon games. Shortly after, you have Zelda DS: Phantom Hourglass. That will take you close to November and a POSSIBLE release for the Wii and/or (probably or) PS3.
So basically....watching sales charts is going to be very boring (read not going to change at all) for the next few months. Then things are going to get entertaining.
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I for one welcome our new DS Game Overlords. =D
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD-5YZX16N0
on repeat.
indeed. Sweet victory ^_^
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Were there no new games released for the PS2 this past week? Usually PS2 has at least one title up on the top 10 for being it's first week out. I'd hate to have my new release trounced by eight older games (some of them MUCH older).
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NA sales are not released weekly like in Japan.
They are released Monthly in NA.
You'll have to wait until the end of the month.......tomorrow.
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X360 failure in Japan
X360 failure in Japan
X360 failure in Japan
X360 failure in Japan
X360 failure in Japan
X360 failure in Japan
X360 failure in Japan
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How are Mario Kart & Starfox from the early 90's and Super Mario Bros. from the mid 80's NOT targeting the older males who remember the classics? Seems to me that's what the DS is all about, and probably one reason it's doing so well - the retro market, a goodly portion of which in Japan is older males (30-40).
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All of those games are respected by everyone on the planet, not just Japan. Sure, the USA has different tastes, but not by as much as you think.
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That's because Japan builds a mental wall around it. And just live inside it...
Americans build the mental wall and place gigantic flashy
billboards on the outside saying "It's much better in here"
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When our products start being better than theirs, then you won't be a redneck, ignorant American anymore.
The thing that people like you seem to continuously fail to realize, despite people like me pointing it out repeatedly, is that the Japanese buy western products *all the time*. There's no "mental wall" there. So their choice of games should be telling you there's a defect in the western product being offered, nothing else. The fact that it's telling you that they're a bunch of racists says more about you than it does about them.
Back in the 1980's, you probably would have bought a Cadillac Cimarron and said it was a better car than the Honda Accord. Then you would have complained how the Japanese are a bunch of racists because the Cimarron doesn't sell there.
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Now, I'm not saying that this is the case for the whole country, but it is a trend that I see in every games shop I've been into for the past 6 months.
I've never seen this amount of interest in Nintendo is England before - the DS really has worked wonders.
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Does the Ds's success fortell the future of Wii? Why shouldnt it, they operate on the exact same philosophy: innovative and intuitive control method, a mix of simple 'childish' (lol) games and in depth titles, and a reasonable price point. Likewise, the PSP and PS3 have the same parallel - a focus away from gaming to all round multimedia, with the power and versitility of the systems touted as their greatest strength, and of course, the hefty price tags.
Seems very logical to me to compare the handheld market to the home consoles in this case. Heh.
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Self imposed inferiority complex is bad for your health, yo. (lol)
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I genuinely hope you are right, but I suspect that the PS3 will still be massively successful. I think Nintendo really needs to shed its childish image - I personally don't assume that cartoony graphics = childish game, but you'd be surprised how many narrow minded people there are out there. I know many people who won't even touch a Mario game because of the way it is presented.
The DS is doing well at destroying this myth, but I got my white DS Lite out at work last week and a rather overweight PSP owner remarked: "The DS - isn't that for children?"
THAT'S what Nintendo needs to address with the Wii.
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Oh, and this needs to be posted:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/BPMdotEXE/Random/Animations/ItPrintsMoney.gif
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What I see with DS's success is people becoming aware that games are about fun, and nintendo do fun games better than anybody. Look at a game like brain age: hideously addictive, effortlessly simple and amazing fun. THATS what I want to see from the Wii (along with the less simple, addictive fun games like metroid zelda etc) and sony fans can continue to pay through the nose for high res blood all they want.
I don't want Nintendo to change to appease the masses, I want the masses to realise whats so great about Nintendo. Thats the trend DS has set that I see continuing with the Wii.
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No inferiority complex, I'm not even american.
But before I get a stone inside my skull, it's not an anti-usa feeling either.
It's just that, you know, every people have its flaws.
I could point many stupid things we brazilians tend to do, but this is not the place.
On the "nintendos teh kiddish" subject, I think that this image will probably stick to the Wii even more
than it did with the NGC, the difference is that the Wii actually has the power to overcome this.
The way I see it, if Nintendo wins the console war and get rid of the kiddie image, it will probably be one of the most amazing brand repositioning cases in history...
(and a question:
If the PS2, NGC and XB are constantly refferred to as "last-gen" and the PS3, Wii and X360 are the "next-gen", wtf are the current-gen consoles?)
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(and a question:
If the PS2, NGC and XB are constantly refferred to as "last-gen" and the PS3, Wii and X360 are the "next-gen", wtf are the current-gen consoles?"
Ngage, of course!
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Good Point....well made.
@ is
I agree and I think a good example of that is StarFox Command. I bought it two days ago and played it and pondered over it. It was weird...I couldn't wrap my mind around it and was about to take it back to the store. Then I got to a mission that required three fighters and "poof" it clicked. I got it. I see the depth of it now. It's not perfect but Nintendo has something unique to build on with Starfox Command. I went online with it and after three matches "poof" again. I got it...the controls made sense to me. All Nintendo has to keep doing is making fun games.
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Maybe that's the problem. The PSP's primary appeal is to 10-12 year old boys, who need their mum to buy their games for them. How many games is mum going to buy for little Johnny?
Meanwhile, the DS appeals to adults (in Japan). Half of those top selling DS titles are for adults (Brain Age, Brain Age 2, Cooking Navi, English Training), and many of the other titles have adult appeal (FF3 for fans who remember the original, Animal Crossing for teen girls, etc). Adults have a lot more disposible income to spend on a DS than a 12-year-old boy has to spend on a PSP.
However, the Wii will be a tougher sell to casual adult gamers than the DS. The DS fits perfectly into the stereotypical Japanese lifestyle. Playing a handheld adds leisure time into the day, but playing a tv-based console consumes already existing leisure time, and therefore has to compete with television and the internet.
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And for the 5000 time for peole like you who can't seem to read when the answer is give...I'll give it again...
Japanese sales are released WEEKLY...US sales are released MONTHLY.
Can you comprehend that?
I laugh at all you people who think life in the US is horrible. You people know NOTHING...
@ David:
Rune Factory shouldn't be ont here b/c it's a farming sim. Talk about someone REALLY trying to make a stretch and steal thunder away from the dominate platform. You are indeed an idiotic and biased fanboy David.
Oh and only children by the DS right? So how come I own one (I'm 25), my g/f has one (she's 26), my boss has one (he's 34), my manager has one (he's 33), a couple engineers in my department have one (they range from 25-33)...PLUS other people in different departments also have one (they're ages range from 25-35+)
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