Japanese hardware sales, 11 September - 17 September: Tokyo stalker edition

by Ludwig Kietzmann on Sep 22nd 2006 11:00PM

Select and now less popular members of the Joystiq staff traveled to Japan this week in order to cover the annual and frequently spectacular Tokyo Game Show -- at least, that's what you've been led to believe. Though the opportunity to play the latest games and to attend dull press conferences could certainly be considered a pleasant side-effect, the true reason for the team's journey to the East is far more striking. Indeed, the time has finally come to capture and imprison the elusive answer to the question that arises with every single edition of the sales chart. Observe this week ranking according to the number of units sold:

- DS Lite: 134,885

21,045 (18.49%)
- PS2: 34,189

14,307 (71.96%)
- PSP: 26,995 2,146 (7.36%)
- GBA SP: 2,330

226 (10.74%)
- Game Boy Micro: 1,244 557 (30.93%)
- Xbox 360: 928 166 (15.17%)
- Gamecube: 630 66 (9.48%)
- DS Phat: 478 580 (54.82%)
- GBA: 27

14 (107.70%)
- Xbox: 7

2 (40.00%)

Who bought those Xbox consoles? The truth and subsequent interview, after the break.

[Source: Media Create]

After mulling about a Tokyo electronics store for several hours and repeatedly being asked to render services of an unsavory nature (perhaps the trenchcoat was a bit much), the truth finally marched through the front entrance. Roughly six feet tall and bearing an expression of complete bewilderment, the truth was a middle-aged man equipped with a credit card (quite unusual as far as truths go). We watched in awe as he purchased seven Xbox consoles. We immediately decided to do what all good investigators do -- follow the truth to its origin. That would be a small house on a relatively quiet Tokyo street corner. The following transcription details what happened after the doorbell was dramatically rung:

This doorbell doesn't seem to be working. Let's try knocking.

The following transcription details what happened after the door was gently pounded upon:

Good afternoon, sir. We wanted to ask you some questions.

Who are you?

We're with Joystiq. Surely you've heard of us? We're a video game blog.

Is that right? You know, I have a blog. My latest entry was "What the hell did those freaks at my front door want?"

We'd like to interview you about those Xbox purchases you just made.

How do you know about that?

We saw you buying them at the Hello TV store.

And then you followed me to my house.

We just happened to walk in exactly the same direction as you. Follow is a very strong word.

You climbed over my fence and ... why is my dog not moving?

Sir, if you'd just answer our questions. That's what's really important here. Why buy seven Xbox consoles?

You only saw me buy seven, right?

You mean you've bought more?

I may have. I may have bought eight more than seven.

You've purchased eighteen?!

No, eight plus seven is fifteen.

You've purchased fifteen?!

Fifteen is also less than eighteen.

Oh. You've purchased fifteen?!

Could you stop acting surprised like that? It's very unnerving. I've bought fifteen this week.

Wait, are you saying that you buy every week?

I buy as many as I can with my current salary, but it's usually not enough.

It's a great system, but you seem to be going against the entire nation's apathy. Isn't that a little strange?

It really isn't all that hard defeating apathy. It just kind of lies there.

That doesn't answer the question -- why buy it?

Confound you! [translator's note: language toned down] It's because of those accursed sales charts! I am sick of seeing the DS Lite at the top. Sick of it.

And you're trying to upset it by purchasing the Xbox? You'd have to buy hundreds of thousands per week in order to make a dent.

I'm not made of money. I'm made of a desire to overthrow boring predictable charts and complacency!

Why not buy something that's a little closer to the DS Lite in terms of the chart. Like the PSP?

That doesn't make any sense.

And buying a ton of Xbox consoles does?

That's about two of them, actually.

You know what we mean! And those jokes stopped being funny years ago.

So did harassment by strangers! This interview is over.

Umm, no, it's not.

Turns out the interview was over. The police said so.

Source

Tags: DS, DS Phat, DsPhat, GameCube, Japanese hardware sales, JapaneseHardwareSales, PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (32)

LMFAO!

People buying an Xbox were probably already current owners who were buying an extra one for when the hard drive dies.

Am I right?

As usual, Ludwig makes these horribly boring and predictable sales numbers a post worth reading.

I bought them from a very old and wise Japanese man. He said don't feed them after midnight. No matter how much they beg don't. We'll see.

LOL! You're best post yet Ludwig. And probably not that far from the truth...

lmao, ludwig you write the funniest shit
next we need an interview on the ppl who are still buying ps2's, seriously almost everyone has one

I love how this ultimately contradicts that arseface Sony PR dude. 134,000 units versus 26,000.

Either he's A) blind, or B) stupid, or C) damage control fanatic.

I love how people ignore parts of a statement just so they can wrap thier head around it.

Tretton said the first 17 months. And guess what the 17 months the buzz was about the PSP not the DS the only people worried about the DS then where the nintendo fans that were going to buy it anyway.

So, actually Tretton isn't so wrong how many do you know that didn't have a gameboy bought a DS?

Why don't the die-hard DS fans think about this, what would the sale numbers look like if there weren't 50 different versions of the DS and there was only that fugly one they had at launch.

"You've purchased eighteen?!"

=P

#2

No, Mark, you're wrong.

When the hard drive dies you go the mod route and install a 100GB or larger drive, along with the means to put it to work.

Aside from Americans and Europeans working in Japan with a yen for games that aren't common there, I suspect a big portion of the Xbox sales there is collectors who seek out the unusual from their regional perspective. I've done that with a few obscure machines like the NEC FX when it turned up for cheap with a bunch of software. Unfortunately, its library was heavily geared toward interactive novels that were very text heavy but it was fun to fool with for a while.

"Tretton said the first 17 months. And guess what the 17 months the buzz was about the PSP not the DS"

The first 17 months of the PSP would have ended this past July. So you are going to tell us all with a straight face that the DS had "no buzz" before July? Apparently you haven't been reading these charts for very long. Because I've got news for you: the DS has been outselling the PSP by at least 5:1 for about the past year in Japan.

It was neck and neck in the US before the DS Lite's launch, but I would be surprised if the PSP has *ever* outsold the DS worldwide over an entire month since its launch month. If it ever did happen, it could only have been two or three months at most.

@7 or it could be D) Doing his job as a freaking PR guy.

#8

The DS is selling strong because it has a strong lineup to support the new model, the different colours, pack-ins, and so on - to suggest that this is the main attribute to the DS's success is not only incredibly cynical, but also quite short-sighted.

Oh, and regarding your question: Off the top of my head, I know 7 people. Only 2 are hardcore Nintendo fans. A female friend of mine actually sold her PSP to fund her DS Lite purchase. She travels by train a lot and loves the quick bursts of play between trips. She's also convinced her friend to buy one - still think the DS is just another Gameboy?

The DS colour whoring is only possible because the system is such a hit; why do you think people are lapping them up? Systems don't sell systems, games do.

"2. People buying an Xbox were probably already current owners who were buying an extra one for when the hard drive dies.

Am I right?

Posted at 11:11PM on Sep 22nd 2006 by Mark B"

What are you talking about? I've NEVER heard of an original Xbox hard drive dying...ever. Those machines are tough nails.

On another note, I ask the same question this week as I did last, why do you keep posting the Japanese sales figures and not the American, UK, or anywhere else's. Why are Japan's sales figures so much more bloody important or interesting than our own, or other parts of the world? I honestly don't get this, and I feel like most are so used to analyzing Japan that they don't stop and think WHY they care so much more about it than their own freaking country? Do Japanese blogs post European charts? (those crazy Europeans, after all...)

I predict a fair jump in 360 sells next week in Japan due to the good news coming out of TGS. A FAIR jump.Hopefully atleast out selling GBA SP. NOW with this weeks sells numbers, nothing suprising this week except that the 360 sells are now below 1,000 :(. Hopefully that will take a jump next week?

#13 Amos
Europe doesn't have a chart.

Crazy European

"So, actually Tretton isn't so wrong how many do you know that didn't have a gameboy bought a DS?"

That I know personally? quite a lot of people actually.

Coincidentally at work this morning we had the radio on and the half hour news report talked about the PS3 and it's $500-$600 price tag. all my coworkers (30+ year old guys with kids who will want one for christmas) were unanimous in saying "$600 with no game? no way".

I don't think anyone truly understands how tough of a sell the PS3 will be.

serbz, you said "almost everyone has one". You're right, ALMOST everyone has one. I plan on getting one this year, as I don't have one yet.

That's where those sales are coming from (among replacements).

I think I'd have a lot more respect for a PR guy who'd be able to say, "yes we're having such-and-such problems but we're dedicated to figuring out a way to do much better" and maybe even give credit where credit's due. I don't mean that as a Sony bash-- I'd pay attention to PR from all three companies if they'd just be a little more honest. it isn't like we don't know when they're bullshitting us anyway, so how about trying not insulting our intelligences?

oh and by the way, Ludwig, that was a really excellent post. poor Xbox in Japan. it'll be very interesting when we start hearing the loads of BS about why the japanese don't buy the 360, given how much Microsoft tried to remedy all the mentioned problems with the first machine's appeal in Japan. Microsoft should just abandon that country completely, and focus on the rest of the world.

Amos

I know your not going to ever see this because you obviously don't go back to see if anyone responded to your question last week.

There's a very good reason why only the japanese numbers are posted but i'm not going to tell you. Because every single week ... let me repeat that EVERY SINGLE WEEK somebody asks "why do you only post the japanese numbers?" and every single week somebody posts an answer. so if you asked the question last week then go back to last weeks article and read the answer... or you could go back to the week before that or the week before that... or any time in the last 6 months. Here's a hint in last weeks article reply #55 gave the answer to your exact question.

Can I make it any easier than that?

I'm surprised no one else has picked up on the 'ton' of xbox's joke. :)

I don't understand why so many people are distorting Jack Tretton's comments so much. Alright, so he made some ridiculous claims, but I think the 17 month one was one of the more believable ones. The 17 month period for the DS (I don't see how anybody could make this more clear. It isn't referring to 17 months after the launch of the PSP) ended right before the DS Lite launched in Japan. Also, some sales figures can be found here (with a nice, shiny chart...ooooh):

http://www.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/65377/square2005gafchart.png

Its possible that the PSP never actually sold more units than the DS, but it didn't do to badly for itself until April. It kept fairly close to the DS in terms of sales despite the fact that it was launched later, was more expensive and was a handheld by a company not named Nintendo. According to this article (http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=13896) from January, the DS had sold through a respectable 13 million units in roughly a 14 month period. This article (http://psp.ign.com/articles/660/660410p1.html) says that the PSP *shipped* 10 million units in smaller time span and with a later launch date in America.

While I won't go so far as to agree with Tretton, the PSP hadn't been doing too badly compared to the DS for some time. However, what I *DO* wonder about is why Sony still keeps focusing on the first 17 months and not after that. The DS has obviosly been trouncing the PSP since then (see above), and most would agree that it has already won the somewhat less focused on handheld war. This is despite the fact that most gamers (myself included) were very excited about the PSP in its early days and less than excited about the DS's "Touching is good" idea. The thing that converted all of us is the ginormous difference in the software quality. If you check the software sales, the DS has been destroying the PSP all throughout. I have never owned a gameboy in the past, but the spectacular software line up of the DS is something which I couldn't miss, and havn't regretted for a second.

My point is: don't you think it would better for everybody of Sony focused on what Nintendo did right after the 17 months, and try to improve themselves based on that? It seems to me that thats what Nintendo did, after a somewhat similiar but reversed role in the PS2 vs. GCN battle. A strong software lineup is the most important thing for a system, not hardware. The PS2 proved that, and the DS is just building on that point (I still don't buy into the innovation factor). The huge boost because of the DS Lite is becuase it was further incentive to buy something that many people were sitting on the fence about. I'm very happy that the PSP showed up this generation, since I think it was the main reason for the DS's excellent support. I just hope that they can take a turn for the better from now on, instead of focusing on what could have been.

kobewan-

Um, next time you make a comparison, make sure you get your numbers from the same source. Different companies will almost always produce different numbers. Admittedly sales figures aren't as big of a deal, but the variations remain.

Also make sure that the sales periods are equivalent. In this situation, you could:

a) compare the first seventeen months of the PSP vs the first seventeen months of the DS;
b) compare the first seventeen months of the PSP vs the same time period for the DS;
or c) compare the first seventeen months of the PSP with a random time period for the DS.

Guess which is going to be more credible?

Yeah, I realize that the sales data wasn't exactly consistent, but it wasn't supposed to be an exact measurement and more of an estimate. Exact sales figures are pretty hard to find, especially since Nintendo releases its units sold while Sony tends to give the units shipped. The number were simply meant to show that in the first year or so, the two were a lot closer than they are right now. Even with estimated sales figures, my point still stands.

Oh yeah, and forgot to give credit where it is due : Ludwig, you outdo yourself everytime. We never know what to expect for commentary from these rather predictable charts. The only thing that we can rest assured of is that it will likely be a good deal more fun than being eaten alive by a snarling, undead force

"... why is my dog not moving?" ROFLMAO!

great post!

YOU MONSTER! You killed the guys dog? What's da matter with you? lol...awesome

All I can say is, I have both, DS and PSP but my DS still gets more love by far. I'm playing one game on PSP versus at least 6 in the DS rotation.

Sony still won't address the fact that they're library is suspect overall. There are some good games there but the point is just because a game is good on PS2 doesn't always translate into a great experience on PSP. Not when you need pick up and play functionality.

Sony definately should take a page from Nintendo's book and redesign the PSP. The goal wasn't to compete with Nintendo and it certainly wasn't to trail Nintendo. The goal was to destroy Nintendo and take the portable market. They're failing to do that and in Japan, THE market that counts (home court so to speak) it's embarrassing.

People will say "but the PSP is the most successful portable to compete against Nintendo." true but it's like the NFL, no one is going to give a crap if you make it to the Superbowl and lose. Don't give me that "glad to be here" bullshit. Sony came in to dominate and got owned by a fat ass plumber, some flea bitten mutts, go karts, a online town of deviants and a doctor constantly proving how stupid you are with simple puzzles.

Hopefully , Sony will do better next year.

That was pretty awesome.

"I may have. I may have bought eight more than seven.

You've purchased eighteen?!

No, eight plus seven is fifteen.

You've purchased fifteen?!"

oh man. I got a good laugh out of that one.

I don't think they killed the dogs. They merely snuck into a kitchen, stole a piece of meat, went to a forest, illegally picked some yellow flowers, smeared the flowers on the meat, and then threw the meat to the dogs.

At least, that's what I would've done.

The PSP is actually doing just fine, if you take its numbers and let them stand on their own. Comparing it to the DS is quite unfair. What the DS is doing is almost unprecedented. It is doing so well because it is expanding the market. It is selling to people who have never really been into games before. It is great, when you have to commute, to be able to turn on a game and play it for a while and turn it off. No load times, easy controls, and fun. It really is a great system.

Don't get me wrong, playing socom on PSP is pretty fun, even though the controls are painful. But, you aren't going to get a 14 year old Japanese girl to buy a pink PSP to play socom. And, I know, developers are trying to imitate some of what the DS has done, but when you imitate a game, you are still a couple years late when you launch it.

"You climbed over my fence and ... why is my dog not moving?"

Every news article should come with a slice of comedy like this.

Oh FFS! Why is this tired debate still being trotted out. DS is better, and has won against PSP. Game over. Shut up and play now.

Oh, and yeah, Ludwig gives me great comedy kisses.

Next week is going to be absolutely insane in Japan when Pokemon Diamond and Pearl come out. Nintendo DS Lite sales will likely go through the roof…that is, if Nintendo can ship enough of them to retailers.

And as for Final Fantasy III, I really hope that the game gets more carts available for it, because I’d sure like to see it hit 2 million by the end of October.
Paul Gale
1up.com

Japanese hardware sales, 11 September - 17 September: Tokyo stalker edition

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