Japanese hardware sales, 25 September - 1 October: fully translated edition
We've all been disgustingly selfish. If you can muster the energy, roll your eyes upwards and read the title of this post. It's the Japanese hardware sales, implying some sort of connection to the great Eastern country that so painstakingly provides us with a continuous supply of numbers, role-playing games and saucer-eyed heroines who transform into magical assassin robots. By presenting these infrequently informative posts exclusively in English, we've shown a complete lack of gratitude and an unwillingness to embrace other cultures. Japan, prepare to be hugged.- DS Lite: 274,389
134,554 (96.22%)- PS2: 31,992
681 (2.08%)- PSP: 25,319
2,201 (9.52%)- Xbox 360: 2,195
1,086 (97.93%)- GBA SP: 1,811
334 (15.57%)- Game Boy Micro: 1,103
83 (7.00%)- Gamecube: 523
240 (31.45%)- DS Phat: 253
63 (19.94%)- GBA: 10
10 (50.00%)- Xbox: 3
5 (62.5%)[Source: Media Create]
First, our original and entirely non-hilarious English commentary:
It seems we're having a rather interesting week. While most devices have a nasty run-in with a red arrow, the DS Lite gains a gargantuan boost in sales from the true return of Pokemon and winds up with a number so large, it threatens to envelop all of space and time. Meanwhile, the unappreciated Xbox 360 finally manages to defeat the GBA SP and even manages to show the greatest increase in terms of percentage. A couple of thousand units sold is still pretty paltry compared to the rest of the chart, but it seems that Microsoft's role-playing blitz at the Tokyo Game Show is having its intended, positive effect. Will Japanese interest continue to rise before the Blue Dragon bundle launches? Time will most certainly be unable to keep that information secret.
On a related note, please accept our humble apologies for failing so spectacularly to post the numbers last week. Our adventures in the Southern hemisphere kept us busier than we expected.
Now, the Japanese translation, courtesy of Babel Fish:
And then, just to make sure it worked, we'll translate that back to English through Google Translate:
That passing the week when we are somewhat interesting seems the way. While being the troublesome last spurt of the red arrow in most devices, the DS light/write enormous boost of sale from the true return of Pokemon profit, large number so threatens the fact that everything of the space and the time when it winds is surrounded. At that time, as for Xbox 360 which has not been recognized real value being defeated SP of GBA finally how, doing, how, doing that it shows the largest increase with percent. 23,000 unit which remainder of the diagram which is sold is compared still considerably is paltry, but that seems that brings the affirmative effect in blitz of the Microsoft of Tokyo game show role performance being intended. Before the bundle of the blue dragon launches it continues the Japanese interest to rise? Time the information secret is not maintained certainly. With note of relation, accept our moderate apologies for luxuriously may last week not posting number. Our ventures of southern hemisphere rather than we expecting, us while using maintained.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Pince @ Oct 6th 2006 8:53PM
My God! Look at DS go!
ViciousVariable @ Oct 6th 2006 8:56PM
MY GOD
LOOK AT THE 360 GO.
nijah @ Oct 6th 2006 9:00PM
I wish both of you would GO somewhere else
cyrus_zuo @ Oct 6th 2006 9:00PM
At this rate it will only take 125 weeks for the XBox 360 to sell as many units as the DS sold this week! That's um...pretty darn amazing!
Frosty22 @ Oct 6th 2006 9:00PM
MY GOD, Babelfish sucks.
Yardarm51 @ Oct 6th 2006 9:04PM
Oh man that Japanese is almost incomprehesible. Hahah. At least with the Engrish I can kind of make out what you are trying to say. Over here a lot of restaurants etc use machine translation for menus and signs. My wife (she's Japanese) never realized how much munted English there was over here till we started going out. Quite entertaining really.
Dux @ Oct 6th 2006 9:04PM
My predictions were correct on the 360.
John Lucas @ Oct 6th 2006 9:05PM
Did anyone pick up the "DS Light/Write" joke?
Love that Engrish, Ludwig.
You make this site enjoyable.
Keep a-postin'!
John Lucas
BlessedBullet @ Oct 6th 2006 9:16PM
X360 sales up as Bluedragon is shown off at TGS...
Nushio @ Oct 6th 2006 9:21PM
I'm with John Lucas, you make the charts enjoyable (not that I dont enjoy watching the DSLite pwn everything else).
Loved the babelfish translation, and still loving the way you write these otherwise boring and stale sales charts.
Josh @ Oct 6th 2006 9:27PM
When I checked the Joystiq homepage and found the new charts, I was initially excited just to read the commentary! Then I remembered that this was Pokémon week! Then I remembered this was TGS week (Xbox 360)!
A great chart and a great way of presenting it. Thank you, Ludwig. Keep up the good work! This is really becoming a "major attraction" of Joystiq's!
By the way, John Lucas (#8), the "DS Light/Write" thing is not a "joke", but it's just how Google translated back into English "raito", which could either be Right/Wright/Light/Lite in English. Oh, and since I'm talking about the translation now, where did they get 23,000?!
LedRush @ Oct 6th 2006 10:01PM
They got 23,000 from the English saying a couple of thousand. That was transated into Japanese as 2 3 thousand. If Japanese is like Chinese (I am only fluent in the latter) that should mean 2 or 3 thousand when written using the characters, but 23thousand if using the arabic numerals for the 2 and the 3.
Why Babblefish sucks...
Kestrel @ Oct 6th 2006 10:04PM
omg joystiq bias
whatever @ Oct 6th 2006 10:25PM
Are they feed the DS Lite to Godzilla or something?
Footlong! @ Oct 6th 2006 10:28PM
I'm kinda suprised the 360's sales rose that much. If the Japanese our interested in Blue dragon why not wait until that sweet bundle deal comes out. I guess it's a very good sign that sales are rising right now.
snoopaloop @ Oct 6th 2006 10:46PM
Wow, PSP doesn't stand a chance. DS numbers are disgusting week after week. A sure sign of things to come once Wii hits Japanese streets.
As for the 360, a 97% increase from last week is huge. However, anyone with an ounce of hope that things will turn around for 360 in Japan better get real. 2195 systems sold on a good week is still a pathetic joke.
Pince @ Oct 6th 2006 11:15PM
Oh damn, I completely forgot to write "1st post" in all caps! Damnit, now I don't look like a complete jackass. Oh well, looks like posts #2 and #3 have that department taken care of.
PS- Its nice to see at least some 360s moving. Announcing games like Blue Dragon will do alot for them but I'd like to see if the numbers actually do make a big jump when Blue Dragon comes out. Does anyone know the Japanese release date?
Senshida @ Oct 6th 2006 11:16PM
http://mt.fresheye.com/ft_form.cgi
Fresh eye (japanese news site) has a better translator.
DS goin higher and higher! Is it gona stop? Not anytime soon! :)
Blue Dragon is cool.
Lefty @ Oct 6th 2006 11:28PM
yes xbox is still selling. 3 consoles what a week. lets hope they bounce back lol.
sorry the 3 was so funny,
its good to see the 360 actually sell more units for a chnage but i suspect it will be short lived till blue dragon comes out than it will likley sell some units
Pince @ Oct 6th 2006 11:32PM
A question:
Are the DS and PSP numbers at all indicative of how PS3 and Wii will do in Japan, or do the japanese not adhere to the common "rabid fanboyism" found in gaming circles in the states, instead preferring to make buying decisions based purely on the relative merits of the consoles and their games?
Apologies for the rant-within-a-question; there is actually a question there. I realize, the disparity between the two new consoles will likely never be as large as the split between PSP and DS, and people are incredibly excited for the PS3 as well as the Wii. But, still, is this data a sign of incredible brand loyalty in one direction over the other, or is it mostly because the DS has simply stood better on its own merit in Japan?
HoodOrnament @ Oct 7th 2006 12:05AM
I personlly think that the Wii will obvoiusly do better at first because of how many units there will be compared to the competition launches. Those first few months after november are going to be very heavily dominated by the Wii for the simplae reason that there will actually be product out there.While those 500,000 PS3s will go very quick (if sony is lucky) the simple fact that more numbers mean more sales. Although with that many Wiis out there, there may also be a lot sitting on shelves. only a months time can tell, and i cannot wait.
Judd @ Oct 7th 2006 12:23AM
I remember trying to use online translators for my high school Spanish. But all of them suck. It's because even though every language is different, theyall have the concept of context. In the English language, in the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "set" has more definitions than any other. 464! So, to put that word in a language translator just doesn't work. The only way a language translator can work well is if it analyzes the entire entry, or at the very least the individual sentence, as opposed to the individual words. And I'm not sure if there are any programs that can take into account the human capabillity of understanding context. I tried out the translator from Senshida, and then translated it back.
I got this:
We seem to pass a little interesting week. While performing the dirty quarrel almost all whose equipments were equipped with the red arrow, while the number had been very large, it has upwards a possibility of wrapping all of a space and time, in the huge rise of the sale from the true return of DS light profit, Pokemon, and a wind. Finally Xbox 360 which does not have real value accepted between them breaks GBA SP somehow or other, and shows the somehow or other further biggest increase at a percentage.
As compared with the diagrammatic remainder, 2 and 3 1000 sold unit is still quite worthless. however, the role-playing lightning war of the Tokyo prize acquisition game program of Microsoft -- the -- it seems that there is an affirmative effect deliberately
Before a blue dragon bundle begins, does interest of Japan continue going up? To be sure, time cannot keep the information secret. In a related note, in order to fill in the number of last week, please accept our modest apology to failing very dramatically. We expected and depended for us and our adventure of a southern hemisphere made them busy.
Yardarm51 @ Oct 7th 2006 1:06AM
Pince wrote:
Are the DS and PSP numbers at all indicative of how PS3 and Wii will do in Japan, or do the japanese not adhere to the common "rabid fanboyism" found in gaming circles in the states, instead preferring to make buying decisions based purely on the relative merits of the consoles and their games?
I live here in Japan and aside from certain games (FF or Pokemon for example) you don't see the kind of fanboyism here that you do in North America. First off they only have two consoles here in the public conciousness, namely PS2 and the GameCube. I'm a teacher at a highschool and none of my students know what an Xbox is. With the next gen systems the DS phenom combined with price and size seems to be giving the Wii a leg up on Sony. People are talking about both but more are saying they will be getting a Wii rather than a PS3 within the next year. The Japanese are more brand concious than any other society I have ever encountered but it isn't a fanboy style conciousness. People are happy having Channel handbags AND Louis Vuitton. Same goes with gaming. People who play lots of games generally have both GameCube and PS2 consoles in their houses and are happy to buy games for either.
AzaMcWazza @ Oct 7th 2006 1:12AM
Go to http://www.thursdayton.com
Scroll down to the bottom of the page
That animation sums it ALL up
We should be in awe of that Nintendo has done with the DS - phenomenal.
makesevenupyours @ Oct 7th 2006 1:32AM
i would agree that the tokyo game show has to do with the rise in sales for the 360.
and ya, its still not that good...but its a little bit of hope for microsoft.
it will still come in 3rd this generation in japan, but it may not be a HORRIBLE third.
Bill @ Oct 7th 2006 1:40AM
So this was Pokeman, that Gaf has been hyping for months as DS best bullet, and this was the best DS could do?
Hahaha at the usual Gaf clowns, predicting 400k, 500k, and even 650k for DS this week. It couldnt even break 300k. But then, they always overestimate DS sales by a factor of 2 or more, then when actual sales come out, ignore how wrong they were.
Also, there is no DS shortage. Nintendo has stated they produce 2.2m per month. NPD had DS at 270k or so in USA last month (and falling rapidly). Even if they sell 400k a month in EU (NO CHANCE IN HELL) That leaves like over 1.5m a month for Japan, most weeks the DS sells around 130k in Japan, or 520k per month.
There is no shortage of DS's, that much is certain by the numbers.
Anyway I think that was the DS last gasp. If not for Pokeman the DS top game would have been 3rd. That wasaobviously the biggest game that will ever be released for DS, it's sales will only go down now I predict.
The PSP on the other hand, continues with solid sales compared to last year. Since this is a ten year race it's only a matter of time before it defeats the DS.
Bill @ Oct 7th 2006 1:42AM
And we're not even mentioning how the $400 360 and and $60 games dominate the $129 DS and it's $39 games on US charts.
DS=failure in the West.
mrBUCKET @ Oct 7th 2006 2:02AM
#26
Hahaha ah man that was a good one! WHAT? your not joking.... Oh your a fanboy. I'm so sorry.
Bill=Pwnt @ Oct 7th 2006 2:07AM
Bill- you're an idiot
Liam @ Oct 7th 2006 2:18AM
my god, look at the original Xbox go!
Amos @ Oct 7th 2006 2:22AM
Bill used a big word, "factor." Maybe tommorrow his math class will teach him about inequalities, such as 274,389 > 25,319, or maybe he'll learn about long division in word problems, such as for every PSP sold approximately 11 DSs. It's tough work, but he may yet get it.
Pince @ Oct 7th 2006 2:22AM
Bill - I have seen my fair share of stupid shameless bias and fanboyism on this site - we all have - but that was just disgusting. I don't know how someone can be that bitter towards a handheld gaming device.
Did it kill your family? (You have my sincerest apologies if the Nintendo DS actually did kill your family) Or rather, are you raking in 10% of the royalties from the PSP?
Give credit where credit is due; the DS is doing very very well. You are just picking at every single detail that you can, and your arguments are terrible.
"It couldn't even break 300k" - um what? Who cares. You know what else didn't sell 300k last week? Lots of things! Lots of things also didn't sell 200k...the PSP included. You may as well say "hahaha the DS couldnt even break 274, 390!!!"
And your final point, that the handheld is losing out to a 400$ console with 60$ games. I can't even begin to point out the glaring flaws in that argument. But I will anyways. For one thing, the 360 is the lone next-gen system that has been released in the states and it caters almost exclusively to western tastes (hence the complete shunning by the japanese...so far). Don't get me wrong, I love 360, I'm planning on getting one this Xmas...but comparing DS to the 360 and claiming it as a failure is just stupid. Comparing the two at all in such a way is just silly.
One cannot be a failure based on the sales of the other. The DS and the 360 arent competing in the same market; handhelds and consoles are far different, hell, gaming PCs are a closer competitor for 360 than the DS is.
Its comparing apples to oranges; saying that apples have failed this month because oranges sold a lot.
Maybe the most disturbing thing you said was "a matter of time before if (PSP) defeats the DS". Read that and tell me if that doesnt sound like militaristc fervor...over two handheld gaming devices. I realize that people say such things all the time, but...seriously, don't you feel stupid reading that again and seeing your rhetoric?
From the sound of your whole article, if I didnt know video games, I would assume that DS and PSP were military factions and that DS had bombed your life into the ground causing you to side with PSP... strongly.
@All
Yardarm51's comments made me think:
why do we all make such strong allegiances to companies and consoles that we start describing their business competition as if it were a physical war, violently taking sides, and often forgetting that we all love video games and that is why we are here.
I'm not saying I don't do the same; hell, like most,I choose sides even before I own a console, before it is released. But, why then do we have such a thirst for conflict or, if that is not the case, why are we falling into patterns of such strong reverence for companies and products that should be a nothing more extreme than a beloved hobby?
bm @ Oct 7th 2006 2:28AM
Bill wrote: "Anyway I think that was the DS last gasp."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
AHAHAHAHAHAA!
Hahaha.....ahah......wow.
Bored @ Oct 7th 2006 2:31AM
@ Bill
As much as it pains me to give you the attention you crave, I do have to correct you on one point:
The handheld race will not be a ten year race.
When sales start to slump, both companies will release new versions. It's the way the handheld market works.
One more thing: There *is* no competition in the handheld market. Nintendo will *always* own the majority market share.
SONY *has* succeeded, though, by managing to take a noticeable chunk of that market. Their fans should be happy with that achievement. They *shouldn't*, however, fool themselves into thinking SONY could ever take over the market.
BPM? @ Oct 7th 2006 2:36AM
ポケモン！！
Pokémon with the poké and the mon and the thing where the guy comes out of the thing, and he makes a fraaagh fr fra aagh aagh aagh!
Crazy high sales... Just like when FF3 was released.
Wonder what the next HUGE thing for DS will be... hmm... Oh! Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass... Unless there's something else huge before it?
Well... Dragon Quest is huge in Japan (not so much in America), so the upcoming Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker should do well over there, as well.
David @ Oct 7th 2006 2:41AM
"So this was Pokeman, that Gaf has been hyping for months as DS best bullet, and this was the best DS could do"
a)The DS is once again SOLD OUT.
b) It sold more then 4.5 times everything else combined anyway.
"Also, there is no DS shortage"
All reports from japan say there still are. My friend just came back and said you can only buy a DS on the first two days after they ship, then you have to wait until next week.
"There is no shortage of DS's, that much is certain by the numbers"
LOL what numbers?
"The PSP on the other hand, continues with solid sales compared to last year. Since this is a ten year race it's only a matter of time before it defeats the DS."
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!
"And we're not even mentioning how the $400 360 and and $60 games dominate the $129 DS and it's $39 games on US charts.
DS=failure in the West."
Check NPD. The DS outsells the 360 every month. So does the PS2 for that matter...
mocax @ Oct 7th 2006 3:29AM
I guess the "matter of time" when PSP finally outsell DS is when Nintendo moved on and made a new portable which goes about pwning everything all over again.
obo @ Oct 7th 2006 3:55AM
"troublesome last spurt of the red arrow in most devices"?
Ludwig... I hope you're using protection.
gamerx @ Oct 7th 2006 4:07AM
Bill = aZn_1080p anyone?
insane_cobra @ Oct 7th 2006 4:19AM
I'd say the rise of Xbox 360 sales has more to do with the arrival of Dead Rising than with TGS.
http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/dead-rising-selling-out-in-japan-204493.php
ALH @ Oct 7th 2006 4:24AM
hahahaha, jesus christ, never in a million years would i have expected this to keep on happening if it hadnt happened already. How many times has the DS sold out this year alone? and thats just in japan, it was pretty hard to find a nintendogs bundle last xmas over here in the UK.
GJ nintendo, keep up the hard work :)
Alex @ Oct 7th 2006 5:15AM
The Xbox 360's bump this week most likely came because of Dead Rising, which was released on 9/28 in Japan and ranked #12 on the weekly sales, according to m-create (#10 according to Famitsu).
There was some decent buzz created at TGS for the 360, but it'll be several weeks before the featured games (DOAX2, Blue Dragon, Trusty Bell, Lost Oddyssey) make a difference in sales.
Tom @ Oct 7th 2006 6:23AM
Considering dead rising was released the xbox360 sales are pretty low. I mean you can say its almost a 100% increase! But so would going from selling 1 unit to 2 units. If it had 4 more 100% increases it would still only be selling the same as the Ps2. I expect blue dragon will help the system a lot in terms of percentages but compared to other consoles it will still be bottom.
Oh and I can guarntee you guys the DS is sold out. I was in Japan over summer and it was and my friend just came back from Japan 2 weeks ago and keeps saying how crazy it is that it keeps selling out.
gamerx @ Oct 7th 2006 6:36AM
Japanese hardware sales: future edition
- Wii: 300,000
- DS Lite: 274,389 134,554 (96.22%)
- PS3: 50,000
- PS2: 31,992 681 (2.08%)
- PSP: 25,319 2,201 (9.52%)
- Xbox 360: 2,195 1,086 (97.93%)
- GBA SP: 1,811334 (15.57%)
- Game Boy Micro: 1,103 83 (7.00%)
- Gamecube: 523 240 (31.45%)
- DS Phat: 253 63 (19.94%)
- GBA: 10 10 (50.00%)
- Xbox: 3 5 (62.5%)
dwl @ Oct 7th 2006 8:46AM
I think the software sales for that week in Japan are even more impressive...
Japanese software sales for September 25 - October 1:
#. Platform - Title - Publisher - This week's sales (Total sales) - Weeks on sale
1. NDS - Pokemon Diamond - Nintendo - 820,047 - NEW
2. NDS - Pokemon Pearl - Nintendo - 768,687 - NEW
3. PS2 - .hack//G.U. Vol. 2 - Bandai Namco - 122,800 - NEW
4. PS2 - Minna no Tennis - Sony - 68,755 (383,545) - 3rd week
5. NDS - New Super Mario Bros. - 57,508 (3,193,679) - 19th week
6. NDS - Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Kounin: KanKen DS - Rocket Company - 45,292 - NEW
7. NDS - Brain Training 2 - Nintendo - 39,897 (3,261,647) - 41st week
8. NDS - Final Fantasy III - Square Enix - 39,165 (751,294) - 6th week
9. PS2 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI - Koei - 29,304 - NEW
10. NDS - Animal Crossing: Wild World - Nintendo - 26,287 (3,282,457) - 46th week
Total top 10 sales: 2,017,742 (1,624,570 up from last week)
Last week's sales: 393,172
Relix @ Oct 7th 2006 9:27AM
I am not a fanboy or anything.. but the DS is murdering everything in Japan. Nintendo just needs to keep pumping out the games out of their Willy Wonka Magic Factory and then DS will crush PSP. It seems funny Sony ain't doing much to hype the PSP. In E3 it was a total disaster and in TGS it didn't wow anyone. And they are stubborn as hell for not lowering the prices! Why doesn't Sony try to counter attack... Oh wait I forgot.. Ken Kutaragi doesn't care (stupidiest quote ever from a CEO).
Catprog @ Oct 7th 2006 9:34AM
to stewis. If everone in japan has 1 DS then there would be more DS in japan then Ps2 in the world
pyro @ Oct 7th 2006 9:45AM
@Bill
Leave Bill alone, he's totally right. Th DS WILL stop making any games now since Pokemon has been released. There's really no point in making any future games for this crappy handheld where people only buy it out of pity.
And he's also right about the price point thing. Look at it from the other side. Last week millions of bread were sold and bread only comes in two colors [unless its moldy] while the DS comes in three colors.
BTW: bread doesnt even have wireless connectivity and it kicks butt.
gamerx @ Oct 7th 2006 9:53AM
Nintendo is the Apple of the video games industry. DS Lite is like the iPod and Wii is the Mac. Unlike the Mac however, it seems more than likely Wii is going to end up dominating worldwide marketshare and profits.
Rob @ Oct 7th 2006 10:22AM
@Bored: "One more thing: There *is* no competition in the handheld market. Nintendo will *always* own the majority market share. "
That is just as fanboy as Bill. There wasn't any real competition to the NES either.