Japanese hardware sales, 27 Nov - 3 Dec: wiivolution edition

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Dec 8th 2006 at 5:15PM }

FREEDOM.

Perhaps you've heard of it. Perhaps you've read about it in a book or on a juvenile delinquent's garish MySpace page. Perhaps you've heard it dissected on political radio shows. Perhaps you've felt its impact on your head in a melodramatic and decidedly non-hilarious art film. But have you tasted it? Have you breathed it in through your cavernous nostrils and your gingivitis-playground-for-a-mouth? We thought not.

Turn to the person / gamer next to you, stick out your tongue and take a deep and deliberate breath. That pervasive quality in the air, that unique taste, much like a fresh yam having just been dipped into the salty ocean -- that's freedom. It is all the more obvious now that the heartless DS Lite has at last tasted defeat and been ejected from its position of tyranny. Oh, how it has been thrown from its offensive pop-culture ... throne. How it tumbles from its domain of abuse and influence, freeing us all after more than 30 consecutive weeks of monotonous enslavement.

Farewell, DS Lite. We stab at thee with our freedom blades and rejoice! The day is won and your body of chart predictability is perforated with truth. Like Swiss cheese. Of truth.

- Wii: 350,358 [New Entry!]
- DS Lite: 176,901 24,477 (12.15%)
- PS3: 31,436 1,226 (3.75%)
- PSP: 23,917 6,898 (22.39%)
- PS2: 23,115 3,148 (11.99%)
- Xbox 360: 4,053 2,954 (42.16%)
- GBA SP: 1,572

308 (24.37%)
- Game Boy Micro: 1,252

17 (1.38%)
- Gamecube: 821

245 (42.53%)
- DS Phat: 140 72 (33.96%)
- GBA: 22 5 (18.52%)
- Xbox: 11

11 (N/A)

[Source: Media Create]

See also: Previous Japanese hardware sales charts

Tags: Japanese hardware sales, JapaneseHardwareSales

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

silkylove @ Dec 8th 2006 5:22PM

I love it. It took another Nintendo system to finally dethrone the DS. Iwata is wiping his ass with hundred dollar bills as I type this post.

Joe @ Dec 8th 2006 5:22PM

OH NOES T3H DS LITE ONLY S0LD 176000. WII HAXX3D T3H MA1NFRAMES!!

So, does Nintendo own Japan yet or what? I mean is there really that much population left who doesnt own a ds lite?

Im not sure theyve sold enough Wii's this week though :/

tickmenanny @ Dec 8th 2006 5:27PM

Now prepare for the months of Wii dominance.

SPJglitches @ Dec 8th 2006 5:24PM

That was probably the best deliverance of statistics I have ever seen...

Vinsum @ Dec 8th 2006 5:33PM

Wow...
I figured the Wii would jump into the fray strongly, but to nearly DOUBLE the DS Lite...regardless of all the region/allocation/launch hiccups, even Sony and M$ fans have to give a nod to that.

The DS Lite has been running a "Jordan-era Bulls vs your pee-wee basketball team" slaying in hardware sells for so long it seemed like the very term "#1" could be replaced with DS Lite.

...props to the Big N's new little giant.

Optimus Prime @ Dec 8th 2006 5:31PM

Why does the GBA (all variations) sell 600k + unit a month in the US but approx. 10k a month in Japan? It does not compute.

Ignatius @ Dec 8th 2006 5:32PM

Nintendo needs to create a cloning process that takes a split second of thought to do. They're going to run the world dry of resources soon just to make all those Wiis and DS Lites for all the crazy Japanese that want one. Or two. Or fifty. Cause I'd go for fifty DS Lites. That just says BLING.

serb @ Dec 8th 2006 5:42PM

props to nintendo
i just wanna see wats gonna happen wen the ps3 actually gets some units, than hopefully there will actually be some competition.....

Leto @ Dec 8th 2006 5:40PM

Not a bad intro, but quite a bit less than the 400,000 that was claimed some days ago.

fester @ Dec 8th 2006 5:43PM

Great news for Nintendo... bear in mind these are figures while the console is new (they are going to be high) as are the PS3s. The DS however has been out forever and still sells amazing well week on week (everywhere).

After the dust settles by the middle of next year the Jap sales charts will return to something meaningful.

By that time X360 sales will be up, Wii will be leading or in 2nd with consistent sales and DS will be second or third.

PS3 will be down though. ;)

Derbeste @ Dec 8th 2006 5:40PM

I've said it before and I'll say it every week I think.

Ludwig....are you best asset Joystiq has. I really did LOL.

As for the stats.....

Well...I guess it's pretty obvious. Nintendo is one step away from going "Sega"....duh!

BPM? @ Dec 8th 2006 5:41PM

Optimus, It's DS Lite Land over in Japan. Which is why it greatly outsells everything else, so GBA is ignored by most consumers.
But here in America, while DS is still the best selling platform, it isn't AS hot as it is in Japan (it's pretty easy to find DS Lites in stock here, whereas in Japan, they continue to sell out). And many still see GBA as a cheaper portable gaming alternative (which it is).

It's no surprise DS Lite would be dethroned by Wii. Considering how many they had available for launch, and Wii's hype machine, it'd be pretty hard for Wii NOT to sell out.

Looks like PS3 is selling steadily (is that all that there is? About 30-40k a week in Japan?). I wonder how long that will change (for better or for worse)...

Sizer @ Dec 8th 2006 5:42PM

So this is the third straight week in a row that PS3 sales are down (they've been falling ever since launch week). Either way that's bad news - either their production is falling and/or not as many people want it.

fester @ Dec 8th 2006 5:47PM

I meant D"S will be second or First" (not third)(most likely first, overtaking the Wii once the initial honeymoon period is over).

Mr. Khan @ Dec 8th 2006 5:47PM

@ Leto

My guess is they sold somewhat more than 600,000 in North America as well, they just round for purposes of making it easier to read a PR report

Everyone likes nice, easy numbers

Does anyone else here notice that Joystiq seems to go through "phases"
Notice today; most of the comments seem to put Nintendo in a good light, Microsoft in a fair light, and Sony in a poor light
Other days, its seemed that the general consensus is that MS can do no wrong, that Sony is the honorable second, and Nintendo is the loser
And etc, days when Sony can do no wrong, Microsoft is again the honorable second, and Nintendo is again the loser

Anyone else notice this?

JJ @ Dec 8th 2006 5:52PM

Ia lso believe the PS3 sales are down due to production issues, usually after the system comes out the launch week is fantastic... but from there on out stuff just trickles out, like the WII and PS3 here, its very hard to find systems in stores in batches of more than 10-20. Even my local Gamestop only gets maybe 6 Wiis and PS3's a week, which is down from the launch of 20 each.

So PS3's declining numbers aren't surprising. Its a production thing.

KrazyIan @ Dec 8th 2006 6:13PM

Anybody know if Sony is able to keep up with production on the PS3s? Those numbers could be just the number of PS3s that were available (thus sold out), not representative of true demand.

BPM? @ Dec 8th 2006 5:55PM

Mr. Khan, Joystiq just reports what they can. You can't really report anything good/bad about Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft, unless there's something to report...
Unless they do editorials, I guess. :P

Aex @ Dec 8th 2006 5:59PM

@fester

"By that time X360 sales will be up, Wii will be leading or in 2nd with consistent sales and DS will be second or third.

PS3 will be down though. ;)"

o.o, Blue Dragon, Japans big release came out this week, and by lookin at these numbers... It had no effect on Japan's Xbox 360 sales. Hopefully next week's numbers will prove that wrong and people were just waiting til the weekend to go pick up a Xbox 360, unless it does, then there is no way the PS3 will sell less than the Xbox 360 in japan. The Xbox 360 has been out for over a year in japan and the PS3 has already sold a comparable amount there, and that's only because the PS3 stock is limited. The Xbox360 is dominating in Europe and USA right now, but it seems like it has barely touched Japan.

I was really hoping the Xbox 360 would become popular in japan after blue dragon, so it could bring in lots of Japanese support. But alas... It doesn't look that way.

I'm still curious as to how the Wii will do in the long run, in America and Japan. I have my doubts, but if it can put up strong numbers for a good year+ then I may have to get one for sure :)

JRM @ Dec 8th 2006 5:58PM

yeah, it's likely that the DS will be #1 again when the launch period is over. I mean, you only need one Wii for every household, while you can have 4-6 DSs for every member of the family.

Hugh Mann @ Dec 8th 2006 6:02PM

They sell more GBA's in N America becuase ALOT MORE people live there!

Sizer @ Dec 8th 2006 6:06PM

> So PS3's declining numbers aren't surprising. Its a production thing.

Their production should not be dropping every week though. It should be ramping up. Or they're in even worse trouble than it appears.

Now possibly they're shipping them to the US to make up for not even making half the promised launch numbers.

bandit @ Dec 8th 2006 6:12PM

AEX

you are an idiot.

The title clearly states nov 27-dec 3

Blue Dragon released on the 7th...

In addition the core/blue dragon pack and price has been announced for almost 2 months in japan. Who would buy a 360 before that time?!?! If the US released a core system with a pack in Gears of War game PLUS limited edition goodies and annouced it months in advance plus offered it at $250 or $50 less that retail price do you think US gamers would be clamoring to purchase a 360 BEFORE than?

Aex @ Dec 8th 2006 6:22PM

Thanks Bandit, it was an honest mistake. I thought those were the numbers for this week and not last week. It's not like I was being an asshole. I was just a little disapointed in thinkin that Blue Dragon had no effect on the japanese market. I'm very glad Blue Dragon wasn't factoring into these sales numbers.

Tho, Screw you for being an asshole. It was an honest mistake, dickhead. By the way, tell your mom I'm tired of her and I'm breaking things off. Thanks again... GODDAMNED FANBOYS!

generaldane @ Dec 8th 2006 6:32PM

i have gotten so use to seeing the ds lite at top that the chart looks wierd. lol

LordMinogue @ Dec 8th 2006 6:53PM

I'm gonna play "oracle" here and guess 15k 360s next week; Blue Dragon has enough acclaim for that (10,000 sold-out pre-orders don't hurt either).

#1 Ludwig Kietzmann Fan @ Dec 8th 2006 6:47PM

"Farewell, DS Lite. We stab at thee with our freedom blades and rejoice! The day is won and your body of chart predictability is perforated with truth. Like Swiss cheese. Of truth."

This is why I keep checking joystiq everyday, just to see if you have something new up. You're so awesome Ludwig and I think your hard work gets highly underrated here. I wish that you posted more frequently.

Evan @ Dec 8th 2006 6:47PM

Nintendo: 86.5% (531,066)
Sony: 12.8% (78,468)
Microsoft: 0.7% (4,064)

Wow!

jaybleezy @ Dec 8th 2006 6:49PM

I'm so happy I got my DS lite back in June when they first launched in the US. Now if I can just get my hands on a damn wii I'll be almost complete. Well I guess my 360 will have to keep me entertained until then.

I hate waiting, but it is cool to see the DS still in my opinion kicking everyone else ass. Most likely it will be the most bought gaming portable this decade.

Anthony @ Dec 8th 2006 7:01PM

"25. i have gotten so use to seeing the ds lite at top that the chart looks wierd. lol"

Yeah, me too. I looked at the chart and just saw the DS Lite sitting on top and didn't even notice Wii was above it until I looked at it again.

Ben @ Dec 8th 2006 6:57PM

The DS is leagues better than the Wii. Also, um, is ANYTHING else happening in gaming other than Wii news Joystiq? Huh? This weeks-long gush-fest is a lot more lopsided than the occasional Vladimer Cole "opposing view"

serb @ Dec 8th 2006 7:01PM

y do u guys want video game freaking consoles to succeed so bad.....does it make u feel better? all warm inside?
the fanboys on this site need serious help......
get a fucking life u wastes of sperm

Aex @ Dec 8th 2006 7:16PM

@serb

Because the better the Xbox 360 does in japan, the more support it gets from japanese developers.

@LordMinogue

I'm hoping it sells even more than that. I'm hoping it beats the PS2 finally, at least for one week. The creators of Blue Dragon work on some of Japan's greatest titles (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest)

Big Ed @ Dec 8th 2006 7:28PM

All 10,000 Blue Dragon+Core System combos have already sold out in Japan, so yeah, Blue Dragon is helping out.

driven2sin @ Dec 8th 2006 7:30PM

I agress with #16

'..stuff just trickles out, like the WII..'

driven2sin @ Dec 8th 2006 7:37PM

also...

Nintendo is Dead!!! Long live Nintendo!!

justchris @ Dec 8th 2006 10:23PM

The most interesting thing about this chart is, if you take out the Wii, the DS STILL sold double everything else combined. The Wii nearly sold double the DS, and that's pretty impressive.

Also, this means that the PS3 has never been the leading console in Japan. Last week the 360 was still beating it by about 20k units. This week, the Wii blows them both out of the water, as there are less than 200k total for each of those two systems (although this week the PS3 did pull ahead of the 360).

As for the discrepancy between GBA sales in the US & in Japan, consider this. At it's current sale rate, the DS is still about 2 or 3 weeks away from surpassing the total sales of the GBA in Japan. GBA sales simply aren't going to increase much, because most people who want one already have one. DS sales still have a way to go, because every person with a GBA can 'upgrade' to a DS, and the markets that wouldn't buy a gameboy (men & women over age 45) seem to be falling all over the DS. It just flat out has a bigger market than the GBA (which is why it's still selling out in Japan). -- Also, there are an extra 180 million people in the US, that probably helps a lot, too.

This chart isn't nearly as interesting as the next one will be. The DS & Wii will be competing to see which can produce the most units per week (Nintendo is still dealing with DS shortages). I suspect they'll be neck and neck, and DS will probably be on top again. Will PS3 drop yet another week? What is up with Sony's production problems. Also, with Blue Dragon releasing, there's a fairly good chance the 360 will outsell all 3 of Sony's consoles for the first time ever. I predict the ranking will be:
DS
Wii
360
PS3
PS2
PSP

and the rest somewhere beneath that.

@serb,
Do you watch sports at all? Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer? Do you keep track of team scores, of games won and lost, errors, batting averages, field goal percentages, all that nonsense?

Well, screw you, I don't like sports, I like video games. You keep track of your meaningless numbers, and I'll keep track of mine.