Japanese hardware sales, 18 Dec - 24 Dec: shameless recap edition
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Dec 29th 2006 at 6:05PM }
Like a stage hook dramatically coercing us out of the spotlight or a kind psychiatrist pulling us back from the brink of madness, the end of the year is putting the kibosh on Japanese sales charts for 2006. With all the ups, downs and insufferable numbers you've been exposed to, it's quite likely that your nightmares have become filled with imposing calculator-men riding rollercoasters and vomiting out percentages as soon as the ride stops.We're very sorry for that. Have some numbers.
- DS Lite: 485,584 (yes, really)
165,876 (51.88%)- Wii: 279,277
171,040 (158.02%)- PSP: 138,588
89,626 (183.05%)- PS3: 76,882
5,940 (8.37%) - PS2: 46,209
8,479 (22.47%)- Xbox 360: 17,213
45 (0.26%)- Game Boy Micro: 2,394
903 (60.56%)- GBA SP: 1,858
9 (0.48%)- Gamecube: 1,250
98 (8.51%)- DS Phat: 380
222 (140.51%)- GBA: 57
15 (35.71%)- Xbox: 11
8 (266.67%)[Source: Media Create]
In addition, we've compiled a list of our least terrible sales charts from the last year (though they only started appearing on Joystiq in July) in a last-ditch effort to inflict their unimaginable pain upon you once more. Thank you for reading!
- Heavy Meta Edition (31 July - 6 Aug) -- wherein we teach readers to create their own pedantic and self-referential sales chart posts.
- Fake Comments Edition (7 Aug - 13 Aug) -- wherein we save readers the trouble of commenting and just get it over with ourselves. First post!
- Dear Diary Edition (21 Aug - 27 Aug) -- wherein we infamously delve into the mind of a young Japanese girl. The results are surprising and leads to one developer making us promise not to write our interview with him in the same style.
- Tokyo Stalker Edition (11 Sep - 17 Sep) -- wherein we finally track down the man responsible for buying all those original Xbox systems every week.
- Fully Translated Edition (25 Sep - 1 Oct) -- wherein we discover the amusing properties of machine translations.
- Platinum Premium Edition (23 Oct - 29 Oct) -- wherein we make microtransaction jokes. Typically topical.
- Wiivolution Edition (27 Nov - 3 Dec) -- wherein we celebrate the DS Lite's dethroning from the charts. It makes a vengeful return the very next week.
- Dearly Departed Edition (4 Dec - 10 Dec) -- wherein we examine the serious nature of Wii fatalities ... and reference Grim Fandango.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
rdj75 @ Dec 29th 2006 6:13PM
Oh my god, I mean come on, how many people actually live in Japan anyway, these DS sales numbers are just beyond amazing.
Malik @ Dec 29th 2006 6:13PM
OMG TEH XBOX IS UP 266%.
XBOX PWNS!!
(why is anyone buying xboxes?)
IanC @ Dec 29th 2006 6:15PM
yay, TARDIS!!
icelandman @ Dec 29th 2006 6:16PM
My Head Asplode!
Wow, those sales for Nintendo are just phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal... knowing nothing much about the Japanese market, thats all I can say... Wowza!
Rhine @ Dec 29th 2006 6:18PM
Holy Monkey Fucking that's a lot of DS's *looks at his DS Phat and cries and then is comforted by his Wii*
Henry @ Dec 29th 2006 6:20PM
Nintendo are amazing - from the dark days of the Gamecube comes light! Someone oughta give them a pat on the back.
SuicideNinja @ Dec 29th 2006 6:23PM
The important thing to point out is that the PS3 actually outsold the PS2 in Japan. Gadget crazy they must be...then again they are supposed loyalists.
Everywhere else, PS2 wins. Fatality.....er....then again...how about that DS everywhere else? At this point, wouldn't the Japanese have 3 DS's each by now?
john @ Dec 29th 2006 6:23PM
i bought all 8 of those xboxs
redspear @ Dec 29th 2006 6:25PM
This just is more proof that the DS is phailing. I mean it only sold 222 while the PSP is doing amazing with 138,000. Hah Nintendo can't even compete in Japan in the portable market and its just going to get worse....
By the way what ever happened to Bill?
GamerJunk.net @ Dec 29th 2006 6:25PM
Why is anyone buying any of the old consoles? PS3 and Wii are backwards compatible.
I swear Sony is buying their own consoles.
redspear @ Dec 29th 2006 6:26PM
Gamer Junk people buy the PS2 because it si cheap and has a huge library of games and some good games coming out and they don't have HDTV's and the PS3 and XBOX 360 don't look much better on SDTV
Deep.Grave @ Dec 29th 2006 6:31PM
I hope we see a full 2006 compilation of the data next week, and maybe some line graphs or pictograms.
If Ludwig is reading this, then I beg of you for the year-to-date numbers. Puhlease!
CJC @ Dec 29th 2006 6:32PM
The "choose-your-own-adventure" recap on DS fanboy from a couple of weeks ago was probably the most entertaining one recently.
http://www.dsfanboy.com/2006/12/01/japanese-hardware-sales-13-november-19-november-choose-your/
jaybleezy @ Dec 29th 2006 6:33PM
The DS like I've said is owning the market. Can anything stand to defeat the DS? Probably not, glad we were able to sum that up.
keepitsimple @ Dec 29th 2006 6:34PM
Nintendo DS, you are ridiculous!!!
If any of you are Chicago Bears fans and listen to the games on the radio you know what i mean.
RIDICULOUS!!! KA CHING!!!
glitched @ Dec 29th 2006 6:37PM
Deep.grave - take a look here: http://videogamecharts.com/page5.html
The site has comppiled the data so far this year...
zack @ Dec 29th 2006 6:36PM
redspear, what numbers are you looking at? 222 isn't even on there. DS is outselling PSP nearly 4:1. Learn to read.
Sieth @ Dec 29th 2006 6:38PM
I am included as one of the people that got one of those ds lites. My girl got me one for Christmas. (Yes, Japanese one before anyone says anything)
glitched @ Dec 29th 2006 6:39PM
Zack, I htink he was talking about the DS phat... and the 222 is actually the amount increase from previous week for DS phat.
rdj75 @ Dec 29th 2006 6:41PM
to 16
Dude, he was just trying to be funny. Hell I laughed at his post when I read it.
glitched @ Dec 29th 2006 6:47PM
I still believe that the DS lite is what you would call an "outlier". outliers make statistical analyses difficult and the DS lite is by no means a measure of success for other consoles, including the PSP. Other consoles can still be doing very well, but you just cant say because such and such home or portable console isnt doing as well as the DS lite it isn't a success. You dont need to have a cultural phenomenon to be considered a success. Either way, congratulations Nintendo on being SO popular you make everything else look bad ;)
Maylon @ Dec 29th 2006 6:52PM
Ok, there are roughly 127 million people in Japan. It would seem that nearly 1/3 of the population owns a DS by now. Am I right?
redspear @ Dec 29th 2006 7:04PM
16 I was using the DS phats numbers but as 19 pointed out it was its increase.
For those who have been reading for a while there used to be guy who went by the name of Bill who alwasy said that the DS was going to drop in sales he hasn't been around for a long time so I was poking fun at him
beasticles @ Dec 29th 2006 7:31PM
Is it just me or are Joystiq editors ripping off Tycho from Penny Arcade's style? I mean, I would not be surprised at all to see this on a Penny Arcade news post, complete with italicized calculator-men.
josh @ Dec 29th 2006 7:49PM
"Oh my god, I mean come on, how many people actually live in Japan anyway, these DS sales numbers are just beyond amazing."
Japan has 130 million people. It's the 10th most populous country in the world, according to Wikipedia.
Hinkmania @ Dec 29th 2006 7:54PM
At the Target here in the San Diego Mission Valley Mall, there were stacks of PSPs, several PS3s, no DSs and no Wiis to be seen.
Psaakyrn @ Dec 29th 2006 8:02PM
I'm of the opinion that they're getting multiple colour DS for different moods (black: malicious, pink: giddy, etc).
JBGUY2K @ Dec 29th 2006 8:08PM
I think some of you are missing the point here
- DS Lite: 485,584
take a closer look at the number. Next, think about the next phrase:
"Lion Oil"
the sales number reads out "four, eight, five, five, eight, four"
figure it out.
But yes, DS did do a grand job at sales... but I still don't have a ds lite... T_T
Jeff @ Dec 29th 2006 8:07PM
"Ok, there are roughly 127 million people in Japan. It would seem that nearly 1/3 of the population owns a DS by now. Am I right?"
No, although that's probably where it's headed. I never remember to bookmark that site that keeps running tabs of all these numbers, but I know as of September 30, 2006, the DS Lite had sold 11 million units in Japan. Bear in mind it certainly does not sell 500,000 units every week - this is the week before Christmas' numbers. They're also in more plentiful supply than they used to be (though they can still be hard to find). For several months, sales were depressed because of shortages - under 100,000 a week for a while.
They've been selling at a rate of about a million a month over the past 4-5 months. So, since September, they've probably sold around 3 million more, or about 14 million total for the country.
It wouldn't surprise me if Nintendo ends up at about 35-40 million in Japan alone when all is said and done, which means they've probably got another year of hotness like this before it levels off... but they'll stay at #1 for a good while. Every kid aged 5-18 is gonna have one of these plus probably about half their parents. Girls are just as into it as guys, as I think we all know by now. That's definitely a big reason for its success. Girls actually hang out and talk to *each other* about their DS Lites, which is something I've never seen before in the gaming world. They're not just hanging around the periphery of a guys' world with this thing; they've made their own world out of it.
justchris @ Dec 29th 2006 8:43PM
As of this week's sales, the DS (phat+lite total) has sold about 13.3 million units. There are 127 million people in Japan, so no, not everyone has one.
And actually, the DS has been supply constrained since June. It isn't selling that high because of the upcoming holiday, it's selling that high because that is all that Nintendo has managed to ship for that week. The DS has been pretty much sold out since June.
Also, this chart is for last week, which is not the biggest sales week in Japan. The big holiday in Japan is New Year's, so that means this week's sales (next week's chart) stand to be even bigger (although not for the DS, in fact DS will probably go down as Nintendo has nearly sold out of their entire allocation for the month according to most reports).
Also, if you want to judge the other systems, PSP sold 160k this same week last year. Whereas this is the 3rd highest week the 360 has ever had (right behind launch week and the week Blue Dragon was released) and blows what they did last year out of the water...comparatively speaking. Assuming the PS3 sells whatever it ships, it's sales have been steadily going up every week, so it seems like they were telling the truth about having cleared up their production issues. The Wii is also selling more each succeeding week, but like the PS3 has never sold more a week than it sold the week it launched.
Oh, also, this week last year, the DS sold 601k.
justchris @ Dec 29th 2006 8:51PM
Oh, since Joystiq doesn't post software numbers, here are the ones for last week in Japan (same week as these hardware numbers):
1. (DS) Pokemon Diamond 209,379 / 2,329,227
2. (PSP) MGS Portable Ops 178,370
3. (DS) Pokemon Pearl 164,670 / 1,931,445
4. (DS) New SMB 154,107 / 3,771,128
5. (Wii) Wii Sports 152,756 / 471,229
6. (PS2) Mana 4 152,062
7. (DS) Kirby Squeak Squad 149,350 / 706,984
8. (DS) Love & Berry 139,382 / 747,926
9. (Wii) Wii Play 137,495 / 439,323
10. (DS) Jump Ultimate Stars 134,551 / 484,529
11. (PSP) Tales of the World 122,889
(Games without a second number launched that week.)
GD86 @ Dec 29th 2006 9:44PM
I don't know about the DS but is it like the Wii where every unit they sell makes them a profit on top of the profit per game sold. Cause if thats what it is good show nintendo.
Also another question since I don't know much about the japanesse hardware sales but is it like the US where there is a pretty big used market and does that factor into these numbers or are purely new units being sold?
driven2sin @ Dec 29th 2006 8:54PM
but u forgot the other end of the spectrum ...
Xbox: 11
now think of the phrase
shit box
it all makes sense now....
Jeff @ Dec 29th 2006 9:32PM
"Also, this chart is for last week, which is not the biggest sales week in Japan. The big holiday in Japan is New Year's, so that means this week's sales (next week's chart) stand to be even bigger"
They usually aren't, because people don't really buy presents for their boyfriends/girlfriends for New Years'. Christmas is the holiday for that sort of gift-giving. What happens after Christmas is that all the people that got money for Christmas (and that's an extremely common Christmas gift there; it's not considered bad taste like it is here) go out and buy stuff, and yeah, maybe some parents buy their kids some New Years' presents.
But take a look at the historical sales numbers; Christmas week is usually the biggest week. To take your own example, last year the DS Lite sold 597,628 units during Christmas week to take the #1 spot; the next week, New Year's week, it was still in #1 but with "only" 390,181. Other systems saw a similar drop during New Year's week.
Media Create notes this fact in the text that goes with these numbers. This *is* generally the biggest buying week of the year. Next week will probably see lower numbers.
And DS Lite production is not quite as strained as you suggest anymore; you may need to go to 2-3 stores to find one, but you can find them.
Konchu @ Dec 29th 2006 9:53PM
Really DS has took off this year with lots of great titles especially many of the Touch Generation Titles and the release of the DS Lite. There are quite a few folks that had the old one that got a lite. If we look back a year ago there was not as much a dividing line between the DS as the PSP. Nintendo's been busy.
MaX PL @ Dec 29th 2006 9:54PM
woopdie doooo. nintendo ds sells at 100 dollars each. too bad japan is the only place that cares about it. too bad the japanese are dumb enough to continue buying 5 different versions of it.
Mikey @ Jan 8th 2007 12:13PM
There's crack in them Dslites!!! I tell ya what! *hyuck*
Keil Joy @ Jan 2nd 2007 9:33PM
pathetic!
Tamyu @ Dec 29th 2006 10:24PM
Whoa, Jeff.
You don`t know about Otoshidama?
People in Japan don`t usually give gifts on Christmas. That`s a recent thing, and it`s still "trendy". I`ve never ever heard of anyone giving money on Christmas in Japan.
That`s what New Years is for. :P Everyone gives kids big wads of cash - Otoshidama - and all these kids go out and buy stuff with that money in the following weeks. For the past couple of years, the economy has been in a slump - so the money has been stashed away for college and the like. But this year winter bonuses were great, and I have no doubt that relatives will be showering all the kids with piles of dough. More than enough to have a bunch of free spending money after saving.
And I`m pretty sure a bunch of them will buy a DS with it.
slacker164 @ Dec 29th 2006 10:33PM
@36
Um... You do realize that it's not just the Japanese that like the DS, right? It's a closer race, but the DS has pulled well ahead of the PSP in the U.S. both in monthly sales and total units sold. The PSP was putting up a good fight early in the year and last year, but the DS lead is now consistently increasing.
MaX PL @ Dec 29th 2006 10:54PM
yeh and as mentioned, the ds is only 100 dollars and pretty much worthless.
i know people who buy it just because they download every game and play it. and i know people who would buy psp if it werent 250 bucks or whatever it is.
regardless, ds sells far less in NA and Europe than it does in Japan. i consider japan its only market.
glitched @ Dec 29th 2006 10:54PM
@slacker164: thanks almost entirely to the DS Lite
v1cious @ Dec 29th 2006 11:08PM
Sony's gotta be closing in on a million soon, right? i mean so far they have sold between 3-400,000 just in Japan
slacker164 @ Dec 29th 2006 11:11PM
Saying it’s worthless because it’s not super expensive doesn’t make any sense (it’s $130 btw). I’m not a Nintendo fanboy or anything, it’s just a fact that the DS (lite) is selling well in the U.S. If you want to believe that Japan is the only market for the DS, I suppose you’re free to do that, but the sales numbers say you’re wrong.
Mabui @ Dec 29th 2006 11:12PM
I can only assume that people are buying Xboxs as a cruel joke to their relatives after promising them a PS3 or something equally hefty, like a box of led bricks.
"I can't believe you got me a PS3!... wait.. whats this? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"
Figboy @ Dec 30th 2006 12:11AM
to redspear: the PS3 and 360 look *AMAZING* on a standard def tv. it is a grave misconception across the net that the PS3 and 360 will only look "slightly better" on an SDTV.
it's simply not true.
me and my roommate have the PS3 and 360 hooked up to his 27inch SDTV, and they both look *LOADS* better than the best looking X Box, PS2, and Gamecube game.
the myth that you need an HDTV to enjoy a PS3 and 360 just needs to die.
the games we compared were Resistance: Fall of Man, Gran Turismo HD, and Gears of War.
they all look great on a standard def TV.
we've also hooked them up to his dad's 52" 720p TV, and yeah, there is an amazing difference in visuals, but an SDTV doesn't deny you any "true next gen visuals." the games look great and "next gen" either way. this isn't taken from some report off of a biased internet site, but with hands on experience with all 3 new consoles, at home, in my apartment. again: *You Don't Need An HDTV To Enjoy The Visuals Of A PS3 or X Box 360.*
Sony pimps HD because it wants you to buy it's TVs and players. that doesn't mean you *NEED* one to enjoy their products. they aren't stupid.
that is all.
oh, yeah, i love how no one remarks about the increasing sales numbers of the PSP and PS3.
dead handheld and flop console? i don't think so. Sony isn't even close to being down for the count. competition always is, and always will be, a good thing for this industry.
when there is no competition...well, we get EA. and nobody wants that.
we should be rooting for all 3 consoles to do well, or it will signal the death of gaming.
i remember what it was like when Nintendo ruled the roost. the Playstation gave the industry some much needed life, and now it's really up to us to keep the industry going, through our love, and our children and nieces and nephews (i'm 27, my time as a gamer has been long, but i can tell i won't be doing it forever, as the pressures of raising a family will inevitably eat away at my precious gaming time).
if Nintendo or Sony fail, the gaming industry will be hurt for it. Nintendo strives to innovate through software. Sony strives to innovate through hardware. both are worthy aims, and serve the industry as a whole.
the fanboy bickering needs to stop. it's killing the industry, despite what fanboy publications like joystiq say about it. fanboyism is a blight on our favorite pasttime. while it's nice to have your favorites, don't let them deny you great gaming experiences from other consoles. it's not that serious, and it causes more harm than good in the end (look what fanboyism did to the Dreamcast).
skyrous @ Dec 30th 2006 12:36AM
Max PL I hate to burst your bubble but the DS definitely HAS taken off in North America. To quote a clerk at ebgames earlier today "nope we're out of DS's none of the stores in our district has any".
I also know a coworker who bought his kid a PSP for Christmas... because he couldn't find any DS's you don't win the race by being everyone's second choice.
Nintendo's manufacturing over 2 million per month distributed worldwide and they're hard to find in America and impossible in japan.
Arbuz Chokaro @ Dec 30th 2006 12:42AM
Dammit, just my luck that I still want the top two items on that list. Where's the supply, cause I'm demanding!
Also, nice Dr. Who joke there. Always makes me smile.
dotun.o @ Dec 30th 2006 1:21AM
The DS may be selling well in Japan now, but mark my words: soon it will barely sell anymore! Perhaps just a few units a week... after everyone, their grandparents and unborn babies own one :)
v1cious @ Dec 30th 2006 1:55AM
i've been through hundreds of posts on this blog, and so far Figboy is the only one to make a real point. thank you.
"I also know a coworker who bought his kid a PSP for Christmas... because he couldn't find any DS's you don't win the race by being everyone's second choice."
you don't lose either. it's a given that Nintendo has always ruled handhelds. nothing wrong with an alternative.
"The DS may be selling well in Japan now, but mark my words: soon it will barely sell anymore! Perhaps just a few units a week... after everyone, their grandparents and unborn babies own one :)"
i see your point as every person who wants it will have one. but a few units a week? are you crazy? handhelds are like Cellphones to the Japanese, and that's not taking into consideration the people that buy replacements.