Japanese hardware sales, Feb. 5 - Feb. 11: job interview edition
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Feb 16th 2007 at 9:25PM }
Finding the job of your dreams is very much a process of finding just the right balance. Much like a tightrope walker carefully inching his way across a length of cord, the employee-to-be is trying to stay on his feet through a job that is rewarding both personally and financially. In fact, this is precisely why actual tightrope walkers often end up falling to their extremely painful deaths. Circus pay sucks.Admittedly, the millions and occasionally billions of dollars afforded to me by tracking and commenting on the Japanese sales charts made my decision to explore other careers all the more difficult. Just last week, I embarked on a job-finding quest, hoping to discover something new and more spirtually enriching. After the break, you'll learn just how spendidly my job interview went.
- DS Lite: 201,177
55,104 (37.72%)- Wii: 78,550
12,810 (19.49%)- PSP: 32,175
959 (3.07%)- PS3: 23,431
4,704 (25.12%)- PS2: 16,033
1,507 (8.59%) - Xbox 360: 4,811
1,319 (21.52%)- GBA SP: 980
256 (35.36%)- Game Boy Micro: 884
166 (15.81%)- Gamecube: 383
77 (25.16%)- DS Phat: 121
2 (1.68%)- GBA: 36
8 (28.57%)[Source: Media Create]
See also: Previous Japanese hardware sales charts
"Ah, Mister ... Kiteman, is it?"
"No, I think that's probably a Mega Man villain. It's Kietzmann."
"Oh dear. Please accept my apology."
"Okay, but I'm not returning it."
"You're not returning what?"
"My apology."
"Why would you apologize?"
"No, I mean you gave me your apology and now it's mine. It's sort of a joke, a play on words?"
"Ah. You're a funny one."
"Yeah. I mean, no. Not in that way. Or whatever you were thinking. Right."
"Which position are you interested in?"
"Uh, the Finnish Sales Chart Tracker. "
"Do you have any prior experience?"
"Yes, I followed and wrote about the Japanese sales charts for Joystiq. I did it for round about 8 months, I'd say."
"Any computer skills?"
"Absolutely, the internet is practically like a second language to me! I have lots and lots of skill-sores."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Skill-sores. I have them."
"I'm so sorry to hear that."
"But, isn't it a good thing?"
"Well, I'm not sure, really. Are they contagious? It sounds like they would be."
"No, I ... I don't believe so. At least not in my line of work, I'm-a-ho."
"You're a what!?!"
"In my honest opinion, you know?"
"I don't think that's the sort of thing you can have an opinion on, son. Either you are or you aren't... and I'm not even sure how you manage to be one."
"Well, I've had years of experience and, if I can speak frankly, I find it's easy once you know who your audience is. You just need to use the right words, a-fake."
"You use a fake one? Is that how you manage to fool your, ahem, audience?"
"No no, as far as I know."
"You're not even sure anymore? That's just sick!"
".............................."
"I'll tell you what. You get your sore-covered body of filth and trickery out of my office and I'll pretend this never happened."
"I see. I guess that's goodbye then."
"Goodbye!"
"Also, since you're pretending this never happened, can I get a do-over?"
"LEAVE!!"
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
rom @ Feb 16th 2007 9:38PM
I see the 360 is almost back to its usual weekly sales. Oh well...Still LOVE my 360 anyway.
Duck Hunt @ Feb 16th 2007 9:40PM
It feels so nice to finally have Nintendo return to dominance. I now have faith in humanity as the systems that are all about fun beat the systems that are all about graphics and killer next-gen HD technology.
silkylove @ Feb 16th 2007 9:44PM
So much for the post holiday sales slump in Japan. Wii sold more than all Sony and Microsoft hardware combined. And I won't even discuss the DS lite at this point. Nintendo R winner.
3cubedminus3squared @ Feb 16th 2007 9:45PM
I see the DS is almost back to its usual weekly sales.
Hello @ Feb 16th 2007 9:53PM
@ Duck Hunt
Yes, because nobody ever has fun with high definition games. Ridiculous fanboys..
joel @ Feb 16th 2007 9:57PM
Okay, this might the most ethnocentric comment of the day, but what the fuck do I care what the Japanese are buying? How about some numbers for North America and Europe? Why are these left out of Joystiq week after week? Being since I don't work in the industry I really don't know how the process goes. Does it take longer or something to get North American and European numbers or what?
Leonard @ Feb 16th 2007 9:59PM
@ Hello
But were said games fun -because- of HD? I'd consider that highly unlikely.
KC @ Feb 16th 2007 11:59PM
High Definition doesn't matter.
Whoever says it enhances their gaming experience is not a true gamer, they are a videophile.
Pixelbox @ Feb 16th 2007 10:35PM
I love how Joel comes out and proves his gaming noobness by saying the Japan numbers don't mean anything.
arrrgh @ Feb 16th 2007 10:03PM
dude weekly sales figures like this arent collected in north america...sorry :(
Rubang B @ Feb 16th 2007 10:05PM
We get U.S. numbers once a month and Japanese numbers once a week. We get ours from the National Purchase Diary Group! Somehow it's the most Japanese name ever and they only track U.S. sales.
bootsielon @ Feb 16th 2007 10:12PM
"It feels so nice to finally have Nintendo return to dominance. I now have faith in humanity as the systems that are all about fun beat the systems that are all about graphics and killer next-gen HD technology."
Funny, that's the exact reason I lack faith in humanity.
bootsielon @ Feb 16th 2007 10:16PM
Leonard:
Some games are fun because they have excellent graphics that enhance (or even make) the gaming experience; especially in HD. A game as fun as gears of war would be impossible to make on the Wii. All horror games are more fun with better graphics, since realism makes the actual experience.
Hellsing @ Feb 16th 2007 10:17PM
@#6
It's mainly because Japan is one of the only places that complies all this data every week and gives that data out freely. In NA the NPD only does it once a month and they hold onto that data and sell it to interested parties.
Rubang B @ Feb 16th 2007 10:19PM
Didn't they say they'd release the NPD data for January? I can't find it.
Rubang B @ Feb 16th 2007 10:20PM
I mean didn't they say they'd release January's data on the 15th? It's the 16th and I still can't find it.
Leonard @ Feb 16th 2007 10:21PM
@ bootsielon
If the graphics -make- a game, then doesn't it follow that its staying power as a quality game will decrease very quickly?
(Also, I wouldn't consider anything marketed as "horror" as being fun, but this is just a personal thing. I hate horror movies, too.)
Rubang B @ Feb 16th 2007 10:48PM
"Some games are fun because they have excellent graphics that enhance (or even make) the gaming experience."
Any game that can be described by the above statement sucks my ass and my balls, and not in the nice way. Thank you.
PSP HAcksorz @ Feb 18th 2007 9:28AM
WOOT go PSP!!!! :) there is hope in the world
PSP HAcksorz @ Feb 18th 2007 9:28AM
I second # 7's thinking, but #12 has a good point
PSP=:)
arrrgh @ Feb 16th 2007 11:05PM
"Some games are fun because they have excellent graphics that enhance (or even make) the gaming experience; especially in HD. A game as fun as gears of war would be impossible to make on the Wii. All horror games are more fun with better graphics, since realism makes the actual experience."
Dude Gears is JUST as much fun in SD as HD...it only looks a hellllllll of a lot nicer in HD...basically by your logic, if Gears were in 1080p it'd be even more fun? yeah ok dude
Saturn2888 @ Feb 16th 2007 11:04PM
Now that is sad!
Jeff @ Feb 16th 2007 11:17PM
"So much for the post holiday sales slump in Japan. "
It's called "Valentine's Day". There's always a mini-bump in sales. It'll drop next week.
That's also why the DS did disproportionately better than any other system; portable games make fairly cheap and easy gifts for significant others.
(btw, in Japan, girls buy stuff for guys on Valentine's Day. The whole country's a bizarro world!)
James @ Feb 16th 2007 11:21PM
Did anyone notice that the Wii, by itself mind you, outsold all of Sony's consoles (PSP, PS2, and PS3) in units?
That has got to be some of the best market share I have ever seen. Nintendo rules at business when it comes to knowing how to sell a system. Wonder if we could get some game sales info with that.
And just so you know by looking at these figures, it really does print money.
And craps gold bricks.
silkylove @ Feb 16th 2007 11:29PM
@21 Yes I noticed. You can add Xbox 360 to that list as well. Like I said earlier, Wii has sold more by itself this week in Japan than all of Sony and Microsoft's hardware sales combined for the same week in Japan.
mike @ Feb 16th 2007 11:38PM
the problem with the wii is its a crappy system. No games at all on it, motion controls tacked on (not used to their full potential, ie free motion sowrd fighting) and the worst of all, NO ONLINE (and very limiting online in the future).
I just cant go back to nintendo. My brother has a wii (he bought one for some reason to play twilight princess when I told him to just buy it for his gamecube. Well low and behold, his wii is not even connected and its sitting about 10 feet away from me under a pile of dirty clothes. Its basically been sitting turned off for 3 months and it will remain off until mario galaxy comes out according to him. That just a bunch of BS. My 360 cant go more then a day without being turned on. Now theres a fun system, one I can boot up and play with my firends online.
sanjay @ Feb 16th 2007 11:38PM
ps3 are up!
sanjay @ Feb 16th 2007 11:48PM
they sure love DS
Devise @ Feb 16th 2007 11:52PM
@23
It's not like the PS3 has a wealth of games either. I know one thing that is for certain, more people have fun with a Wii than a PS3.
Wii @ Feb 16th 2007 11:54PM
Am I the only one who thought the post was hilarious?
Screw the numbers, they're basically the same every week.
Grog @ Feb 17th 2007 12:04AM
"Okay, this might the most ethnocentric comment of the day, but what the fuck do I care what the Japanese are buying? How about some numbers for North America and Europe?"
Unless you live in both North America AND Europe then yes, that was a pretty ethnocentric comment. As it is, the sales figures probably matter just about as much in Japan as North America (we're a bit more populous), and not nearly as much in Europe.
Oh, and I love the comment about how much Wii sucks. Because this fellow reputedly has a brother who doesn't like it very much (and we're really not sure why), I guess I should throw my system in the trash. Ah, to be 14 again...
KC @ Feb 17th 2007 12:05AM
Oh and #23, the exact opposite has happened with my Wii and 360.
According to my gamertag, I havent been on the 360 in 28 days.
I however play my Wii almost daily. The games on Wii have lasted longer, mainly due to multiplayer and the virtual console.
I have friends and a brothers to play the Wii with. the 360 hardly features any splitscreen action for us, an quite frankly playing online bores me.
Its much more fun to play with people in the same room.
I can only hope the Wii sells as well in the states as it has in japan.
Carlos @ Feb 17th 2007 12:11AM
why is the gba micro not selling millions???? it's the coolest most portable console ever!!!! i think it's my favourite of them all
Rubang B @ Feb 17th 2007 12:27AM
Yeah I'm pretty bummed about the Micro too, because I want to buy one for my collection but it flopped so hard as to become rare and worth money. In other news, I just bought a Game Boy Pocket and a Game Boy Color for $25 total.
Falsoman @ Feb 17th 2007 12:46AM
Mike, you are SUPER cool!!!
You've had the wii for more than 3 months under a pile of clothes. So that mean that you bought it days before launch. You must be like an insider or something.
mocax @ Feb 17th 2007 1:22AM
Do the Japanese dispose of their DS's after finishing a game?
Szu @ Feb 17th 2007 1:30AM
@23
Hi Mike, if your brother doesn't need the Wii, can I take it off his hands? I've got a friend who has been looking for one and he just can't seem to find one anywhere. It's like they're sold-out or something. Go figure.
Szu @ Feb 17th 2007 1:30AM
My favorite DS comment of all time:
Somebody needs to the the Japanese people that you can recharge the battery on the DS. You don't have to go out and buy a new one everytime the power runs out.
Hello @ Feb 17th 2007 1:43AM
Ridiculous Wii fanboys and their hatred for good graphics.. Why didnt they just go back to N64 graphics with the Wii? All you fanboys would be happy (since graphics don't matter) and the systems would be cheap!
Leonard @ Feb 17th 2007 3:35AM
@ Hello
Note the fanboy and their not-so-loveable ability to try and blame things on fanboys of another sort. After all, only another fanboy could possibly not be enamoured with what they love. And, of course, anyone who doesn't think that what THEY love is the central focus of gaming have a "hatred of (insert thing here)". Wonderful way to justify an "us vs. them" scenario, I guess...
TopaZ @ Feb 17th 2007 1:56AM
I love my Wii, but being a lover of cutting-edge technology as well, I have to complement it with a high-def PC for graphics-intensive games.
It's unfortunate that Nintendo gave up a history of being on the forefront of both gameplay innovation AND graphics innovation.
Let's not forget that at the time of its release, the SNES was a graphics POWERHOUSE. Then with each successive console they lost more and more interest in graphical innovation.
It's not a sin to have great gameplay AND great graphics.
Duck Hunt @ Feb 17th 2007 1:56AM
@37 Funny you say that because I am playing Mario 64 on my VC and Yoshi's Island on my DS and I love it. I think Yoshi's Island is better than Mario DS - more creative puzzles, longer levels, etc. I really don't care at all about graphics - I want to have a fun time, play something fast, and move on. And you know what, most of the world is like me. To the death of the hardcore gamers! Something you'll be very quick to see in the next few years.
Duck Hunt @ Feb 17th 2007 2:05AM
@ 38 Good graphics are nice and all but at a certain point you can't really tell the difference between a Resident Evil 4 and a Gears of War. Sure Gears of War has a higher resolution count but at the end of the day I think you can do a lot with a Wii. RE4 is more visually arresting and beautiful in many ways because its art direction is far superior. I mean the artistic qualities of the game design wins over the raw power. Also if I had to choose, I rather spend $250 on a gaming machine than $400-500 and if it takes out a nice gfx card, so be it. Also does this HD stuff look any better than computer games? I think Doom 3 on the PC looks just as good if not better. Also, how bad are the graphics on the Wii? - they really aren't that bad. I really honestly think the sad thing is that the Xbox 360 and the PS3 don't really look that much better than the current generation - even Fight Night on the XBOX 360 yea it looks good - but the characters don't look real - they look like higher resolution polygon characters and their movements aren't any more realistic. They actually look more like weird soulless creatures now that they have more polygons.
Hello @ Feb 17th 2007 3:02AM
@ Leonard
How else am I supposed to see countless
"Graphics don't matter! Wii is all about fun!"
"Any game that can be described by the above statement sucks my ass and my balls, and not in the nice way. Thank you."
"I now have faith in humanity as the systems that are all about fun beat the systems that are all about graphics and killer next-gen HD technology."
"High Definition doesn't matter.
Whoever says it enhances their gaming experience is not a true gamer, they are a videophile."
comments. The point is that good graphics make a game more enjoyable, and its ridiculous to automatically assume that motion sensing + last generation graphics = fun.
Biofreak @ Feb 17th 2007 3:10AM
After singleplayer is done, there is nothing better than to enjoy gaming online. online is the way to go. pc and x360 gaming ftw, honestly.
Japanese likes to play with them selfs.
steve17 @ Feb 17th 2007 3:53AM
well i heard that the wii's graphics are about equal to the original xbox's. thats not bad at all. anyone who has seen the launch games for the xbox then saw halo 2 will know that in time graphics improve immensly. if i saw halo 2 graphics on the wii thats more than enough for me.
OmegaBlaster @ Feb 17th 2007 3:29AM
"The point is that good graphics make a game more enjoyable"
Yes, games like Tetris would be soooo much better in 1080p.
Leonard @ Feb 17th 2007 3:37AM
@ Hello
It's ridiculous of you to assume that -advanced- graphics make a game more enjoyable. What you are referring to are -not- good graphics. Good graphics are good because they're quality, and quality graphics can be had at pretty much any level. What you're referring to are technically advanced graphics, which do not inherently improve a game at all. A game can have very advanced graphics while at the same time having poor quality graphics.
Advanced Graphics =/= Good Graphics
So while you're complaining about other people assuming that "motion controls + last gen graphics = fun", you're at the same time making the exact same error they are. That is, that "advanced graphics = fun". If you're not saying this, then you should greatly alter the way you come across as your words are very easily interpreted as such.
siro @ Feb 17th 2007 4:13AM
The extreme shift in all numbers just show that these aren't exactly scientifical... To say the least.
Also the axis is wrong. Sometimes the new number is on the left, then again on the right. Alternatively the arrows are falsified. As are the percentages (which don't make any sense anyway, since they should show the rise/fall in relative numbers compared to the week before. Well, usually they are wrong anyway (this time correctly calculated in an incorrect way tho).
Erick Gzz. @ Feb 17th 2007 4:16AM
Oh God, it's incredible how every single comment section turns into a war. Seriously, all of you, STFU. If you've got nothing positive to say, don't say anything. Didn't your mommies teach all of you?
Now, I can't believe no one has talked about the ACTUAL blog post. Ludwig, I'm impressed. Week after week you manage to impress me adding spice to the sales chart. Thanks a lot for all the good laughs. You should write funny stories or something.