Nintendo DS Lite breaks 10 million in Japan
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ May 10th 2007 at 10:05AM }
While the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii fight with machismo for who will be king of the consoles, the dainty Nintendo DS Lite is already the queen with 10 million units sold in Japan. Famitsu says that the latest Japanese hardware sales figures point to the DS breaking this milestone in 61 weeks. It took the PS2 131 weeks.Japan is hardly the only place where the DS reigns supreme. It's incredible to think how well the little system has sold in such a small amount of time. Yes, the DS sports solid games and goes after a diverse audience, but 61 weeks? One can argue that the PS2 doubled as a DVD player in many homes, so it makes sense why that, along with an amazing game library, would sell well. The DS Lite remains in short supply in Japan and 10 million is looking like a 5-minute pit stop to the system's final numbers.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
^FourthDimensionGod^ @ May 10th 2007 10:08AM
so whens the DS Micro gonna be released?
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 10:17AM
DS's 61th week came A LOT time ago, why is this still a story?
what's GB and GBA's record? It's unfair to compare a console's record with a handheld.
Kevin Little @ May 10th 2007 10:17AM
Nintendo's recent run of success is nothing short of astonishing. They're breaking with every convention and winning on every platform.
http://www.ebizmba.com
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 10:19AM
kingofwale confirmed as an anti-nintendo fanboy
zwarrior @ May 10th 2007 10:21AM
DS Lite alone separate from the DS phat? Impressive
Not to mention the noone had to rebuy it over again since it doesn't break as easy as the PS2
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 10:22AM
because I don't know why this story is about 65 weeks late?
DS is around 16 million sold in Japan right now. I mean, what's next? let's go and celebrate PS3's 100 million mark?
Keif @ May 10th 2007 10:25AM
its because you have faild to read the article once again. its about DS LITE, not DS in general
Grog @ May 10th 2007 10:29AM
According to Wikipedia, the DS Lite was released in Japan on March 2, 2006 - a little more than 61 weeks ago.
I smell fanboy...
thebigfatj @ May 10th 2007 10:30AM
It makes no sense that you'd classify the DS and DS-lite differently. What are the sales of the PS2 slim in Japan? Oh -- no one knows because it doesn't matter: it's all categorized under "PS2".
The DS total sales numbers are the installed base. The fact that a newer version came out doesn't entirely mitigate the previous installed base.
And the DS installed base will easily surpass the PS2's in Japan this year. Japan will be the first region where it will be inarguable that Sony completely lost their control.
Vince @ May 10th 2007 10:31AM
Haha, you guys are dumb. you're acting like adding in the original DS is going to hurt the statistic or something.
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 10:37AM
>Japan will be the first region where it will be inarguable that Sony completely lost their control.
Japan was NEVER in Sony's control, and probably never will be, Nintendo is HUGE in Japan and it has longer history than Sony, and therefor, potentially bigger fan followering. Sony's fans loyalty are not to the console or namebrand, but to its games.
And I don't think DS can catch up with 5 million + gap between PS2 and DS, It's definitely do-able. Still, why are we comparing a handheld to a home console?
Grog @ May 10th 2007 10:39AM
Actually, the DS Lite vs. PS2 Slim is a valid comparison (though one could argue a form factor change matters a lot more in handhelds). If you count DS and DS Lite from the launch of the DS in Japan, it took the DS 89 weeks to pass 10 million units in Japan (the PS2 was at a little more than 6 million at the same point) as compared to the PS2's 130 weeks.
So even when starting from the beginning of the DS rather than the DS Lite, the DS system reached the 10 million unit landmark approximately 3/4 of a year earlier than the PS2.
DocR @ May 10th 2007 10:46AM
Based on MediaCreate numbers for sales in Japan, the DS (combined) has sold more than the entire line of GBAs. It's currently around 4.5m shy of the total reached by the PS2 so far.
It could very well reach that total this year (since it sold around 750K in April).
J @ May 10th 2007 10:50AM
I still think its amazing to sell an average of 23,000 a day of anything for 61 weeks straight.
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 10:53AM
>It could very well reach that total this year (since it sold around 750K in April).
but when you get over 20 million in a country with limited population, it might become over-saturated. The thing is, nobody knows how it will go, Will it break PS2's number? WIthout a doubt, but will it keep up with its pace we've seen for last 2 months for the rest of its lifespan? We do not know that right now.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 11:08AM
LOL @ Wruh roh!
Kenban @ May 10th 2007 11:10AM
kingofwale funny you should bring up the GBA because this latest sales report from Media Create now has the DS (both original and lite) just passing the GBA lifetime sales.
Second you said a few posts later that Nintendo has always ruled Japan and in the handheld market thats true (but then thats world wide not just Japan). But both the N64 and the Gamecube failed in Japan just like the rest of the world. The Wii has been out 23 weeks and is at the same point the Gamecube was after 102 weeks. The Wii will outsell both the Gamecube and N64 in Japan this year.
The 5 million gap between the DS and PS2 will be passed THIS YEAR in Japan. The DS is selling around 150,000 consoles a week the PS2 is only selling around 15,000. I think its very fair to compare the two when the DS is making up over 60% of the video game market in Japan (both hardware and software). Total right now Nintendo is around an 80% market share in Japan [of the TOTAL video game market].
Sony HAS ruled the set top market for 2 generations in Japan and the rest of the world. So far it appears that is coming to an end and Nintendo is taking over again. World wide I really think its possible for Sony to still come out on top but I doubt anything is going to change in Japan.
Aberu @ May 10th 2007 11:11AM
This is also a comparison of Japan's DS sales to Japan's PS2 sales upon initial release till 10 million sold. In America the PS2 sold much faster, and that's obvious since they sold on pace for over 18 million a year on the average. Not any Next Gen system is onto that pace yet. It's obvious that Japan cares more about handhelds than consoles. And when DVD's were new in Japan they were overpriced ($50), whereas in America the industry was trying to actually compete with VHS pricing ($20) and offered a wide library. The PS2 sold in America because it was a DVD player. It sold in Japan because it was a gaming system simple as that.
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 11:17AM
awww, is my difference of opinion on Nintendo (as oppose of screaming fanboy love-kissy to anything Nintendo) too much for some people? *sighs*. Damn, I KNEW I should just keep my mouth shut just because some people don't like it. ;)
Feel free to label me anything you want, if it makes you feel better about your blind love-ins.
@Kenban
Oh, there's no question DS will pass PS2 in Japan, I'm just not sure how soon. Is there a must have title in Japan toward the end of the year? like FFXII that just came out? It's going to be close tho.
Still, nobody's denying Wii's sale number, it's been fantastic year, but Wii's pro-long success will depend on its ability to attract QUALITY third party support (and when I say quality, I mean, no 6th team of some company trying to jump on Wii for a quick buck).
It's still way too early to call this. Wii can easily sell 30 million in its lifespan (worst case), and it could go over 100 if Nintendo plays this right.
same goes for Sony.... as for xbox.. hmmm, you can't win Console war without Japan, so, WORK ON THAT. Hostile take-over Enix if you must.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 11:23AM
its not that i like to make fun of non-nintendo fanboys, it's that I like to make fun of idiots.
www.jodylovesnintendo.com
Jonathan Tran @ May 10th 2007 11:24AM
The DS is one amazing little box.
If I had a commute via train or bus or carpool I would have bought one, but like most Americans I drive alone to work both ways!!!
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 11:25AM
it's alright, I can always forgive a Nintendo fanboy. Can't hate somebody just because their love for a brand is so pure and so blind, right? ;)
Ignorance can be such a innocent thing. :)
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 11:31AM
the problem with fanboys is they think their company of choice can do no wrong. While I consider myself a nintendo fan, I also know that they have fucked up a TON in the past. I also know that there are fun games for every console (or handheld) no matter what company has their name stamped on it. It just so happens I prefer games nintendo makes. That doesn't mean that I have to come in to every thread and badmouth sony or microsoft though. It also doesn't mean I have to praise every nintendo game. For example: super paper mario? freaking terrible game. Graphics are awesome, writing is quite funny, but the gameplay is just so incredibly dull and awful.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 11:40AM
one day we're going to hear of a mass of sony fanboys descending on redmond washington with pitchforks and torches monotonously chanting "massive damage, enemy crabs. massive damage, enemy crabs."
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 11:40AM
hey JodyAnthony, you don't have to justify it. People have been doing it for AGES, from the Christians to the Romans. It's only human nature at work
you see, it's only ok for yourself to critize the things you love. but when others do it, it's MUCH easier to label them as 'haters' than to accept what he/she says.
like I said, it's only human nature for one to do that, and I completely understand.
just hmmm, take your own fanboy Wruh roh there to not hurt himself. ;) He is to you what you are to Nintendo. lol
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 11:42AM
no, I have no problem with people criticizing 'things i love' as long as they do it in an intelligent manner.
"I don't like nintendo because ____" is fine. "STUPID GIMMICKY NINTENDO PS3 IS BETTER NINTENDO IS KIDDIE GAMEKYOOB1.5 DUCT TAPE LOLZ" is not.
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 11:44AM
>30. no, I have no problem with people criticizing 'things i love' as long as they do it in an intelligent manner.
and followed by what a perfect imitation of what I said.
should I applaud for that? or should I maybe point out that I've never even mentioned PS3 on my post? lol
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 11:46AM
im not trying to criticize you for disliking nintendo, im criticizing you for being a jerk. then again I'm a jerk too. Relax man. It's all just fun and games.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 11:48AM
i only called you a fanboy to try to start an argument and pass time. sorry.
DocR @ May 10th 2007 11:54AM
Isn't DragonQuest IX due this year? That should boost sales numbers a bit.
Aberu @ May 10th 2007 11:57AM
"I don't like nintendo because ____" is fine. "STUPID GIMMICKY NINTENDO PS3 IS BETTER NINTENDO IS KIDDIE GAMEKYOOB1.5 DUCT TAPE LOLZ" is not."
Could you find me the post that looks like that to you? Granted some people are putting just fanboy spin on things, but they are referring to the subject matter in how they argue. Did you ignore my post that states that Japan is not the important video game market? I mean seriously, even Japanese game makers are saying that Japan isn't important, and Mistwalker is proof. They are Japanese producers, making games for a system, they KNOW will not do well in Japan.
Let's see what happens most of the time in these. Some Nintendo fanboys talk about /popcorn instigating negative emotions. Someone comes in and discusses the subject matter in a negative light. Instantly they are bewailedsth upon as a fanboy of the Anti-Nintendo strain. Very few argue their points. A few bring up angles that people normally wouldn't think about, that offer an alternative opinion to this news, and most are ignored, some are adressed as just fanboyism. Demeaning others is not an argument. Try to argue their point, not who they are.
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 11:58AM
geez, what did I say about apologizing? Don't DO it. :) I never took it personally and i never will.
it's ok, it's your fanboy there that kinda annoying me, kinda tuned him out a while ago.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 12:00PM
woah woah woah Aberu, when did I even talk to/about you?
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 12:01PM
also Ive decided that I like kingofwale. you are good at the comebacks man. makes the site more interesting to read and enjoy than the normal faonboy babble.
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 12:06PM
psst, When you're an owner of PSP and PS3, you better be good at comebacks. ;) Days are not kind for owners of Sony products nowaday
so hmmm, you think you might put Wruh roh back in the cage soon? :)
Aberu @ May 10th 2007 12:10PM
"woah woah woah Aberu, when did I even talk to/about you?"
Exactly my point? I mean you singled out the lowest common denominator and skipped over any AT LEAST half-decent argument. The system sales this time around are lackluster-paced for all consoles, and of course that leaves handhelds to succeed. The PSP shipped 10 million didn't it? I mean if even half of those sold (which is unlikely that they sold less than half shipped, that's a business architecture nightmare for retailers to ask for that many without selling) isn't that a kind of success. That's faster than any other competitor to Nintendo's iron grip on handhelds has been. Why don't they compare those? And above, to the guy that compared the Gamecube to Wii, good comparison since it shows how far Nintendo has come. With the Gamecube, if you do remember, it was sold out of all stores for months on end as well.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 12:11PM
you can always own both wii/ds and ps3/psp. then your only villians are xbox fanboys
360 sucks!!!!! or something.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 12:14PM
aberu wrote: "blah blah blah"
i wasnt purposefully skipping over anything. I was being a jerk to kingofwale to try to pass time at work.
gamecube was available in many stores right after launch. I know, I picked one up 3 days after launch day sitting on the shelf with about half a dozen other ones.
psp and ds have both sold well, and both have great games, hence me owning both. the reason they compared it to ps2 is because ps2 has sold a lot more than psp, and everyone knows that the ps2 was the undisputed king of consoles last generation, so they wanted to stir the pot by comparing the sales of the ps2 to the ds to get more comments, which they are getting
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 12:17PM
also did you ever think maybe i skipped over any half decent arguments because, like I said, if they make sense I dont care how much they hate on nintendo? why would I go out of my way to respond to people that made sense, when I can go out of my way to respond to the other types of comments? those people are much more fun to argue with.
http://www.jodylovesnintendo.com
kingofwale @ May 10th 2007 12:17PM
who said I don't own other consoles? ;), i'm just say, it's not a kind world for sony owners.
btw, Mistwalker, isn't it owned by Microsoft? ;)
LongshotX @ May 10th 2007 12:22PM
Well that's great news. I like the DS Lite alot. I have one. Good system but lately its been getting sidelined as an Alarm in place of my 360. Maybe I need more games for it.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 12:24PM
longshot! I was wondering when you were going to show up. now all we need is jack of no trades and it will be another fun-filled day of awesome joystiqery
Kenban @ May 10th 2007 12:38PM
In Japan the DS has several MUST have games coming. The biggest RPG series in Japan is Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior in the US) not Final Fantasy. Square Enix is moving the series to the DS. The DS is selling so well the main series is moving from set top to hand held consoles. The last Dragon Quest [VIII] sold 3.6 million copies and Final Fantasy [XII] sold 2.3 million. The Dragon Quest series is so large in Japan its against the law to release the game on a school day (the ONLY game series with this restriction).
To my knowledge nothing is coming for the PS2 to really sell the system at this point.
The DS is selling 600,000 a month (or more) during one of the slowest times of the year. The last two weeks the system sold around 250,000 a week. When December comes around the system will be up to 200,000+ a week and the week of Christmas it will sell 500,000+.
Even if the sales slow down (which there is no sign it will anytime soon). With one of the biggest game series in the country going to release its next title along with everything else that is coming (a new Zelda etc) I don't see how its not possible for the DS to not outsell the PS2 this year.
In the history of console sales in Japan no system has ever come back from the difference in sales between the PS3 and the Wii. But then I don't think any console has ever come from behind in Japan. The PS3 sales are below both the Gamecube and the N64. I have looked at the release list for the PS3 and unless something huge happens from what I know of Japan I expect spikes in sales around the releases of big titles but none of it is going to be enough to change the console war in Japan at this point. Normally in Japan a single console "wins" and its pretty obvious which one it is going to be fairly quickly.
Anyone who feels differently please try to look at the history of consoles in Japan. Its obvious that you have not if you believe Nintendo has always ruled Japan. Maybe there is something I have missed. Its always possible I overlooked something. But for right now I stand behind my predictions for whats going to happen in Japan. The DS will outsell the PS2 this year and the Wii is going to win the "war" between it and the PS3.
JodyAnthony @ May 10th 2007 1:13PM
LOL holy shit man, wtf!
Gausser @ May 10th 2007 1:44PM
@Wruh roh!
You need to chill. I like Nintendo too, but I don't need to read posts like the one above. No need to criticize king because he has a different opinion than you.
I have no problem with people who have different opinions than me, but as a Nintendo fan, I get tired when people can't give credit where it's due. For example the DS reaching this milestone this fast is an incredible feat. No one should even argue that (DS and DS lite issues are irrelevant.) Another post I read the other day was related to Miyamoto in the Time 100. Someone wrote he is washed up and should retire. You might not like his games, but claiming he is washed up is just ridiculous. Same goes for the endless gimmicky controller, Nintendo is for kids, Nintendo is going third party etc. etc. comments. Just don't waste your time writing them.
POOLSCLOSED @ May 10th 2007 3:57PM
Some of you are being really pathetic.
Rubang B @ May 10th 2007 5:01PM
With the DS selling this fast at this time of the year, it will probably sell ONE BILLION THIS CHRISTMAS. Mark my words.
syco @ May 10th 2007 5:08PM
"But both the N64 and the Gamecube failed in Japan just like the rest of the world." --Kenban
I just want to point out that the Gamecube was a consistent moneymaker for Nintendo. It didn't "fail". It just didn't dominate the marketplace like the Wii and their portables have. I imagine they made money on the N64, too, but I don't actually know that.