Japanese hardware sales, Oct. 6 - Oct. 12: Hooverville edition

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 19th 2008 at 10:30PM }

If we had to describe the past week to you, we would probably say that it was very educational. Actually, that's not what we'd say at all, our true answer would likely be laden with copious amounts of crying and more profanity than a Bob Saget stand-up comedy special. For decency's sake, we'll explain it to you, dear readers, as being positively chock-full of education.

How so, you might inquire? Well, first and foremost, we've learned to never trust colleagues who claim to have discerned knowledge from the future based solely on their favorable placement on the time zone chart. We've learned that entering the stock market during a period of remarkable turmoil is an unfathomably unwise course of action. We've also learned that Chihuahuas, while adorable, are not what established investors would refer to as "blue chip" stocks. Finally, we've learned the sort of anguish one feels when they lose their entire savings and all personal property within a matter of hours, and, as a result, how to build a comfortable dwelling out of a hollowed-out Maytag dishwasher.

The Japanese video game industry seems to have had an equally disastrous week, with significant decreases in hardware sales across the board. However, it's difficult for us to feel pity for the companies involved in this weekly Battle Royale -- we wager nobody at Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo has been forced to learn the proper way to cook and eat shoes due to the unfortunate figures you see below.

- DS Lite: 31,914

10,471 (24.70%)
- PSP: 23,901

2,144 (8.23%)
- Wii: 22,877

2,453 (9.68%)
- Xbox 360: 7,763

508 (6.14%)
- PS2: 6,982

1,636 (18.98%)
- PS3: 5,734

1,498 (20.71%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The chock-full-of-continuity archives

Tags: japanese-hardware-sales, japanesehardwaresales

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Spartacus @ Oct 19th 2008 10:36PM

Yet another week of the 360 besting the PS3. Interesting...

Ebel3003 @ Oct 20th 2008 12:10AM

Consider all of the consumers replacing their dead 360s. I just replaced my third one this week.

I'm curious to see figures based on how many new customers purchase 360s versus how many are simply replacing their dead consoles.

That said, I'm not a partial to either side. I'm just a little bitter as of a result of my experiences with this product.

cranium @ Oct 20th 2008 12:34AM

I argue that if someone is willing to replace their 360 that broke they must have really liked it.

Ridgecity @ Oct 20th 2008 12:40AM

A lot of them are old buyers getting new ones, not everyone knows the drilling of sending it for warranty, specially the 3 year thing.

But most are due to the lower price. That always works.

Maverick Saturn @ Oct 20th 2008 1:50AM

Lol, I think Ebel, Cranium's logic just makes sense no matter what way you put it.

ill trooper @ Oct 20th 2008 1:56AM

Ebel, I never buy that argument when people say that's why so many PS2s have sold either.

Besides, this is a list of Japanese sales... Japan never really bought enough 360s to have 'replacement unit' sales lead the charts.

Huey2k2 @ Oct 19th 2008 10:39PM

So Japan is finally starting to warm up a little to the 360.

Will @ Oct 19th 2008 11:34PM

Let's just hope the 360 doesn't warm up to Japan!

Chin-Poh @ Oct 19th 2008 11:36PM

I am impressed. Is it STILL because of Tales of Vesperia?

Microsoft, your doing good work here, keep it up. Though I don't want to see PS3 sales numbers in Japan suffer, but the Wii's. : D

chispito @ Oct 19th 2008 11:37PM

I'm not one of those Sony haters who only wants the 360 to succeed in Japan to spite Sony. I happen to be one of those Sony haters who wants the 360 to succeed in Japan because I'd like to see even more cultural cross pollination in games development.

Just like those comic books where DC does Marvel or Marvel does DC, I'd love to see a Japanese Halo, or Gears.

Mr Khan @ Oct 19th 2008 11:39PM

It would happen eventually. No-one should be betting on a meteoric rise, but they'll gain mindshare inevitably

Though Wii's success is very beneficial: New Tales, Monster Hunter 3, Capcom vs, Symphonia 2, all the neat stuff that would've gone on PS2, finally coming to my console

Josh @ Oct 20th 2008 1:28AM

I don't see it as Japan warming up to the 360, but instead both the PS3 and the 360 doing equally poorly in Japan.

Maverick Saturn @ Oct 20th 2008 1:52AM

360 is loosing steam :( I'm guessing by next chart, they would have returned to thier normal position, those numbers are far fewer then last time.

TwistedBishop @ Oct 20th 2008 6:20AM

What are you talking about? The 360 only dropped 6% (500 units). Compare that to earlier drops of 10,000 units (50%) after the initial Tales boom. Sales are stabilizing at something like double what they used to be for the system.

SlyTheBoss @ Oct 20th 2008 8:22AM

Chispito, actually, it might be fun to watch androgynous men battling with locus LOL

aj @ Oct 19th 2008 10:46PM

I don't understand the idea of constant, unending growth that capitalism has. That can't possibly work in the long run. Maybe that's why we have recessions every couple of years. Meh.

JerJer @ Oct 19th 2008 11:05PM

haha hooray econ 101! what goes up must come down, what goes down must come back up...

no wait! A GLOBAL MARKET IS EMERGING! so you're saying that .... the US could potentially be swallowed up?? there might not be a rebound?!

i dont buy that but it's possible. economics is a very shaky science. maybe the economoy gets better but maybe everyone ELSE's gets better and we dont. either way, the world market will balance it out.

such limited data available...oye...

Jake11 @ Oct 19th 2008 11:19PM

the basic trend of GDP is constant growth. every now and then there are negative business cycles. Unless there's a zombie apocalypse or something, the global economy will keep growing forever.

aj @ Oct 19th 2008 11:24PM

I think a zombie economy would be a robust one.

lgndk11r @ Oct 20th 2008 12:43AM

With all the brains they're eating, the zombie economy BETTER be robust!

MaulerX @ Oct 19th 2008 10:59PM

So the 360 beat the PS3 for the entire month of September in Japan and has already beat it for the first two weeks of October. Interesting indeed.

ExMcCloud @ Oct 19th 2008 10:58PM

Seriously wat the hell is goin on with the PS3 in Japan? WTF is goin on here?

Mamba @ Oct 19th 2008 11:07PM

most likely everyone has one so they aint sellin much, and they gained interest on the 360

ExMcCloud @ Oct 19th 2008 11:09PM

If everyone has one wat the hell is up with the Wii STILL selling?

Mr Khan @ Oct 19th 2008 11:56PM

It's a result of Sony taking Japan for granted, as it were. Of course, it's related to the mistake that everyone made, the total underestimation of Nintendo, but anyway...

The PS2 dominated Japan utterly. GameCube put up less of a fight in Japan (oddly) than it did in North America. Sony actually stated at one point that they looked forward to Microsoft stepping its Japanese game up so they might actually have some competition in the region. Sony and Microsoft both saw the "battle region" as North America, so Sony built the PS3 in the similar mindset as the original Xbox, something to be all size and power, and to have games to match, and out-match, Microsoft's library

In the end they built a very American console that they rarely try to sell to the Japanese (except for the few 3rd parties that "stayed loyal" with their franchises). The Wii is scooping up the majority of Japanese development without trying, and Microsoft DID step up its game, and are closing in on the pie-piece that Nintendo left for Sony in the region

A tragic story of avarice

Hala Madrid!! (www.realmadrid.com) @ Oct 20th 2008 12:19AM

@Mr Khan

I'll have to agree with you.

+1 good comment.

JRM @ Oct 20th 2008 1:31AM

They're probably selling other Sony Blu-ray players, so they may not be that worried about lackluster sales.

But, overall, looking at those numbers for the behemoth that was supposed to be the PS3, sony has completely tanked it!

Tamyu @ Oct 20th 2008 3:11AM

As a gamer in Japan - I have to say that Mr Khan has really hit it on the head with his assessment.
In the past, someone who wanted to play western/US style games could do that by buying the Xbox. If you didn`t, you could buy a PS2 and completely ignore them. (The Gamecube, while a neat little package, wasn`t really a strong player in the market.)

This time around though, not just Microsoft, but Sony also is catering almost entirely to the US/Western market. When people in Japan hear about all the different online services, etc, available to 360 owners in the US - It is a "Well, they`re a US company, what do you expect." issue and no one takes serious issue with it. Especially these days when it honestly seems like they`re TRYING to include the Japanese market.

On the other hand, when we hear about the PS3 offering all sorts of services, a huge variety of DL games, etc in the US but not in Japan... And when they take a really laid back approach to actually offering anything here, and blatantly ignore a chunk of the market - well, it`s not making anyone want to warm up all that much to them.

When it gets to the point that Sony is worse about catering to the Japanese market than even Microsoft is (like now) a fair number of people sort of lose interest in them - including developers. Even the Japanese games being developed for the PS3 right now are ones that are projected to sell well outside of Japan... Sony has the expectation that the Japanese market will take whatever it gets. They would be right to a certain extent if Microsoft wasn`t actually pushing in and trying to take up the market niche Sony has decided to leave behind. (And doing a pretty good job of it.)

The PS3 currently has this feeling of the guy who used to be everyone`s friend, but now would rather hang out with the cool rich kids instead. That isn`t a good way to keep market share.

I own both consoles, and seriously am depressed that most of the games out for the PS3 in Japan are multi-platform ports of US games. The 360 seems to have more originals and games actually appealing to this market. I`d love to use my PS3 more, but being as when it comes to multi-platform, 360 version is cheaper...

Hala Madrid!! (Barca Sucks!) @ Oct 20th 2008 4:20AM

@Tamyu

I'm gonna have to agree with you as well.

+10 for you and Mr Khan

ExMcCloud @ Oct 20th 2008 10:17AM

+ 10's to everyone for putting replies that actually matter...I love seeing that!

j.howlett @ Oct 19th 2008 10:59PM

being homeless sucks, even for a little while

SexyKittyKat2U @ Oct 19th 2008 11:11PM

This is sucking...HARD

Congrats to the Wii and the 360!

I like this new trend sony. Keep up the good work.

Jacksons @ Oct 19th 2008 11:25PM

Er, did Sony kick your puppy or something?

Chin-Poh @ Oct 19th 2008 11:36PM

He never says why, but I think that's a safe reason to assume. : )

Maverick Saturn @ Oct 20th 2008 1:54AM

I wouldn't worry too much about him, he has personal issues to deal with, lol

007craft @ Oct 19th 2008 11:12PM

Nothing to see here. I couldnt care less about the succes of a console in japan, as my fav games are all made in other countries.

Mr Khan @ Oct 19th 2008 11:41PM

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to grace this inferior thread with your presence

lego91994 @ Oct 19th 2008 11:17PM

Sony really needs a Japanese killer app right now if they want to compete with the 360. I seriously thought the sales would go back to normal after 2-3 weeks but its been going for 6 weeks now...

Jake11 @ Oct 19th 2008 11:20PM

I'm sure LBP will set things back, whenever it comes out.

Replica23 @ Oct 20th 2008 12:02AM

I'm hoping White Knight Chronicles actually turns out good.

ExMcCloud @ Oct 20th 2008 10:21AM

Honestly Jake...I dont think LBP will do a damn thing....I know Im gonna love this game, but it doesn't seem to Japacentric to me....IDK but its not Tales of Vesperia or sumthing like that...I think the game that will help will be Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm that game looks awesome!