Japanese hardware sales, Oct. 27 - Nov 2: Impossible math edition

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 9th 2008 at 9:30PM }

We were certain that the release of Nintendo's new shutterbug handheld, the DSi, would have a rather volatile effect on the Japanese hardware sales numbers this week -- and as the dastardly text-skippers among you already know, we were quite correct. The usual suspects played a thrilling round of Musical Chairs, bringing about a comeback for the PS3, and a return to the bottom rung for the Xbox 360. The [Source: Media Create] text is glad you're back, 360. It missed you terribly.

The big news of the week, however, was the DSi, which sold like ~~hotcakes~~ Pocky to Japanese gamers, who reportedly can't go a month without buying some iteration of the DS without developing delirium tremens. Unfortunately, my predecessor in the ways of the Japanese hardware sales failed to warn me about the caution required when adding a new system to the weekly chart. When typing in the DSi's sales figures into my trusty Excel spreadsheet, my computer attempted to discern the percentage of change between last week and this week's sales, divided by zero, then imploded my office.

Don't fret, dear readers -- I'm fine, though I'll likely lose the damage deposit on my apartment. The fate of my computer, however, is still up in the air. My theoretical mathematics professor seems to think that my laptop might been sucked into a self-sustaining space-time vortex, sending it hurtling on a Bill-and-Ted-esque journey through history. This is, of course, preposterous.

Oh, hey. Thomas Jefferson just added me as a friend on Facebook.

- DSi: 171,925 [New Entry!]
- PSP: 50,358

10,109 (16.72%)
- PS3: 39,587

35,656 (907.05%)
- Wii: 23,123

1,169 (4.81%)
- DS Lite: 16,369

6,596 (28.72%)
- PS2: 6,714

248 (3.56%)
- Xbox 360: 6,119

1,725 (21.99%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The imploding archives

Tags: japanese-hardware-sales, japanesehardwaresales

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Japanese hardware sales, Oct. 26 - Nov. 1: Away we Go edition
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Mr Khan @ Nov 9th 2008 9:37PM

Valkyria Chronicles and GTAIV did their work well, i suppose.

Oh, and Pocky > Crack

Hyams @ Nov 9th 2008 9:46PM

I believe Valkyria Chronicles bombed in Japan, actually. LBP did poorly too. GTAIV sold well though.

PS3 boost is mostly down to the new 80GB model replacing the old 40GB one. Which is also why PS3 sales have been so low in Japan for the past month or so (Sony announced the new SKU way too early).

Kspraydad @ Nov 9th 2008 9:57PM

Was VC on back order in Japan then...you know, since its been out in Japan since April.

Courtney @ Nov 9th 2008 11:30PM

I discovered Pocky at my first anime con a couple of years ago and was thoroughly taken by it. I was kind of glad it was just an occasional treat, as I could eat a case of the stuff if I had a regular supply.

Then, a few months ago, my step-daughter noticed that our local grocery store sells it. Doh!

Temple @ Nov 10th 2008 12:04AM

Gameasutra had an explanation for the sales surge of the PS3.

"sales of the PS3 have been artificially low for the last several weeks as customers anticipated the launch of new hardware bundles.

The impact of the new SKUs featuring LittleBigPlanet and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue Spec III can clearly be seen in this week’s top 30 software chart."

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21006

pal @ Nov 10th 2008 4:35AM

Valkyria Chronicles has nothing to do with the sales since it came out quite a while back in Japan.

jimmygotsmack @ Nov 10th 2008 9:52AM

Ah crap, I was hoping Valkyria Chronicles actually did well. A new IP is always a nice welcome. Not to mention most critics seem to love it. I hope it doesn't end up like Okami. Also, I never actually understood anyone liked Pocky.

Hyams @ Nov 9th 2008 9:42PM

PS3 sold almost double the Wii.

Looks like I was right about Japanese buyers holding off buying the PS3 until the new 80GB SKU came in. =)

Sora @ Nov 9th 2008 9:46PM

I guess that dividing by zero made the PS3 outsell the Wii. >.

Jake11- Born and raised in W. Philly @ Nov 9th 2008 9:49PM

was it LBP? it was LBP wasn't it. Sorry to see you back on bottom 360. You'll get 'em one day

Hyams @ Nov 9th 2008 9:53PM

LBP bombed in Japan. It only sold around 50k, I believe.

Mr Khan @ Nov 9th 2008 9:55PM

LBP moved 50k, sitting at #3 on the software charts.

It didn't take off as much as expected, certainly, but its not a poor showing by any means

tmacairjordan87 @ Nov 9th 2008 10:37PM

Believe it or not it was GTA 4 that helped lead the revival. No no you don't need to clean your eyes out, you read that right

GTA fuckin 4 helped push systems....in japan.

Eggy @ Nov 10th 2008 4:11AM

Bundles don't count tpoward game sales. I expect alot of people picked up the LBP bundle.

JoeTheBlow @ Nov 10th 2008 4:45AM

Thats a good point about LBP not selling as well because everyone buying the bundle instead.

I hope the lovely guys and gals at Media Molecule still get the cash for it!

ice~ @ Nov 9th 2008 9:50PM

Dayum PS3, over 30k units? Arent you happy?

MowDownJoe @ Nov 9th 2008 9:58PM

Ya gotta be careful with that dividing by 0 stuff. In my visual basic programming class, I wrote many a program that, in its early testing stages, had no error-trapping to prevent it from dividing by 0. Because of those test runs where my computer divided by 0, I am now sterile.

Kspraydad @ Nov 9th 2008 10:13PM

Chuck Norris can divide by zero.

Sorry about the sperm count btw.

Moptimus Slime @ Nov 9th 2008 10:00PM

Holy Balls! Over 907% increase for the PS3? Thats....thats.....indescribable

Markez @ Nov 9th 2008 10:35PM

Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.

Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Superstar90 @ Nov 9th 2008 10:10PM

So does that mean the DSi went up infinity percent?

Kspraydad @ Nov 9th 2008 10:14PM

How do you calculate the % of infinity anyway...wouldn't the answer be infinity?

Someone call Hawking.

Blank-Mage @ Nov 9th 2008 11:00PM

The actual sales numbers were only shown one number at a time. One accountant saw two accidentally, and was hospitalized. He was screaming the Zelda theme at the top of his lungs, then passed out. It wasn't pretty.

Haggard @ Nov 10th 2008 5:44AM

+1 for adapting and successfully using a Python reference

Cornelius @ Nov 9th 2008 10:16PM

man i love that picture. that was from an art installation down here in Houston. they took it down a couple years ago, though. bummer.

Stink Snake @ Nov 9th 2008 10:49PM

It is a pity they took it down. However, we still have the Orange Show and the Beer Can House.

For those outside of the great state of Texas:

www.orangeshow.org/
www.beercanhouse.org/

Slayer @ Nov 9th 2008 10:16PM

That picture is fucking epic.

Foetoid @ Nov 10th 2008 2:37AM

Looks like someone threw one of those original 'phat' Xbox 1 controllers at someones house in a drive-by.

Kspraydad @ Nov 9th 2008 10:18PM

Shouldn't here be a Nintendo DSi tag on this post?

tmacairjordan87 @ Nov 9th 2008 10:39PM

There's already too many tags up there. Griffin already bricked his computer with the dsi...we don't need to brick joystiq too.

Markez @ Nov 9th 2008 10:37PM

Good lawd them is some big numbers for the DSi. They could probably just go ahead and release something called the DSi Plus, that has a spork attached, and everyone would probably go ahead and pitch their DSi's and buy the new one.

Kspraydad @ Nov 9th 2008 10:48PM

I love sporks...I'd trade in my PSP for that.

Mabui @ Nov 9th 2008 11:01PM

When does this new DSi Plus come out good sir? Not having to carrying around a spoon or a fork would be advantageous indeed.

&rew @ Nov 9th 2008 11:02PM

Sporks? Bah! Sporks are just two forks ductaped together.

&rew @ Nov 9th 2008 11:05PM

I have one thing to add, this DSi+, would it be dishwasher safe?

Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 10th 2008 2:27AM

No,

The spork in the DSi+ only 1.5 megasporks. Sporks need to have 2.0 megasporks or higher to be dish washer safe.

duh

Superstar90 @ Nov 9th 2008 10:52PM

Thomas Jefferson has been posthumously lurking my Facebook account since 1826.

&rew @ Nov 9th 2008 10:57PM

Let me explain dividing by zero...
1/1=1 1/0.1=10 1/0.01=100 and so on, you may notice the pattern, the lower the diviser, the higher the... top number is and since there is an infinite number of decimals the... first number can be increased by infinity, and since 0 is lower then any (positive) decimal, 0 increases by more then infinity, therefore, 1/0= positive infinity.

Now to sit back and let people fail math.

drsashamd @ Nov 9th 2008 11:12PM

....

k?

Negativecool @ Nov 9th 2008 11:39PM

Not really sure why that was necessary there captain. But thanks for the lesson in math that I didn't need.

Nando @ Nov 10th 2008 12:33AM

Well, it depends:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_by_0

wickedpheonix @ Nov 10th 2008 1:22AM

Well duh.

1/t as t-> positive infinity = 0

simply multiply by t and (zomgosh!!!) divide by 0 (think cross-multiply) and you get

1/0 = t as t -> positive infinity.

Because you see, you fail at math since infinity (either positive nor negative) isn't a real number and therefore cannot be used in that kind of equation along side real numbers, you have to use limits in order to express the concept. Take Calculus level 1 and learn2math.

Blank-Mage @ Nov 10th 2008 1:42AM

I know knowledge is power and all, but I'd like to see that jargon stop me from beating you both with a pool cue.

Hala Madrid!! (THE BIRD IS THE WORD!!) @ Nov 9th 2008 11:05PM

Japan is a mysterious place.

Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 10th 2008 1:58AM

cocaine is a dangerous drug

drsashamd @ Nov 9th 2008 11:11PM

...

k? want a cookie?

Badger_badger_badger @ Nov 10th 2008 2:47PM

sure!

j.howlett @ Nov 9th 2008 11:25PM

woohoo! time to celebrate some numbers in an article i mostly read for it's humorous way of describing sales from a land i have little connection to. damn ps3

Jouten @ Nov 9th 2008 11:49PM

I'm glad the PS3 is starting back up again. I was going to start wondering what the Video Game community/market would begin to look like with Microsoft not having to worry about 'competition' so much.

Not say the Wii isn't competition, Wii is in it's own class now. Which doesn't include 'us' so much.