Japanese hardware sales, Aug. 23 - Aug. 29: Feline Helpers edition

When first examining the Japanese hardware sales numbers for August 23 through 29, we couldn't help but gawk at the PSP's astronomical sales surge. What could be the cause of such a dramatic shift (over 100 percent up at 55K units in just seven days)? As was the case with Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G before it, the release of Monster Hunter spin-off Monster Hunter Diary Poka Poka Airu Village placed the PSP firmly in the top spot for Japanese hardware sales.

Beyond folks purchasing handhelds just to play the game, a bundle pack being offered which includes a PSP for ￥33,131 ($392) couldn't have hurt. The most important thing to know about the game, however, isn't that it's related to Monster Hunter -- the most important thing is that it's all about adorable kittens. Not just any kittens: helper kittens! We'd love to stay and tell you more about it, but we've got a hot date with the madness-inducing trailer for the game.

- PSP: 55,112 ↑ 27,558 (100.01%)
- PS3: 25,053 ↓ 4,380 (-14.88%)
- DSi LL: 19,010 ↓ 2,973 (-10.24%)
- DSi: 17,057 ↓ 2,973 (-14.84%)
- Wii: 15,989 ↓ 2,156 (-11.88%)
- DS Lite: 3,925 ↓ 87 (-2.17%)
- Xbox 360: 2,665 ↓ 1,177 (-30.64%)
- PS2: 1,358 ↓ 8 (-0.59%)
- PSP Go: 836 ↑ 205 (32.49%)

Read: The furry, playful archives

Reader Comments (47)

Is it just ne or am I getting used to The black arrows? Bu on subject...

I never seen a 100% I crease in a while, good job playstation

@chromekreeper lol its not like you have a choice in the matter anyway :P ...im sure they'll grow into you

**** this, color please.

Before anyone complains about arrows, get a Firefox addon called FoxReplace. Make a rule for ↓ and ↑ with whatever you want. Then stop complaining.

@Themoreyouknow

i wish i could do that with my ipad :*(

@Themoreyouknow

I agree with you. Didn't really care people complaining for the first few weeks, but now... It's just getting old. Accept it or leave it.

@PlayboyX
Or change it. That's the beauty of computers.

@Themoreyouknow

Would you happen to know if there's a Chrome extension to replace those arrows?

@Themoreyouknow

doesn't work on 4.0.

@mahouneko
I don't know. I don't use Chrome.

"wahh wahh colors", or some such nonsense.

maybe it's high time to take the PS2 (and the 360 in japan) behind the shed to end its misery.

@Howard Roark if you're going to take the PS2 and 360 outback to shoot it, don't forget to bring along the PSP Go.

@Howard Roark

Fountainhead.

Great book.

@dcfox

But it is so young.

COLOR RAGE!!!!!!!!!!!@!@!!!!!!!!!!!

FDAGVJDAGEHBFJKEFBJKEBAKEJBF!!!

BAH1HH1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

@Solace

wouldn't it be "ROYGBIVROYGBIVROYGBIVROYGBIVROYGBIV!!!!!!!"?

@KinseySS

lmfao. Also, that trailer felt like Animal Crossing...just without all the animals except t3h k@wa11 k1tt3nz...

PSP up over 100%. That thing is a beast in Japan.

And it's actually kind of good that 360 can fall 30% and still sell better than PS2 and PSPgo

maybe i missed this, but why no more color arrows?

@AriesWarlock Because the old arrows don't work with the new site and they are too lazy to make ones that do.

So there were 8 PS2 units sold. Interesting.

@Nook

1,358 PS2 units were sold. PS2 sales just decreased by 8 units from the week before.

@Nook Yeah, and the PSP has a 100.1% increase from 55,112 units sold to 27,558 units sold. Fail.

@lparAgonl

seems like you're the one who failed. it increased by 27,558 to 55,112. unless i misunderstood what you said...

He was being sarcastic.

Hey what the hell happened to the "[UP]" and "[DOWN]"?!

@KinseySS joystiq was toying with us

@MiguelAMX

I know they intended to toy with us but they should just keep doing that till they get new coloured arrows :)

I love you, Japan.

You support my beloved PSP.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze Which means nothing for us because they'll likely still only bring very few games.

How hard is it to post more visible arrows ▼▲?

@jamesFF maybe macs and linux don't have that font? But yes these does look way better. No matter we are in the dark ages of info graphics here on joystiq now :(

@jamesFF
Seriously.
The problem I have is that ↑ and ↓ are indistinguishable from a glance, colour would be a welcome return, and even ▲ and ▼ work better, hell [UP] and [DOWN] from last week worked better.
Get to it!

@jamesFF
Who ya gonna call? The wingding font poh-leece!

The PS2 finally catching on in Japan.

I'd just like to say I am retiring the count...

...counting this week's hardware sales was just too much...

one... ONE more Ah Ha Ha for the road. ah ha ha

I made userscript to replace text arrows with color images
http://depositfiles.com/files/pzdld6zp4 or
http://www.zshare.net/download/8011046660375405/
Tested only in Firefox.

I can smell the decline of interest in video games in Japan...

Is it seen as something only for kids over there?

@Anciegher
Not really. When I was in Hong Kong, China, and South Korea, I've seen adults on the various mass transit system playing around with the PSP. Heck, the women who even carried a PSP were watching movies/drama on it. Given the enormous flexibility of the PSP as a multimedia entertainment system, I wouldn't be surprised if the same could be said of Japan's interest in portable gaming systems.

As for the Wii... well, it's probably reaching saturation.

Also, God Eater is great fun. :D

@Anciegher
Really? Did you not notice the 100% increase in PSP sales?

noticing this PSP increase, I was wondering if it would be wise to pick up a PSP 3000 KH Birth By Sleep pack on Tuesday.

or is it too late in the game to invest that much and I should just wait?

@Ryuk
Eh, just pick it up. Valkyria Chronicles 2 is out already and if you loved Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3, then you'll love it just as much on the PSP.

Also, Dissidia is on sale for about 13 dollars on Amazon.

Yeah figured. Some sarcasm is hard to detect without hearing the tone.

I guess I contributed to that stat. bought my third PSP...

PSP-1000 had a bstuck R trigger that would drive me nuts playing GTA trying to run away from the cops with the e-brake on...

PSP-2000 two year old son stepped on screen and splintered.

both were way out of warranty so I decided to get some replacement parts; 1 shoulder button for the 1000 and a new screen for the 2000.

well, the 1000s problem came back, playing GTA chinatown wars
and the halfassed engineer I am(I"m not one btw) I somehow borked the 2000 wifi(it was working properly at first but died 3 or 4 months after the LCD replacement)

and the fact that I had over $100 sony points on credit, I managed to pick up a 3000 for under $60, so I guess it"s not half bad

FR

So, the PSP Go is not popular in Japan? Do they even download stuff in Japan?

Japanese hardware sales, Aug. 23 - Aug. 29: Feline Helpers edition

Reader Comments (47)

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:11PM chromekreeper said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:24PM logicplay said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:13PM Raiki said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:13PM Themoreyouknow said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:25PM logicplay said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:43PM PlayboyX said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:48PM Themoreyouknow said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 11:02PM mahouneko said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 12:28AM Sly C said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 12:44AM Themoreyouknow said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:14PM Howard Roark said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:40PM dcfox said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:43PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 1:22PM Sqnalkel said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:18PM Solace said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:39PM KinseySS said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:50PM bunnyraven said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:20PM Lerkero said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:23PM AriesWarlock said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:28PM Tez said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 2:21AM Tez said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:25PM Nook said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:45PM TheMichaelJackson said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:47PM lparAgonl said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 12:47AM Sly C said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 5:39AM Ashitaka said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:38PM KinseySS said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 11:49PM MiguelAMX said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 6:27AM KinseySS said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:42PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 11:31PM TacoHell said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:43PM jamesFF said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 11:13PM ructus said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 11:51PM Helghast102 said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 3:08AM jastani said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:43PM Mustang Fanboy said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 10:45PM Kal El said

Posted: Sep 5th 2010 11:53PM Omnistatic said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 12:52AM Rikimaru said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 1:21AM Anciegher said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 5:31AM mahouneko said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 10:24AM Lerkero said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 2:22AM Ryuk said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 5:34AM mahouneko said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 1:19PM Sly C said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 6:35AM fractalradical said

Posted: Sep 6th 2010 4:07PM SpecDotSign said

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