Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Sega introduces line of console-themed laptops]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/sega-introduces-line-of-console-themed-laptops/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/sega-introduces-line-of-console-themed-laptops/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/sega-introduces-line-of-console-themed-laptops/#comments Sega introduces line of consolethemed laptopsIt's not quite the return to hardware production that some Sega loyalists may be hoping for, but Sega's new line of retro console-themed laptops are expensive and doomed to obsolescence, so it's kind of the same thing.

Manufactured in conjunction with Japanese retailer Enterbrain, the Sega Note PC laptops come in four styles: Generic Sega, Mega Drive, Sega Saturn and Dreamcast. Your choice of style can be ordered in one of four hardware configurations, with ascending prices ranging from ¥99,750 ($1075.47) to ¥194,250 ($2094.35). The base model comes equipped with the 64-bit version of Windows 8, a 1920x1080 display, 4 gigs of RAM and a 500 gig HD, all powered by a Pentium 2020M processor, according to our friends at Engadget.

It's kind of a lot of money for not a lot of computer, but each laptop is packed with Sega-branded Windows 8 themes, replete with custom system sounds. Shipment is expected to begin in June for those who either live in Japan or are brave enough to import.

Gallery: Sega Note PC

JoystiqSega introduces line of console-themed laptops originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dreamcastenterbraingenesisimportlaptopmega-drivepcsegasega-laptopsega-note-pcsega-saturnFri, 15 Feb 2013 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[3DS crosses 10 million mark in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/08/3ds-crosses-10-million-mark-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/08/3ds-crosses-10-million-mark-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/08/3ds-crosses-10-million-mark-in-japan/#comments 3DS over 10 million sold in JapanAccording to Enterbrain data, the 3DS has surpassed 10 million units sold in Japan, with 10,068,192 3DS and 3DS LL systems sold life-to-date as of January 6. It's taken the hardware 98 weeks to reach this milestone, putting it well behind the DS Lite, which broke 10 million after just 61 weeks.

The above chart is meant to illustrate the popularity of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The game came out in Japan on November 8, immediately boosting 3DS sales. By the fourth week of December, hardware sales exceeded 400,000 units.

Joystiq3DS crosses 10 million mark in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsanimal-crossing-new-leafenterbrainjapannintendosalesTue, 08 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wii U sold 308,570 units across first two days in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/11/wii-u-sold-308-570-units-across-first-two-days-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/11/wii-u-sold-308-570-units-across-first-two-days-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/11/wii-u-sold-308-570-units-across-first-two-days-in-japan/#comments Wii U sells 308,570 units across first two days in JapanNintendo sold 308,570 Wii U units over the console's opening two days in Japan, according to Enterbrain data. That places the new console 17 percent behind its predecessor, the Wii shifting 371,936 units in its first two days on sale. On the other hand, the Wii U sits comfortably ahead of corresponding launch figures for Xbox 360 (62,135) and PS3 (88,400).

Leading the console's software charts was New Super Mario Bros. U, the platformer selling 170,563 units across the launch weekend. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Nintendo Land clocked in at second and third, racking up figures of 110,159 and 78,461 respectively.

JoystiqWii U sold 308,570 units across first two days in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainfamitsujapanlaunchmonster-hunter-3-ultimatenew-super-mario-bros-unintendonintendo-landsaleswii-uTue, 11 Dec 2012 09:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Dragon Quest X sells more than 400,000 at launch]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/08/dragon-quest-x-sells-more-than-400-000-at-launch/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/08/dragon-quest-x-sells-more-than-400-000-at-launch/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/08/dragon-quest-x-sells-more-than-400-000-at-launch/#comments Dragon Quest X sold 420,311 copies in its first week, according to Enterbrain data. The MMO's debut was low for a Dragon Quest game: Dragon Quest IX, as a comparison, sold 2,353,440 copies in its first week in Japan back in 2008. Of course, even if it sells fewer copies, it's an MMO and those sales will continue to pay out.

For the Wii, however, it's a boon: the launch of DQX led to 41,561 hardware units sold, including a special edition with the game bundled in. That's almost four times the previous week's 10,549 systems. It turns out people like to buy video game systems when there are games to play on them.

JoystiqDragon Quest X sells more than 400,000 at launch originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dragon-quest-xenterbrainjapannintendosaleswiiWed, 08 Aug 2012 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[3DS XL sells 193K units at Japanese launch]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/31/3ds-xl-sells-193k-units-at-japanese-launch/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/31/3ds-xl-sells-193k-units-at-japanese-launch/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/31/3ds-xl-sells-193k-units-at-japanese-launch/#comments The 3DS XL has sold an estimated 193,441 units in its two days on the Japanese market, according to an Enterbrain report published by Famitsu. New Super Mario Bros. 2, which was released concurrently, sold an estimated 430,185 copies. It's unlikely that number includes sales of the download version, which was launched at the same time. There must have been at least some eShop copies sold.

The original 3DS reportedly burned through its full initial Japanese shipment of 400,000 units in 24 hours, making the upsized unit's launch softer in comparison. The PlayStation Vita, the 3DS's most direct competition, sold 321,407 units in its December 2011 launch in Japan, though sales have slowed quite a bit since.

Joystiq3DS XL sells 193K units at Japanese launch originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3ds3ds-xlenterbrainjapannintendoTue, 31 Jul 2012 10:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Nikkei: 3DS to pass 4 million sold in Japan by year's end]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/nikkei-3ds-to-pass-4-million-sold-in-japan-by-years-end/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/nikkei-3ds-to-pass-4-million-sold-in-japan-by-years-end/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/nikkei-3ds-to-pass-4-million-sold-in-japan-by-years-end/#comments The 3DS will cross the four million unit sales mark in Japan by the end of the year, according to a Nikkei report (translated by Andriasang) based on Enterbrain data. The system has been selling over 300K units per week for the last several weeks, thanks to the launch of Monster Hunter 3G.

The system regularly averages 80,000 sales in a week, having received a significant boost to its average following the system's price drop in August. Despite the progress, Nintendo is currently expected to report a ¥20 billion ($256M) loss at the end of its fiscal year in March, with the company's stock still heading down the warp pipe.

JoystiqNikkei: 3DS to pass 4 million sold in Japan by year's end originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsenterbrainjapannintendosalesThu, 22 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Monster Hunter Tri-G boosts 3DS to best week ever in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/monster-hunter-tri-g-boosts-3ds-to-best-week-ever-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/monster-hunter-tri-g-boosts-3ds-to-best-week-ever-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/monster-hunter-tri-g-boosts-3ds-to-best-week-ever-in-japan/#comments The Monster Hunter series' firm grip on the Japanese public continues unabated, with the new Monster Hunter Tri-G selling like crazy in Japan. "Like crazy" in this case translates to 471,055 units in two days, according to Enterbrain estimates.

That release (and its attendant 3DS bundles) drove the 3DS to its best week to date in Japan. 378,114 units went to happy monster hunters, besting the 371,326 sold at launch. The game has yet to be announced for release outside of Japan -- though the accessory made for it is now confirmed for North America. Of course, a new Monster Hunter game won't have the same immediately noticeable effect on sales in any other region.

JoystiqMonster Hunter Tri-G boosts 3DS to best week ever in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dscapcomenterbrainjapanmonster-hunter-tri-gnintendosalesTue, 13 Dec 2011 11:06:00 EST<![CDATA[3DS moves 200K+ units after price drop in Japan, hits 1.5m total]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/3ds-moves-200k-units-after-price-drop-in-japan-hits-1-5m-total/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/3ds-moves-200k-units-after-price-drop-in-japan-hits-1-5m-total/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/3ds-moves-200k-units-after-price-drop-in-japan-hits-1-5m-total/#comments After a precipitous drop-off in sales, Nintendo dropped the price of the 3DS worldwide and, in Japan at least, the early numbers show a strong consumer response. After enjoying a steep 40 percent discount on August 11 -- from ¥25,000 to ¥15,000 -- 3DS sales spiked up the week of August 8 through 14. Japanese business pub Nikkei pegged sales at 207,000 units while Famitsu publisher slash game publisher slash market research group Enterbrain puts sales a little higher at 214,821 units.

Either way, that's the highest week of sales since the console's February debut, when it managed to move nearly 375K units in a week. As a result, the console has finally clipped past the 1.5 million mark in Japan six months after its release, and just two months after reaching the big million. We'll have to wait a bit longer before we learn how last week's price drop affected sales in Europe and North America.

Joystiq3DS moves 200K+ units after price drop in Japan, hits 1.5m total originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3DSEnterbrainFamitsuFinancejapannikkeinintendoSci/TechTue, 16 Aug 2011 13:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Enterbrain CEO: Earthquake cost the Japanese game industry 7.3 billion yen]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/22/enterbrain-ceo-earthquake-cost-the-japanese-game-industry-7-3-b/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/22/enterbrain-ceo-earthquake-cost-the-japanese-game-industry-7-3-b/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/22/enterbrain-ceo-earthquake-cost-the-japanese-game-industry-7-3-b/#comments If you've kept up with the game delays and cancellations that happened as a result of the catastrophic earthquake which struck Japan last month, you probably understand the extent of its effect on the gaming industry. Enterbrain CEO Hirokazu Hamamura recently put a number on the devastation: At a recent seminar, Hamamura revealed that according to Enterbrain's calculations, the quake caused the domestic games industry to lose ¥7,330 million ($90 million) in potential sales.

That number was divided into ¥4,470 million in lost software sales -- attributed to the delay of Steel Diver, Dead or Alive Dimensions and 29 other titles that were either pushed back or canceled wholesale -- and ¥2,860 million in lost hardware sales. Hamamura ended the seminar with a hopeful message, though, explaining that most of the delayed titles had been pushed back to the first quarter of the new fiscal year, which could prove to be a boon for Japan's gaming industry. We certainly hope that's the case as well.

JoystiqEnterbrain CEO: Earthquake cost the Japanese game industry 7.3 billion yen originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Dead-or-Alive-Dimensionsdisaster-reliefenterbrainindustryjapanjapan-earthquakesteel-diverFri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New Super Mario Bros is first six million seller on DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/new-super-mario-bros-is-first-six-million-seller-on-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/new-super-mario-bros-is-first-six-million-seller-on-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/new-super-mario-bros-is-first-six-million-seller-on-ds/#comments Our friends in Japan often have ... peculiar tastes when it comes to their gaming passions. Specifically, they are taught from a young age to despise any game in which they don't capture monsters. Fact: The nation's most popular T-shirt actually reads, "I'd rather capture a monster than my next breath of oxygen." It's true!

It's an even more impressive accomplishment, then, that the country's first game to sell six million copies on DS doesn't feature any monster capturing to speak of. No, it's New Super Mario Bros., which hit 6,015,255 units as of December 26 according to the latest Enterbrain data.

Congrats, Mario. Now, if science ever figures out a way to put monster catching into one of your games ... well, let's just pray it never comes to that.

JoystiqNew Super Mario Bros is first six million seller on DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsenterbrainNew-Super-Mario-Bros-DSnintendoTue, 28 Dec 2010 17:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary book out in Japan next week]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/03/super-mario-bros-25th-anniversary-book-out-in-japan-next-week/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/03/super-mario-bros-25th-anniversary-book-out-in-japan-next-week/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/03/super-mario-bros-25th-anniversary-book-out-in-japan-next-week/#commentsFor those Mario lovers who want more commemorative book than is included with the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition, Enterbrain is publishing its own brand of "Super Mario 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book" in Japan on December 9.

The 144-page page-turner includes a retrospective interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, a collection of Mario manga, stickers and a poster, and a CD of orchestrated Mario music from the Press Start Symphony of Games concert series. If you don't mind a little (okay, probably a lot) of Japanese text along with your Mario ephemera, you can pre-order a copy from Amazon Japan for ¥840 -- that's about $10.

JoystiqSuper Mario Bros. 25th anniversary book out in Japan next week originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 23:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bookenterbrainjapannintendosuper-mario-25th-anniversarysuper-mario-all-starssuper-mario-all-stars-limited-editionsuper-mario-brossuper-mario-collection-special-packwiiFri, 03 Dec 2010 23:10:00 EST<![CDATA[New Super Mario Bros. Wii tops 4M in Japan, says Enterbrain]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/new-super-mario-bros-wii-tops-4m-in-japan-says-enterbrain/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/new-super-mario-bros-wii-tops-4m-in-japan-says-enterbrain/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/30/new-super-mario-bros-wii-tops-4m-in-japan-says-enterbrain/#comments Japanese publisher Enterbrain has revealed in this week's Famitsu that New Super Mario Bros. Wii has gone quadruple platinum in the region. NSMBW is Nintendo's first game on the console to achieve that status, having sold 4,001,276 copies as of Sunday. The title will celebrate its one-year anniversary on the market on December 3.

Nintendo financial documents reveal that NSMBW had reached global sales of 16.7 million units by the end of September. That's like, if you're being strictly mathematical about it, nearly triple-quintuple-plus-double platinum.

JoystiqNew Super Mario Bros. Wii tops 4M in Japan, says Enterbrain originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainfamitsujapanNew-Super-Mario-Bros-WiinintendowiiTue, 30 Nov 2010 10:15:00 EST<![CDATA[MGS: Peace Walker's 'Hamaru Gear Solid' ads sure are helpful]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/30/mgs-peace-walkers-hamaru-gear-solid-ads-sure-are-helpful/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/30/mgs-peace-walkers-hamaru-gear-solid-ads-sure-are-helpful/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/30/mgs-peace-walkers-hamaru-gear-solid-ads-sure-are-helpful/#comments Well, they're helpful if you speak Japanese, that is. The latest round of ads for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker out of Japan centers on the escapades of Tom and Dick, two cartoon dudes who really, really like living everyday life as if they were Solid Snake. The duo demonstrate everything from the "heart massage" technique (reviving a downed teammate) to the game's four player co-op functionality, with plenty of goofy animation to boot.

Andriasang noticed the ads over at the "Hamaru Gear Solid" website -- "Hamaru Gear Solid" is the marketing campaign for Peace Walker, based on Hirokazu Hamamura, CEO of Enterbrain (the company that owns and publishes Japanese gaming mag Famitsu), and a pun relating his name to the word "Hamaru" (meaning "to get in"). We've embedded all five for you after the break, should you choose to entertain their sheer madness.

[Via Andriasang]

Continue reading MGS: Peace Walker's 'Hamaru Gear Solid' ads sure are helpful

JoystiqMGS: Peace Walker's 'Hamaru Gear Solid' ads sure are helpful originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisingenterbrainfamitsuhamaru-gear-solidhirokazu-hamamuramarketingmetal-gearmetal-gear-solidmetal-gear-solid-peace-walkerpeace-walkerFri, 30 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[DS sells over 30 million in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/23/ds-sells-over-30-million-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/23/ds-sells-over-30-million-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/23/ds-sells-over-30-million-in-japan/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The same day it chose to announce the 3DS, Nintendo officially hit a ridiculous milestone for the existing DS platform(s) in Japan: 30 million units sold. Enterbrain estimates that, through March 21, the handheld has sold 30,030,434 units. The last reported worldwide total, in January, was around 125 million. Unsurprisingly, the best-selling game is New Super Mario Bros., with 5,767,262 copies sold.

30 million is indeed a record for the best-selling console ever in Japan; however, every time anyone in Japan buys a DS, it's a new record, because the DS became Japan's best-selling console as soon as it passed the PS2 at around the 21 million mark. There are people in line at electronics stores now, each of whom is about to bring the DS to a record sales total.

[Via IGN]

JoystiqDS sells over 30 million in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSenterbrainjapanltdNew-Super-Mario-Bros-DSNintendosalesTue, 23 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Japanese games market shrank in 2009]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/05/japanese-games-market-shrank-in-2009/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/05/japanese-games-market-shrank-in-2009/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/05/japanese-games-market-shrank-in-2009/#comments2009 looked fairly dire for the Japanese games industry. Now that we're on the other side of the year, we can assess the damage. Andriasang reports Enterbrain numbers claiming that, overall, the market shrank ¥543 billion, a reduction of 6.9% from 2008. Since we're in a Seinfeld-quoting mood today, we might posit that the Japanese game industry had been in the pool.

Hardware sales dropped 13.9%, with the DS unsurprisingly leading among consoles with 4,025,313 million units and the Xbox 360 even less surprisingly at the bottom, with 331,706 consoles sold. In software, the big winner (or smallest loser, we suppose, given the overall tone of the news) was Dragon Quest IX, which sold a whopping 4,100,968 copies -- slightly more than the total number of DS consoles sold in 2009! Final Fantasy XIII managed to make it onto the tail end of the top five with 1,698,256 copies. But if you weren't Square Enix or Nintendo (who had the other three spots on the top five software charts), 2009 was one to forget.

JoystiqJapanese games market shrank in 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DQ9Dragon-QuestDragon-Quest-9-Sentinels-of-the-Starry-Skiesdragon-quest-ixDSenterbrainfinal-fantasy-xiiiindustryjapanJRPGLevel-5NintendoRPGSquare-EnixWiiTue, 05 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Online game sharing confirmed for RPG Maker DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/28/online-game-sharing-confirmed-for-rpg-maker-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/28/online-game-sharing-confirmed-for-rpg-maker-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/28/online-game-sharing-confirmed-for-rpg-maker-ds/#comments
Image source: Famitsu

The RPG creation game with a very appropriate name, RPG Maker DS, has just raised the bar on itself. Famitsu reports gamers will not only be able to share game data locally, but also online via Wi-Fi Connect. You'll be able to swap the smallest of things, like items and monsters, right up to full games. Now if that doesn't scream replay value, we don't know what does.

Of course, this news really only affects Japanese gamers, as a localization isn't that likely. Still, that's not to say there isn't any hope you'll be able to play the thing, especially considering that there's already an English-speaking community established for the game.

[Via SIliconera]

JoystiqOnline game sharing confirmed for RPG Maker DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainfamitsujapanlocalizationrpgrpg-makerrpg-maker-dsMon, 28 Dec 2009 13:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Enterbrain: Wii sells 9 million in Japan, PS3 sells 4 million]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/16/enterbrain-wii-sells-9-million-in-japan-ps3-sells-4-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/16/enterbrain-wii-sells-9-million-in-japan-ps3-sells-4-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/16/enterbrain-wii-sells-9-million-in-japan-ps3-sells-4-million/#commentsEnterbrain reports that the PS3 has crossed the four million mark in Japan, selling over one million consoles in nine months for a total of 4,020,563. Though this milestone is impressive, expect the next million to go by much more rapidly, thanks to the price drop, the PS3 Slim, and, most importantly, Final Fantasy XIII.

The Wii also achieved impressive sales, but it's the Wii, so its total is a bit higher: 9,048,012 units. Many of those Wiis were likely sold to people buying New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which reached a life-to-date total of 1,401,558 copies in its second week.

While the last million sales have occurred since April in Japan, over a million Wiis were sold last month alone in the US. The difference in scale can be attributed both to the US's larger population and to the Black Friday phenomenon.

[Via Andriasang]

JoystiqEnterbrain: Wii sells 9 million in Japan, PS3 sells 4 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainjapanNintendosalesWiiWed, 16 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[DSi XL's Japanese launch is also pretty big]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/24/dsi-xls-japanese-launch-is-also-pretty-big/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/24/dsi-xls-japanese-launch-is-also-pretty-big/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/24/dsi-xls-japanese-launch-is-also-pretty-big/#comments
[Image Source]
Like Honeycomb cereal, the DSi XL (LL in Japan) is big, yeah yeah yeah. And according to Enterbrain data, its launch sales weren't small, no no no. The super-sized handheld sold 103,524 units in its first two days on sale. Its immediate predecessor, the regular-sized DSi, moved about 170,000 units at its launch, and its most recent competitor, the PSP Go, only sold 28,000 on its Japanese launch day. Clearly, Sony should have made the PSP bigger instead of smaller. The DS Lite, whose launch predated the DS craze that ... it helped cause, sold 68,438 in its launch week.

Either the strategy of making a DS aimed at families and older gamers is working, or there's a large contingent of Japanese gamers who feel compelled to buy every new DS. Actually, it's probably a little of both.

[Via Andriasang]

JoystiqDSi XL's Japanese launch is also pretty big originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSdsi-lldsi-xlenterbrainjapanNintendosalesTue, 24 Nov 2009 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[PSP Go sells 28K units on Japanese launch day]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/psp-go-sells-28k-units-on-japanese-launch-day/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/psp-go-sells-28k-units-on-japanese-launch-day/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/psp-go-sells-28k-units-on-japanese-launch-day/#comments While most of you probably spent your Sunday relaxing with a chilled beverage, watching some sporting event and relishing in the extra hour of life that had recently been bequeathed to you, the hard-working folks at Enterbrain were ... well, they were working hard. See, the PSP Go launched in Japan yesterday, and Enterbrain's sales statistics gatherers took it upon themselves to gather the sales data from the launch. Here's what they found: Sunday is a pretty terrible day to release a new handheld device.

According to Enterbrain, retailers moved 28,275 units of the PSP Go system during its first day of availability. While that's still a fairly sizable amount of hardware, Japanese gaming blog Andriasang points out that the DSi, which went on sale on Saturday, November 1 (2008), moved 170,770 units during its first two days on the market. We guess that just goes to show, if you want your handhelds to launch with a bang, launch them on Saturday. Also, put two cameras in them. Sounds silly, we know, but it works.

JoystiqPSP Go sells 28K units on Japanese launch day originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainjapanlaunchpsp-gosalessonyMon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[RPG Maker DS: Make RPGs on the DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/15/rpg-maker-ds-make-rpgs-on-the-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/15/rpg-maker-ds-make-rpgs-on-the-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/15/rpg-maker-ds-make-rpgs-on-the-ds/#commentsThe long-running RPG Maker series has appeared on PC, Super Famicom, PlayStation, and other home systems, but now Japanese game designers will be able to make portable RPGs. Using the RPG Maker DS software, players can create characters, environments, monsters, set sound effects and music, and even create special "event" items like chests and save points.

All the screens show premade monster and character graphics being used -- from some 800 character pieces, 150 sounds, and 1500 map features, but you'll be able to make your own if you're patient enough (the stylus helps in that regard). There's also some kind of wireless support, though we don't know if it means you'll get to share your elaborate, strategic Twilight fanfic scenario online or not.

RPG Maker DS will be out January 28. We're really hoping Agetec, who has published RPG Makers in North America, picks this one up for us. It's hard enough to play RPGs in Japanese, much less make them.

JoystiqRPG Maker DS: Make RPGs on the DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainjapanrpgrpg-makerrpg-maker-dsThu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PS3 outsells Wii in Japan for September; thanks Slim!]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/02/ps3-outsells-wii-in-japan-for-september-thanks-slim/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/02/ps3-outsells-wii-in-japan-for-september-thanks-slim/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/02/ps3-outsells-wii-in-japan-for-september-thanks-slim/#comments What do we know about Japan? Even after those weird commercials, the PlayStation 3 has managed to outsell the Wii in Japan following the (what you might call) successful launch of the newly "encheapened" PS3 Slim. Japanese market research firm Enterbrain estimates that from August 31 through September 27 309,939 PS3s were sold; a new monthly record for the console.

If you've been following our weekly Japanese Hardware Sales updates, this is no surprise to you. The usually dominant DSi and DS Lite combo sold a combined 297,060 units, which came alarmingly close to the Sony record, considering the 7,350 percent boost the PS3 saw post-Slim. It's notable that this Bloomberg report doesn't even list the Wii's monthly sales; however, with Nintendo's Wii at ¥20,000 (down from ¥25,000) starting this month, we imagine next month's chart will look a little different.

JoystiqPS3 outsells Wii in Japan for September; thanks Slim! originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainhardwarejapanNintendosalesWiiFri, 02 Oct 2009 11:44:00 EST<![CDATA[PSP Comics service gets support of all major Japanese publishers]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/24/psp-comics-service-gets-support-of-all-major-japanese-publishers/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/24/psp-comics-service-gets-support-of-all-major-japanese-publishers/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/24/psp-comics-service-gets-support-of-all-major-japanese-publishers/#comments
ASCII Media Works, Bandai Visual, Enterbrain, Fujimi Shobo, Futabasha, Hakusensha, Kadokawa Group, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Shueisha and Square Enix -- these names may not be too familiar to those outside of Japan; but within Japan, they represent the entirety of the massive manga (comics) industry.

Starting December, the Japanese PlayStation Store will be updated with new content from all of these publishers, with titles including Bleach, Evangelion, Detective Conan, Fullmetal Alchemist and more. A lineup like that would certainly entice many of us at Joystiq, but America will have to stick with downloadable Marvel comics for now.

JoystiqPSP Comics service gets support of all major Japanese publishers originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bandai-visualcomicsenterbrainkadokawa-groupkodanshapsnpspshueishatgs-2009Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Enterbrain's absurd prediction: Final Fantasy XIII will help sell PS3 in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/14/enterbrains-absurd-prediction-final-fantasy-xiii-will-help-se/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/14/enterbrains-absurd-prediction-final-fantasy-xiii-will-help-se/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/14/enterbrains-absurd-prediction-final-fantasy-xiii-will-help-se/#comments
Don't mind the well-dressed Japanese gentleman in that tree. It's just Hirokazu Hamamura, president of Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, going out on a limb to predict that Final Fantasy XIII's arrival on December 17 in Japan will help sell a whole bunch of PS3s. He's talking 500,000 more of Sony's system sold during FFXIII's launch period alone. Crazy talk!

Unless, that is, you consider the fact that Final Fantasy is a franchise that's popular enough in Japan (and around the world) to prompt the purchase of a console. Oh, and that there was this kind of significant "new PS3, hardware price cut" thing that just happened. Okay, so Hanamura isn't nuts ... he just makes a lot of sense. We like this guy!

[Via Andriasang]

JoystiqEnterbrain's absurd prediction: Final Fantasy XIII will help sell PS3 in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessenterbrainfinal-fantasy-xiiihirokazu-hamamurajapanMon, 14 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PS3 hits weekly sales record in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/07/ps3-hits-weekly-sales-record-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/07/ps3-hits-weekly-sales-record-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/07/ps3-hits-weekly-sales-record-in-japan/#commentsAccording to Enterbrain's weekly sales data, Japanese consumers purchased 152,530 PlayStation 3 units last week, which represents a 7,350 percent increase from about 2,000 units the previous week. This is the highest number of PS3 systems sold in a single week in Japan, ever. Its launch week (which was, admittedly, two days long) garnered totals of 88,000 units.

We can't imagine what happened last week to spur such sudden interest. Oh, right -- Play Face. The inspiring Play Face ad campaign is the only reasonable explanation for this sales boost.

[Via Andriasang]

JoystiqPS3 hits weekly sales record in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainjapanplay-faceps3-slimsalesMon, 07 Sep 2009 17:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Monster Hunter 3 is Japan's best-selling third-party Wii game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/13/monster-hunter-3-is-japans-best-selling-third-party-wii-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/13/monster-hunter-3-is-japans-best-selling-third-party-wii-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/13/monster-hunter-3-is-japans-best-selling-third-party-wii-game/#commentsSinobi posted a list of the top ten third-party games on the Wii in Japan in terms of sales. At the top of the list, based on Enterbrain sales numbers acquired early by Sinobi, sits Capcom's Monster Hunter 3, with 720,000 copies sold.

Despite the best-seller status, we doubt Capcom is pleased with these sales numbers. The publisher famously shipped one million copies of the game, which have yet to sell through. While sales of the hardware bundle have been good, the standalone version of the game sold only 40% of its stock in the first week, and is already being dropped in price in some stores by over half.

[Via Andriasang]

JoystiqMonster Hunter 3 is Japan's best-selling third-party Wii game originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bundlecapcomenterbrainjapanmonster-hunter-3salesThu, 13 Aug 2009 13:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Dragon Quest IX sells 2.3 million copies in two days]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/dragon-quest-ix-sells-2-3-million-copies-in-two-days/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/dragon-quest-ix-sells-2-3-million-copies-in-two-days/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/dragon-quest-ix-sells-2-3-million-copies-in-two-days/#commentsJapanese consumers eagerly grabbed up copies of Square Enix's Dragon Quest IX over the weekend, putting to rest any concern that the move to a handheld system would bother fans in the least.

Enterbrain reports that the game sold 2,343,440 copies in its first week -- its "first week" actually being two days. Media Create reports a similar total of 2,318,932 copies. This beats the first-week record set by ... Dragon Quest VIII, of course! Media Create reports a sell-through rate of 81.56%, suggesting (according to Andriasang) that it probably sold out in some locations.

There's something very comforting about reading stories of massive Dragon Quest sales in Japan. It's a reminder that some things in the gaming world are just like we remember them, even after decades. After the break, you can watch the game's intro movie as you begin the long wait for localization.

[Image via GAME Watch, video via Gemaga]

Continue reading Dragon Quest IX sells 2.3 million copies in two days

JoystiqDragon Quest IX sells 2.3 million copies in two days originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DQ9dragon-questDragon-Quest-9-Sentinels-of-the-Starry-Skiesdragon-quest-ixDSenterbrainJRPGLevel-5media-createNintendorpgsalessquare-enixMon, 13 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Japanese gaming industry sales decreased in 2008]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/02/japanese-gaming-industry-sales-decreased-in-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/02/japanese-gaming-industry-sales-decreased-in-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/02/japanese-gaming-industry-sales-decreased-in-2008/#comments
According to research conducted by Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, the Japanese gaming industry's year-to-year sales dropped in 2008. Total industry revenue reached ¥552.42 billion last year -- an 18 percent decrease from ¥676.95 billion in sales during 2007. Hardware sales dropped 27 percent from the previous year to ¥231.52 billion, while software sales only fell 11 percent, ending up at ¥320.91 billion.

Flamewar-fueling financial figures were also revealed in Enterbrain's study -- the DS reigned supreme in 2008, with 3,983,205 units sold. In addition, Pokémon Platinum was the year's highest grossing game, with 2,372,336 copies purchased. Second place went to the PSP with 3,230,563 units sold. Trailing behind, the Wii moved 2,257,575 consoles, the PS3 sold 999,903 units, and the Xbox 360 ended with a total of 398,633 consoles sold -- effectively doubling Microsoft's Japanese hardware sales figures from 2007.

What's with the slowdown, Japan? Did you guys collectively take up knitting or something? Don't get us wrong, knitting is awesome, but letting it interfere with your ludological purchasing habits is just plain irresponsible.

[Via Kotaku]

JoystiqJapanese gaming industry sales decreased in 2008 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainfamitsuindustryjapanjapanesehardwaresalesThu, 02 Apr 2009 20:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 5 selling games in 2008 across global markets]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/top-5-selling-games-in-2008-across-global-markets/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/top-5-selling-games-in-2008-across-global-markets/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/top-5-selling-games-in-2008-across-global-markets/#comments
NPD, GfK Chart-Track and Enterbrain have combined video game software sales lists for the respective regions they cover to declare Mario Kart Wii as the top selling game of 2008. Games sales across the "world's three largest games markets" saw an 11% increase, totaling 409.9 million units last year.

Top five selling games for US, UK and Japan combined:
  1. Mario Kart Wii - 8.94 million
  2. Wii Fit - 8.31 million
  3. Grand Theft Auto IV - 7.29 million
  4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 6.32 million
  5. Call of Duty: World at War - 5.89 million
The rankings are almost identical to Edge's "guesstimate" sales list released last week, which included all of Europe, but not Japan. Overall, the US and UK markets saw increases of 15% and 26%, respectively. The Japanese market saw a 13% decline in software sales, which Enterbrain explains has little to do with the current generation of consoles, but is due to the 46% software sales drop on the PS2. Check out the chart after the break for a regional dissection of the software ranks.

Continue reading Top 5 selling games in 2008 across global markets

JoystiqTop 5 selling games in 2008 across global markets originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2008call-of-duty-world-at-warchart-trackenterbraingrand-theft-auto-ivgta-ivNintendonpdnpd-groupsalestop-5Wiiworld-at-warMon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wii's winners and losers in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/wiis-winners-and-losers-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/wiis-winners-and-losers-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/wiis-winners-and-losers-in-japan/#commentsFiled under: ,

We can't exactly trust the validity of the numbers used to create this list of best-selling games across the three home platforms, since it's just some guy on Geocities doing it (and he claims that he might alter numbers to deter copying) but they're close enough to our expectations for most games. These numbers are purportedly derived from Enterbrain and Famitsu sales data. Kotaku reproduced the top and bottom-selling games on each platform, and we think that's a nice way to organize it.

The top ten Wii games are not too surprising, including stuff like Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Fit, Brawl, and other big Nintendo franchises. The only third-party game on the list is Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, which, of course, is a Mario game!

But the bottom ten is a lot more entertaining, revealing, for example, that poor Opoona sold only 5,000 copies, as did Dewy's Adventure. D3's motivation for putting their Simple games on WiiWare is made clear by the fact that their disc-based releases totally bombed. Though not as badly as Hudson's Puzzle Series Vol. 1 Sudoku, which apparently sold 482 copies total.

It's hard to pick interesting tidbits out of the middle of the list (which we won't reproduce after the break in the interest of brevity) but apparently No More Heroes sold just 27,873 copies -- much less than the 84,224 copies of Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 that went out!

Continue reading Wii's winners and losers in Japan

JoystiqWii's winners and losers in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainjapanmario-and-sonicopoonasimplesmash-bros-brawlwariowarewii-fitwii-sportsMon, 05 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Enterbrain: DSi exceeds one million sales]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/enterbrain-dsi-exceeds-one-million-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/enterbrain-dsi-exceeds-one-million-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/enterbrain-dsi-exceeds-one-million-sales/#commentsFiled under: ,


It was just this month that Enterbrain reported that the DSi had sold over 500,000 units. Now, according to the publisher, Nintendo has almost doubled that feat before the month has even ended. Their weirdly specific estimate puts the DSi at 1,062,416 units sold since the device's launch at the beginning of November.

The DSi is proving to be a worthy addition to the DS lineup for Nintendo, then. Those million sales contributed to a total of 24,859,874 DS systems sold in Japan since the launch of the original DS back in 2004.

JoystiqEnterbrain: DSi exceeds one million sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainnintendo-dsisalesMon, 22 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[DSi gives Nintendo 535,379 reasons to smile]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/02/dsi-gives-nintendo-535-379-reasons-to-smile/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/02/dsi-gives-nintendo-535-379-reasons-to-smile/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/02/dsi-gives-nintendo-535-379-reasons-to-smile/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The Nintendo DSi has completed its first full month on Japanese stores shelves, and guess what? It sold a lot! No, really! Enterbrain says 535,379 units were snapped up during November -- a figure that only just failed to match the Lite's opening month of around 550,000 sales. Nintendo probably isn't too devastated by that.

Furthermore, DSi sales have boosted the DS platform's total sales to 24,239,590 units in Japan. In a country of 127.4m, some form of the DS will soon be owned by one in five people (okay, so some will have purchased more than one DS model, but let's not nitpick)! Anyway, as we're writing about the DSi being ridiculously popular again, now feels like a good time to examine the latest import costs:

JoystiqDSi gives Nintendo 535,379 reasons to smile originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessdsienterbrainjapannintendo-dsiTue, 02 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wii hardware Animal Crosses the 7 million mark in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/26/wii-hardware-animal-crosses-the-7-million-mark-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/26/wii-hardware-animal-crosses-the-7-million-mark-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/26/wii-hardware-animal-crosses-the-7-million-mark-in-japan/#commentsFiled under: ,

Enterbrain reports that the Wii system has, as of November 23, sold 7,000,000 units in Japan. To compare, the GameCube has sold 4 million in its home country (according to Wikipedia), and the DS has sold -- oh wait, that one doesn't make the Wii sales sound as good.

Helping to drive the Wii sales last week was Animal Crossing: City Folk, of which an astonishing 303,204 copies flew off of Japanese store shelves in its debut week. If we were feeling snarky about Animal Crossing, we'd say that between that and Chrono Trigger, it was a good week for ports. But that's mean.


JoystiqWii hardware Animal Crosses the 7 million mark in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animal-crossing-city-folkenterbrainhardwarejapansalesWed, 26 Nov 2008 10:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Wii Music shifts 50k on day one in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/wii-music-shifts-50k-on-day-one-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/wii-music-shifts-50k-on-day-one-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/wii-music-shifts-50k-on-day-one-in-japan/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Don't they look happy? That's because they all bought Wii Music, along with 49,996 others. Yup, you read that right: the Wii Music day one sales data from Japan is in, and according to Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, the magical figure is 50,000 units sold. How does that compare to the Japanese launches of other large first-party Wii games? Not that well, as it happens; hit the break to see for yourself.

Continue reading Wii Music shifts 50k on day one in Japan

JoystiqWii Music shifts 50k on day one in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainjapanmusicrhythmwii-musicFri, 17 Oct 2008 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PSP is number 1 in Japan the first half of 2008]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/02/psp-is-number-1-in-japan-the-first-half-of-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/02/psp-is-number-1-in-japan-the-first-half-of-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/02/psp-is-number-1-in-japan-the-first-half-of-2008/#commentsFiled under:


During the past few weeks the PSP's sales have been less than ideal, but Sony's portable is still on top in Japan for 2008 ... so far. According the Enterbrain, the PSP has sold 1,583,731 units the first half of the year in the land of the rising sun. The PSP's main competitor, Nintendo's DS, sold 1,314,919 units during that same period. Nintendo's portable is still way ahead of the PSP in terms of lifetime sales though -- 23,484,680 units of the DS were sold versus the PSP's 10,157,757 units sold.

In the software arena, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G is in second place with 1,602,386 copies sold. It was beaten by yet another Nintendo product, Mario Kart Wii, which sold 1,744,387 copies.

With the PSP Brite launching in about two weeks and DSi launching in a month, the two handhelds' struggle for dominance in Japan will truly begin. Now we gotta ask: who are you rooting for?

JoystiqPSP is number 1 in Japan the first half of 2008 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsdsienterbrainfamitsunintendopsppsp-britesalessonyThu, 02 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Infinite Undiscovery, price cut help Xbox 360 outsell Wii in Japan]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/infinite-undiscovery-price-cut-help-xbox-360-outsell-wii-in-jap/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/infinite-undiscovery-price-cut-help-xbox-360-outsell-wii-in-jap/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/infinite-undiscovery-price-cut-help-xbox-360-outsell-wii-in-jap/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


It wasn't so frightening when the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 for a week back when Tales of Vesperia came out, but now that it's sold more than the Wii during the week ending Sept. 14 ... well, now we're stricken with panic. According to Enterbrain, the Xbox 360 sold 28,861 units during the week, while the Wii sold 27,057 (the PS3 managed 8,050).

Xbox 360 sales were more than likely spurred by the one-two punch of a Japanese price cut and the release of console-exclusive Infinite Undiscovery, which sold 86,708 units in its first week. MCV points out that the 360 has now sold 717,275 units in Japan -- the very foundations of our world would be shaken if it actually went on to sell a million units.

Gallery: Infinite Undiscovery

JoystiqInfinite Undiscovery, price cut help Xbox 360 outsell Wii in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainhardware-salesinfinite-undiscoveryjapanjapanese-hardware-salesmedia-createmicrosoftprice-cutPS3salestales-of-vesperiaWiiXbox-360Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:45:00 EST<![CDATA[NPD, Chart-Track and Enterbrain combine forces for global sales report]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/npd-chart-track-and-enterbrain-combine-forces-for-global-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/npd-chart-track-and-enterbrain-combine-forces-for-global-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/npd-chart-track-and-enterbrain-combine-forces-for-global-sales/#commentsFiled under:


NPD, Chart-Track and Enterbrain have announced the joint monthly Top Global Markets Report, an account integrating the point-of-sale data from the US, UK and Japan. We don't know what information will be released publicly from the report on a monthly basis yet, but for the clients of these groups it will provide global data from the leading markets.

After the break we've placed a small taste of what the report has to offer, with a chart showing the top five selling games year-to-date across the tracked countries. We're also following up with NPD regarding what impact this new report will have on the standard monthly US report and what information from the global report will be made public. We'll update as soon as we hear back.

Update: A NPD representative tells us: "The monthly report from NPD US will still be a standard deliverable. We're not sure if a regular media deliverable based on this new tracking product is something we're going to be providing. It all depends on partner reactions, client acceptance and things like that." Translation: Monthly NPD data goes on as normal, a public version of the combined global data is still up in the air.

Continue reading NPD, Chart-Track and Enterbrain combine forces for global sales report

JoystiqNPD, Chart-Track and Enterbrain combine forces for global sales report originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chart-trackenterbrainnpdThu, 21 Aug 2008 11:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Reuters: PlayStation 3 catching up to Wii in Japan; Us: not really]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/reuters-playstation-3-catching-up-to-wii-in-japan-us-not-real/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/reuters-playstation-3-catching-up-to-wii-in-japan-us-not-real/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/reuters-playstation-3-catching-up-to-wii-in-japan-us-not-real/#commentsFiled under: ,


While elsewhere in the world, the Wii has little trouble outpacing its competition - with nearly 25 million units sold worldwide, nearly double the PS3's 13 million and a solid 25% lead on the Xbox 360's 20 million in sales - in Japan, it's a two console race (sorry, Xbox). In a piece headlined "Sony PS3 catching up to Wii in Japanese sales," Reuters' Tokyo branch covers the horse race, writing that the Wii "once again outsold Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 in Japan in June, but its lead is fading." While technically accurate if referring to monthly sales - the Wii only outsold the PS3 by a margin of 1.7 to 1 last month, a dip from the 6 to 1 margin of the previous month - the bigger picture isn't so clear.

So, spurred on by sales of Metal Gear Solid 4, the PS3 did better last month, okay (you already know that, of course, from reading our Japanese hardware sales series). But with nearly 6 million Wii units sold in Japan, versus just 2 million PlayStation 3 units sold (source: Wii, PS3), it looks to us like the PlayStation 3 still has a lot of "catching up" to do and no more Metal Gear Solids.

JoystiqReuters: PlayStation 3 catching up to Wii in Japan; Us: not really originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>EnterbrainJapanPS3SalesWiiThu, 03 Jul 2008 09:29:00 EST<![CDATA[One third of Japanese Wii owners have Wii Fit]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/one-third-of-japanese-wii-owners-have-wii-fit/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/one-third-of-japanese-wii-owners-have-wii-fit/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/one-third-of-japanese-wii-owners-have-wii-fit/#commentsFiled under:

Every week, sales charts show us that Wii Fit is popular among Japanese gamers. To give you a sense of just how well it's doing, though, Enterbrain recently reported that two million copies of the fitness title have been sold in Japan. Matched with recent reports of six million Wii consoles being sold in the region, that means every one in three Japanese Wii owners bought a copy of Wii Fit.

It hasn't yet caught up to its Nintendo cousin, Wii Sports, which has almost reached the three million mark. Yet, keep in mind that 1) Wii Fit was released a year after Wii Sports and 2) Wii Fit is a lot more expensive; it costs more than a usual Wii game, while Wii Sports costs less than the standard. To throw in another interesting comparison, Media Create sales indicate that there are almost as many Wii Fit owners in Japan as PS3 owners (with the PS3 currently having a 50,000 unit edge).

While we find it unlikely that Wii Fit will hit the same one-in-three ownership ratio in Europe and North America, we have little doubt that the exercise software will do well in those regions, too. Let it be said that Nintendo definitely understands the casual market.

Gallery: Wii Fit



[Via NeoGAF]

JoystiqOne third of Japanese Wii owners have Wii Fit originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 May 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainfamitsugamesalesjapanmedia-createsaleswii-fitwii-sportsWed, 14 May 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Famitsu publisher backtracks on E3 DS prediction]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/famitsu-publisher-backtracks-on-e3-ds-prediction/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/famitsu-publisher-backtracks-on-e3-ds-prediction/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/famitsu-publisher-backtracks-on-e3-ds-prediction/#commentsFiled under:

We weren't that surprised when Nintendo denied any knowledge of the existence of a new DS model hinted at by Famitsu publisher Hirokazu Hamamura last week. We were a little more surprised when Hamamura himself denied ever making the prediction.

IGN is reporting on a statement released by Enterbrain (Famitsu's parent company) explaining that reports of the original prediction were inaccurate and that Hamamura actually "believes it unlikely that Nintendo would release a new form factor or a successor model" for the DS. So was it simply a mistaken quote/translation, or did the powers-that-be at Nintendo put the screws to Enterbrain in order to tone back the speculation? We may never know the truth, but that won't stop us from wildly speculating ourselves ...

JoystiqFamitsu publisher backtracks on E3 DS prediction originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSE3enterbrainfamitsuHamamurapredictionspeculationThu, 17 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Enterbrain denies 'redesigned DS' claims]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/enterbrain-denies-redesigned-ds-claims/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/enterbrain-denies-redesigned-ds-claims/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/enterbrain-denies-redesigned-ds-claims/#commentsFiled under:

That redesign of the redesigned Nintendo DS? Not happening. Or at least, not yet. It's not just Nintendo that says so, either. Now the source of the original rumor, Japanese publisher Enterbrain, has released a statement denying that president Hirokazu Hamamura ever suggested a new DS would show up at E3 in July, as originally reported by Bloomberg.

"No such statement or announcement was made by the president," read the statement, adding that "He did not [...] make a comment about the possibility of an announcement by Nintendo concerning a new model or successor to the Nintendo DS due to its current scarce product availability caused by its worldwide popularity."

Looks like another case of mistranslation, then. As for Hirokazu Hamamura himself, he was last spotted being hurriedly bundled into a black car with tinted windows by several burly men in suits and shades. Probably.

JoystiqEnterbrain denies 'redesigned DS' claims originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3enterbrainfamitsuredesignThu, 17 Apr 2008 14:15:00 EST