Bayonetta 2 (Wii U) is the only new entry at number 3

Sep 24, 2014 14:50 GMT  ·  By

Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming device is still going nuts in Japan, holding on to the number one spot for a second week, according to the latest software charts.

Japan is an atypical market, traditionally dominated by local game developers, handhelds and mobile gaming, as opposed to the western prevalence of AAA console gaming.

The figures cover both software and hardware, thus offering precious information on the evolution of new releases and data about console sales, such as the newly launched Xbox One, which was unavailable in Japan before September 4.

Software sales

The Media Create software and hardware sales charts for week 38 of 2014 are out, showing that during the week that ended on September 21, the brawler sold a total of 321k copies in Japan, bringing the grand total to 1.27 million copies.

The week's biggest new entry is Bayonetta 2, Platinum Games' Nintendo Wii U exclusive action-adventure video game, claiming overall third place with 38k copies sold, and helping push a few more Wii U units.

Activision's Destiny drops a bit from last week, with the PlayStation 3 version coming in fourth and the PlayStation 4 one being at number six.

Mario Kart 8, the solid system seller from Nintendo, takes ninth place, coming to a grand total of 672k units sold solely in Japan.

Once again, the top 20 best-selling games chart is dominated by the Nintendo 3DS, with half of the featured games being on the Japanese corporation's handheld gaming system, the clear ruler of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Hardware sales

The Nintendo 3DS is also dominating hardware sales, showing a 10 percent increase since last week, with over 43k units sold last week.

The PlayStation 4's boost noticed last week is now gone, bringing the system almost in line with the PlayStation 3 and Wii U in terms of weekly sales.

The worst performers by far are, as expected, the Xbox One and Xbox 360 home entertainment systems from Microsoft, which have an unfavorable reputation in Japan. The Xbox One sold 1.3k units in the week ending September 21, a significant plunge since last week's 3k, bringing the grand total to 30k devices sold since launch.

Taking into account that two new Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL models are coming out in around two weeks, we'll most likely see a surge in the handheld's sales, further boosting the platform's dominant position.