Nintendo DSi Still Top in Japan

The Japanese hardware chart was a source of surprises earlier this year as the PlayStation 3 from Sony managed to outsell the Nintendo Wii by several thousands of units in March and in April. But now things seem to be back to normal and only a very big videogame release might upset the delicate balance of this chart.

The Nintendo DSi handheld dominates the chart, with a little over 40,000 units sold in a week. The PlayStation Portable, its nearest rival, managed to sell 27,884 devices, which is quite low given the fact that the platform has two titles in the videogame top five.

The Nintendo Wii is the king of the home gaming consoles with sales of close to 20,000, while the PlayStation 3 is selling about half of that number at 10,359 units moved in one week. The Xbox 360 is 4,000 units farther back at 6,734, which is still uncharacteristically high for the Microsoft-made console that usually seems low sales in Japan, the home market of both Nintendo and Sony. The DS Lite managed to outsell the PS2, in the battle of the obsolete consoles.

The big videogame hit in Japan is Tomodachi Connection for the Nintendo DS, which managed to move 102,000 units in its first week on sales, mainly because it allows players to import their Mii avatar from the Wii to the DS. Players are able to create new Miis, buy clothes for them, take care of them, and is a sort of Tamagochi with fresh avatars.

Second place in the chart was taken by another new release, Fate/Unlimited Codes Portable for the PSP, made by Capcom. It sold 34,000 units in the first week, and is followed by Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days from Square Enix with 27,000 units. Sloan to MacHale: Nazo No Monogatari from Level 5 is at number four, while a fresh release of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, dubbed PSP the Best, from Capcom, is in fifth place.