PSP Go Launches in Japan, DSi Still on Top

Sony released its new handheld, the PlayStation Portable Go, in Japan last week while also taking down the price of the older PSP-3000, which resulted in a series growth for the line. Still, the Nintendo DSi managed to be the biggest seller of the week, moving no less than 53,293 units. The Sony-made PSP only shipped 51,215 units in the same period but could potentially topple the DSi in the coming week if customer interest holds up.

The PSP Go does not have a UMD drive and gets all the content from the PlayStation Network via the Internet connection. It also boasts a smaller and crisper screen and has a battery that cannot be taken out of the device to prevent piracy. Its debut in Europe and in the United States has not been stellar but it seems to be doing pretty well in Japan.

The PlayStation 3, which received a price cut in late August and got the new Slim version, sold 37,538 units in a week, managing to stay just ahead of the Nintendo Wii, which came up with 35,392 in sales after the company reduced its price to 20,000 Yen. The DS Lite moved more than 10,000 units and the Xbox 360 sold 4,244 in the same time frame.

When it comes to videogames, Wii Fit Plus from Nintendo is the best selling, managing to move more than 340,000 copies in one week on its debut. Inazuma Eleven 2: Kyoui no Shinryakusha from Level 5 for the DS sold 281,000 to get second place, while Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Sliver also for the DS lost one place with 267,000 units sold.

The strong performance of the PSP probably also has something to do with the good sales posted by the release of Grab Turismo, which managed to move 134,000 units followed by Macross Ultimate Frontier from Namco Bandai with 81,000.