For the first time in a while, Microsoft can boast about the success it is enjoying on the Japanese hardware market. The Xbox 360 gaming console has managed to outsell both the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, probably because of the popularity of Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the newly released JRPG.

The best selling console in Japan is the handheld Nintendo DS, which moved about 51,000 units, registering a 16,000 fall in sales, mainly because of lack of new game releases. The PlayStation Portable, made by Sony, also saw its numbers drop by no less than 4,500 units, to reach sales of 29,552 for one week.

The only videogame console that saw an increase in the number of units sold was the Xbox 360. The console increased sales by over 150%, which means that it has reached 25,334 units sold, up by 15,500. This is just 4,000 behind the PSP, and well ahead of the other home gaming consoles. The Nintendo Wii slowed down even further, selling 16,973 units in one week, while the Sony made PlayStation 3 is quickly catching up, managing to sell 16,149. We might just see a chart next week featuring the Nintendo Wii at number five in the hardware sales chart.

The best sold game in Japan was Star Ocean: The Last Hope, developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix. It has sold 162,000 units in its debut week, which is quite a respectable number. Mario & Luigi RPG 3 is in second spot, selling just 62,000 units. The next three spots in the videogame chart are occupied by different versions of the same game. Although they all sold for the PlayStation Portable, the three variations of Idolmaster SP, called Perfect Sun, Missing Moon and Wandering Star, are presented as separate products. Together, they moved around 120,000 copies for publisher Namco Bandai.