14 DAY TRIAL // While we are waiting for the NPD Group to release the sales figures for September, which should have been out on Friday but have been delayed because of some processing issues, the latest hardware and software numbers out of Japan are available, with sales of all gaming hardware falling even as all the big consoles are cheaper and with Pokemon dominating the scene.
The Nintendo DSi handheld moved a little over 50,000 units in one week, managing to again top the chart, while the PlayStation Portable from Sony seems unable to mount a solid challenge, trailing the Nintendo device by about 10,000 units. It's not clear how much effect the launch of the new PSP Go has had on the Sony device.
The PlayStation 3 is the best sold home gaming console, managing to move 30,896 units, just ahead of a resurgent Nintendo Wii, buoyed by a price cut, which reached 30,741 console sold in one week. The DS Lite shipped almost 5,500 items, while the Xbox 360 sold 3,326 units, staying ahead of the PlayStation 2.
Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver are on top of the software chart, managing to move 188,625 copies between October 5 and 11, showing that the dueling characters have more staying power with gamers than Wii Fit Plus from Nintendo, which sold 152,587 in the same time frame. Nintendo had a one-two punch, proving that it can dominate the Japanese market.
The closest competitor is Atlus, which released a role playing game called Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for the Nintendo DS. It sold a little fewer than 100,000 units to take third spot, ahead of Inazuma Eleven 2: Kyoui no Shinryokusha Fire and Blizzard from Level Five, and of Tomodachi Collection from Nintendo.