14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, the PlayStation 3 Slim, with its newly reduced price point, managed to top the charts and move more units than the initial launch of the Sony home console. This week is more normal, with the Nintendo DSi handheld getting back to the first spot in the hardware chart. Still, Sony must be pleased to see that its PS3 continues to sell well in the all-important Japanese market.
The Nintendo DSi has managed to move around 66,500 units in one week, which is pretty standard for it, while the PlayStation 3 placed second, with 55,344 home consoles picked up by gamers. The numbers are especially important when taking into account that the Nintendo Wii, which is in third place, only managed to sell some 17,500 machines in the same time frame, with some potential buyers expecting Nintendo to cut the price of the console as a response to the success of the PS3 Slim.
Meanwhile, the older DS Lite moved about 11,179 handhelds, which is more than the Xbox 360 from Microsoft managed, at 7,568, and more than the even older PlayStation, which sits in last place at 2,612.
When it comes to video games, the reasons for the dominance of the Nintendo DSi are evident. There are two Pokemon-themed video games, which sit at the top and are only released for the handheld device. Pokemon Soul Silver managed to sell 723,000 copies in its debut week, while Pokemon Heart Gold has managed to move 720,000 units in the same period. Tomodachi Collection, also for the DS, is the third best sold video game, with 74,000 units sold. Dragon Quest IX from Square Enix is in fourth place, while the fifth goes to Kidou Senshi Gundam Senki: Lost War Chronicles from Namco Bandai.
With a price cut for the Nintendo Wii all but confirmed for North America, it will be interesting to see how the device performs in Japan in the coming weeks.