14 DAY TRIAL // The Nintendo Wii home gaming console moved to the top of the hardware charts in Japan. For the week that ended on December 27, 2009, the Wii managed to sell no less than 215,129 units, ending the year with one of its biggest totals. It seems that the console, which was characterized as ailing in Japan by Nintendo bosses, is poised for a rebound as long as it has the software power to sustain it.
The Nintendo DSi managed to sell 113,984 units during the same period, with the new DSi LL, featuring a larger screen, moving 81,430 devices, while the older DS Lite sold 17,695. Basically, the Wii and the DS are almost on par when it comes to units moved and way ahead of any competition, the PlayStation 3, which topped the hardware chart before.
The PlayStation Portable from Sony also shot up at the end of the year with 105,801 units sold in one week, while the Xbox 360 only managed 6,489, more than the PSP Go, which sits at 4,192.
A change also took place in the videogame chart, with Final Fantasy XIII, the Japanese role playing game from Square Enix, relinquishing its top place to New Super Mario Bros. Wii from Nintendo. The new Mario adventure sold a little more than half a million units, while Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks went up to number two with 291,000 copies sold on release.
Tomodachi Collection, also for the Nintendo DS, is at number three with 227,000 sold, while Final Fantasy XIII moved close to 190,000 units, bringing its total up to about 1.7 million since its December 17 release. Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver are hanging on to fight place with 125,000 units sold, followed by Wii Fit Plus, Inazuma Eleven 2, Wii Sports Resort and Professor Layton.