14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, there were speculations that the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 might jump over the Nintendo Wii, as far as sales on the Japanese market were concerned, and this week, with the help of the very popular Yakuza series, the Sony made home gaming console has even managed to overtake the Nintendo DSi in overall numbers.
Overall, the Nintendo DS sold best, with around 47,000 units moved to customers in one week. But both the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 3 have managed to sell more than the DSi, which is the newest version of the handheld. It sold 35,827 units, 6,000 less than the previous week, while the PSP sold 35,588 units and the PlayStation 3 managed to post a figure of 36,513, which is more than double than in the previous week.
Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 slumped back to the usual levels it has in Japan, selling 11,795 units, which is less than half what it managed in the previous week. The Nintendo Wii has sold just 17,876 consoles, pointing to a potential saturation of the market. The PS2 is, as usual, the last in the hardware chart, moving just 5,099 units.
Yakuza 3, a game that is known as Ryu ga Gotoku in Japan, sold 372,000 units in its first week in the software charts, boosting the sales of the PS3. Shin Sangoku Musou: Multi Ra from Koei, for the PlayStation Portable, is in second place, with 219,000 copies sold, while Mario & Luigi RPG 3 is still selling well at number three. One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 2 - Mezameru Yuusha from Namco Bandai, for the Nintendo Wii, is at number four, but failed to make an impact in the sales of the Wii, while another title from the same publisher, Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 2, is in fifth spot.