14 DAY TRIAL // For a few weeks now, the Nintendo DS has stood at the top of the chart when it came to gaming hardware sales in Japan. But for the week that ended on March 30 the story has been a bit different. Not only did the PlayStation Portable reclaim the top spot but it also posted record sales numbers.
In a week the gaming console from Sony moved by 130,000 units, more than doubling its sales numbers, while the Nintendo DS posted a slight decrease of around 6,000 units. The Nintendo Wii took third spot with some 50,000 units in sales, while the current gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, we're lagging far behind. The Xbox especially is an under performer with just 1,547 consoles sold, which is around 10% of what the much older PlayStation 2 sold in the same period.
The reason behind the revival of the PSP is a bundle featuring the game Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G and a special PSP decorated with motifs from the game. The game is incredibly popular in Japan, with more than 1 million units being sold in the first three days from the launch.
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G is following up on the success of its predecessor, the PSP game titled Monster Hunter Freedom 2nd that was the second best selling title in Japan, after Nintendo's Wii Sports. The stand-alone expansion offers more weapons, new monsters and also a whole new area called Rain Forest to explore and the option of hiring a Felyne Warrior to help you on your missions.
In the chart for game sales, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G was followed by Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage on the Nintendo Dss, which had a strong second week for a number two game at 106,000 units in sales. Third spot went to Namco Bandai's Mobile Suit Gundam 00, also on the Nintendo DS, which had a good run for its debut week with some 49,000 copies moved.