PSP games slumping in Japan

TOKYO--Though it's only been six months since the release of the PSP in Japan, its games have been selling poorly. For the week of May 23 to 29, only four PSP games remain in the complete top 50 sales ranking charts of Media Create and Dengeki Online, and none cracked the top 20. The lackluster sales are a result of few major releases this spring.

During the last full week of May, the PSP saw the release of its anticipated new puzzle game Intelligent License, but it appeared in 22nd place on Media Create's chart and 38th place on Dengeki Online's. Other recent PSP releases, Derby Time and Dorasulot: Shuyaku wa Zenigata, slipped below the top 30, but managed to stay above the top 40. The only other PSP game in the sales charts is Minna no Golf Portable, which currently holds 36th place at Media Create and 40th place at Dengeki Online.

On the other hand, six Nintendo DS titles ranked in the top 20 of the two sales charts, three of them being different editions of Nintendogs. Two DS titles ranked inside the top 10: SD Gundam G-Generation DS and the laboriously titled Touhoku Daigaku Mirai Kagakugijutsu Kyoudoukenkyuu Center: Kahashima Ryuuta Kyouju no Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training, a brainteaser and education game codeveloped by Nintendo and professor Ryuuta Kahashima of Touhoku University. This latter game features innovative gameplay and design, and translates to English as Touhoku University's Future Technology Collaborative Research Centre's Professor Ryuuta Kawashima presents: DS Brain Training for Adults. Additionally, Bura Bura Donkey (DK: King of Swing), a Game Boy Advance title, weighed in at 17th place. The DS rankings are all the same on both the Dengeki Online and the Media Create charts.

Nintendo seized the opportunity to release Nintendogs during the typically slow spring season. The company further strengthened the game's sales by strategically shipping it right before the golden week of national holidays in Japan. Nintendogs has been a major hit in the country, and it boosted sales of DS hardware from 21,698 units to 96,191 units during its first week of release. DS sales continue to lead the PSP and PS2 for the week of May 23 to 30. According to Media Create, the dual-screen handheld sold 39,687 units, while the PSP sold 21,996 units and the PS2 sold 35,143 units.

There have been 39 titles released for the PSP thus far, eight of which are published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The number of games available for the DS is nearly identical, with 37 titles, 14 of which are from Nintendo.