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PS3 beats Wii in Japan for second month running

Sony's console once again tops Nintendo's once-unstoppable platform in the two companies' home country, reports Enterbrain.

Since last year, the Wii and DS have been the two top-selling platforms in the US, according to sales figures from the NPD Group. However, Nintendo's reign appears to be coming to an end in Japan, where both its console and handhelds are locked in a fierce battle with rival devices from Sony. On the portable front, the PSP beat the DSi on the Media Create sales charts last week, 41,200 units to 37,500 units. However, the DS Lite sold 6,400 units, bringing the total DS sales to 43,900 units.

PS3 ichiban!

PS3 ichiban!

Less closely contested is the console matchup, which saw the Wii lose to the PlayStation 3 for the second month in a row in April. According to sales figures provided to Reuters by Enterbrain, the industry-tracking company that publishes Famitsu magazine, the PS3 sold 108,530 units in Japan in the four weeks before April 26--down from 146,948 the month before. By contrast, the Wii sold just 67,116 units of the Wii, down from its 99,335 March total--a 63 percent fall from March 2008.

Even before today's report, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata conceded that Wii sales were "unhealthy" in his home country. The Wall Street Journal went as far as to quote analysts who called the Kyoto-based game giant--once Japan's second-most valuable corporation--as "vulnerable." Nintendo, though, has taken steps to invigorate its console's appeal by adding new features. This week, it launched the Wii no Ma video service (see below), which lets players download video content and either watch it on their consoles or transfer it to the new DSi handheld.

366 Comments

  • aaronobst

    Posted May 9, 2009 8:35 pm GMT

    bring on the third month in a few... and the fourth, and the fifth, and the sixth.....

  • nicebai1224

    Posted May 6, 2009 3:35 pm GMT

    playstation 3 ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!Yeah get some....i have a wii and a ps3 but i rather the ps3 over the wii..ps3 is better buy..worth the money

  • Onyx79

    Posted May 6, 2009 5:23 am GMT

    Could we possibly, pretty please, stop having a go at one another with the same old "mine is better than yours" line? Each systems are good in their own ways, if you do not like a particular system for some obscure reasons, have some respect for the people who happen to like the said system. It's the only way you'll ever get the respect back. This will go on forever otherwise, and to be completely honest, it is tiring to go through all those comments sorting out the ones that actually relate to the article above.
    Thanks for the read!

  • MagicOneUp

    Posted May 6, 2009 4:04 am GMT

    @ Malco_Vincenzo
    games are coming out like a year late on the ps3. what good is that. i've played bioshock like three times over and you are probably still waiting... games on 360 do have higher resolutions, other sites do comparison and nine out of ten times, 360 out on top. sony's big guns exclusives are most out... not much left. half of what you mentioned are averages. so as sony post losses too..so what are you saying? if you think MSG4 has good graphics... 360 will blows you away.

  • AngryFingers

    Posted May 5, 2009 5:02 pm GMT

    I seriously don't know what exclusives the 360 has anymore. I think the PS3 will sell like crazy for the US when God of War 3 comes out and for Japan, when Final Fantasy XIII come out (since they won't get it for the 360 there).

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted May 5, 2009 11:04 am GMT

    this is the time that sony says thank god we didn't lower the price

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted May 5, 2009 11:02 am GMT

    xbox has halo, wii has wii sports, but even though its my favorite console im not sure what that killer exclusive is for ps3, my favorite is mgs4

  • Malco_Vincenzo

    Posted May 5, 2009 10:57 am GMT

    @ MagicOneUp
    "you just wish you hadnt bought a ps3.... its rubbish i know. less games, late games fewer exclusives, games looks better on 360, higher resolutions on 360.... "

    okay bud. I sold my wii to get the money for my PS3. and how many exclusives does the 360 have over the PS3? any JRPG that is a 360 "exclusive" is going to be on the PS3 a year later with more features. Look at Eternal Sonota. The only exclusives the 360 has are Halo 3, Fable 2, and Gears of War 2. PS3 has; Uncharted, MGS4, Warhawk, Folklore, Killzone 2, God of War 3(coming), FF 13 Versus (coming), Infamous, and many more. This year the PS3 has had the most exclusives drop and the 360 has had diddly squat. That's why MS has to buy exclusivity. That's also why MS only posted a profit last year for the first time with a just last month they're already reported losses. Higher resolutions on the 360 my backside. Uncharted and MGS4 beat the snot out of any 360 game.

  • thekey

    Posted May 5, 2009 9:17 am GMT

    Trey 4 Life!!!!

  • Onyx79

    Posted May 5, 2009 3:34 am GMT

    I personally think it is great to see the PS3 doing so well. It has taken a long time but it is getting there. The PS3 is a good console, it still lacks that "special" something, unlike its two rivals, the PS3 does not yet have an identity which in my opinion is not helping in the sales. The Wii is great also, very innovative, the only console that has managed to bring gaming to all kind of gamers from very young to very old, that was and still is its main focus, and Nintendo is very good at it. The fact the sales for it have gone down may well be due to the fact that almost everyone in Japan already has a Wii? Who knows? The 360 is, in my opinion, also a great console. It's main focus is its online community. It has a variety of games for all gamers alike, most of them can be played online through Live, it has a constant stream of downloadable content from Movies to Demos to Expansion packs to Arcade games amongst other things. The Live content is, in my opinion, far richer than what can be found on PSN. I believe the Wii is not trying to be something it's not. Unlike its two rivals, who would have thought that both Sony and Microsoft be looking into motion sensing technology? Why oh why? I understand that Sony might want to rectify the error its sixaxis was but Microsoft has no reasons (except for wanting to keep up with the technology and get its share of that particular market I guess). Now that motion sensing play seem to have gone out of fashion, I would like to see Sony and Microsoft drop their intentions of bettering the Wii and concentrate on kick ass games instead.
    I really would like to see PS3 do well, that FFXIII Demo release has certainly shown the interest of Japanese gamers alike. If Sony wanted to mirror those sales figures in the West, they better give us the same treatment as our Japanese counterparts. Anyway, well done Sony on your eastern success.
    PS: Before fanboys go all trigger happy (thumbs down) on my comment, I'd like them to know this is my personal opinion, have some respect. I have had the Wii, PS3 and 360 since they were released and I have equal respect of those systems in their own rights.

  • MagicOneUp posted May 5, 2009 3:13 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    MagicOneUp

    Posted May 5, 2009 3:13 am GMT (hide)

    @Malco_Vincenzo
    you just wish you hadnt bought a ps3.... its rubbish i know. less games, late games fewer exclusives, games looks better on 360, higher resolutions on 360....

  • bam226

    Posted May 5, 2009 1:08 am GMT

    ps360 ftw!!!! sorry just felt like posting dat. lol

  • gameking5000

    Posted May 4, 2009 11:28 pm GMT

    @darth_slayer33

    If you think the Wii is kiddy then respect that however I don't. If one console is "kiddy" then leave alone. Saying that just because one console isn't and the other one is is childish.

  • darth_slayer33

    Posted May 4, 2009 9:03 pm GMT

    I hate the wii and how kiddy it is. I also don't like motion controls. I'm a PC person than a console one. But I still play a lot of console games as well. I like the ps 3 and the 360 equally. I'm no fanboy of either system. But I'm glad the ps3 is beating the wii in sales.

  • Xz310

    Posted May 4, 2009 6:37 pm GMT

    Wow whatever happened to the 360

    So much better... BUT the problem is that most of the good games on the Xbox 360, are also on the PS3
    and most of the new(2009(which some are not on the PS3)) games for 360 suck.

    Im still waitin for BioShock 2,
    which is also on PS3...
    Damn

  • hatieshorrer

    Posted May 4, 2009 6:23 pm GMT

    @KhanhAgE

    Considering the PS3 sales increase started about the time of the FF13 demo on PS3 I think you made a very foolish comment because FF4 the after years is set to be released on Nintendo Wii.

  • andrew_ribbons

    Posted May 4, 2009 6:18 pm GMT

    Shame the Japanese are so xenophobic and won't try the 360 more often now it's so cheap, which has a wealth of truly great games that can appeal to anyone in the world. The 360 also has some pretty good JRPGs on it now, so they can't bring that argument against it up "not fitting in with our culture" and all that.

  • DeanoFantasy

    Posted May 4, 2009 5:09 pm GMT

    People have got to understand that the PS3's price is never going to fall to thier expectations! it is reasonable at its cost now with what your getting inside the machine, I'm happy I have one! cant imagine not owning one now! lol

  • Payback7

    Posted May 4, 2009 4:20 pm GMT

    I'm a Nintendo fan - always have been. But I'm happy for Sony as well. Great systems. When the PS3 is a bit cheaper I'll pick one up. If Nintendo brought out more RPG's then I wouldn't need to pick up another console

  • DrKill09

    Posted May 4, 2009 4:08 pm GMT

    Sony's kickin some ass! Woot!

  • RockmanSRD

    Posted May 4, 2009 1:10 pm GMT

    This is great news for Sony.

    I love my PS3.

  • nini200

    Posted May 4, 2009 12:24 pm GMT

    @Everybody that want's Kid Icarus Wii
    For the last time, Kid Icarus, even if it was made Would NOT be a Triple A Title if it's created by the same team that did the older titles. The Old Kid Icarus Games were ok at best (Anybody that has actually played them would agree). The only reason people are complaining to Nintendo that they want a new Kid Icarus game on the Wii is because they like Pit's character design on SSBB, That's it. That wasn't even his original character design (Which was terrible).

    On Topic:
    This is good for Sony fans but you have to realize that the PS3 is doing awful in comparison to the other two systems in terms of total sales. I personally like all three systems (minus the 80, 40 and 20GB PS3 which are crap compared to the 60GB PS3). But I realize which Systems actually went forward and which one started out in a forward step then took 3 steps back by taking everything off with each new model (I mean really Sony, Why did you take off/limit the Backwards Compatibility?). Aside from that, PS3 is a good system, but it has lost MOST of it's exclusive titles to competition. I must still congratulate them though on the sales. Good Job Sony.

  • ShadowOfKratos

    Posted May 4, 2009 12:23 pm GMT

    PS3's 2009 lineup... and yea, it is true that eventually/basically everyone would have wii at home.

  • Malco_Vincenzo

    Posted May 4, 2009 12:11 pm GMT

    @ HailToTheGun

    "@Malco_Vincenzo

    Because potential-Wii owners brought guns."

    sorry I was talking about actual fistfights that happened over the PS3. Also I can't see any 12 year old with a gun.

  • KhanhAgE

    Posted May 4, 2009 11:59 am GMT

    This is what happens when your console's last major title is Wii Music.

  • Malco_Vincenzo

    Posted May 4, 2009 11:33 am GMT

    @ FoxExecutive

    "What are you saying? That a lot of PS3 owners are childish morons?"

    No, I was saying that the PS3 was the only system that gamers went out for in a hardcore, fan-crazed fashion. The wii was the system that catered to the people who didn't want to spend a lot of money and/or wanted the gimmick item. the 360 sold for the Halo/Fable guys.

    "1. A 50 dollar price drop I think could help Nintendo. It has helped boost sales for every other system, so why not Nintendo? If you don't drop the price, add Wii Motion + and Wii Sports Resort to the sale of the Wii. If would be much easier for Nintendo to get people to own the WM+ if it was packaged in with the Wii instead of a standalone game."

    This won't boost any sales. If you don't own the wii then a game that you're gonna play for about 4 days won't sell any extra systems. Especially not in Japan. No one's gonna go 'OMG WII SPORTS RESORTS!!! GOTTA GET THIS GAME!!'

    "2. Divert all projects that had the name Wii in it to creating some new AAA titles: Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong, and Pikmin."

    There there already is a Pikmin game for the wii in the works, Kid Icarus was not a polular character in SSB Brawl so I doubt that anyone would buy that game. Donkey Kong would have to be done with the effort of SM Galaxy behind it. But in all seriousness the wii's hayday is over. If a hardcore game like MadWorld sells like crap this shows that core players have given up and don't even care.

  • alkaline_DnB

    Posted May 4, 2009 11:33 am GMT

    ps3 brings a gun to a knife fight.

  • delcidanddarth

    Posted May 4, 2009 11:32 am GMT

    it's not surprising that sales are down across the board... the economy has been sucking for awhile now.

    Although a lot of people say that "everyone in japan" has a wii and that's why sales are down, I would say the only evidence listed in the story that has anything to do with this theory is the concurrent slump in DS sales. The DSi has not been out long enough to saturate the market, yet is in a very close sales fight with the PSP.

    I would say these numbers have much more to do with available titles for each console. If you click on the "PSP beat the DSi..." link, you can see that weekly sales of the Wii increased significantly with the release of Monster Hunter G, though this did not push it past the PS3 for sales.

    However, it's anyone's guess as to how this translates to future U.S. sales. If history is any lesson, then trends in Japan tend to occur in the U.S. later... but like I said earlier, this has a lot to do with software titles... and titles in the U.S. and Japan are drastically different.

  • Incubus420

    Posted May 4, 2009 11:30 am GMT

    PS3 is doing well there because of the release of Yakuza on the PS3. This is one of the most popular games in JP. Its good to have some good news though. Keep it up Sony.

  • FoxExecutive

    Posted May 4, 2009 11:09 am GMT

    @Malco_Vincenzo

    What are you saying? That a lot of PS3 owners are childish morons? That makes about as much sense as people who shoot each other over a pair of shoes.

    In an earlier post I mentioned that it would be interesting to see how Nintendo counteracts this. I have a few ideas.

    1. A 50 dollar price drop I think could help Nintendo. It has helped boost sales for every other system, so why not Nintendo? If you don't drop the price, add Wii Motion + and Wii Sports Resort to the sale of the Wii. If would be much easier for Nintendo to get people to own the WM+ if it was packaged in with the Wii instead of a standalone game. If you own a Wii obviously you will still have to buy the standalone package.

    2. Divert all projects that had the name Wii in it to creating some new AAA titles: Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong, and Pikmin.

    3. Continue all AAA titles in the works: Mario, Zelda, Metroid (maybe?)

    4. Bury Wii Music in a New Mexico landfill along with a certain friendly alien

  • HailToTheGun

    Posted May 4, 2009 11:02 am GMT

    @Malco_Vincenzo

    Because potential-Wii owners brought guns.

  • Malco_Vincenzo posted May 4, 2009 10:49 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Malco_Vincenzo

    Posted May 4, 2009 10:49 am GMT (hide)

    last time I checked the PS3 was the only console this generation that people got into fistfights over while in line.

  • JackHoleFace00

    Posted May 4, 2009 10:06 am GMT

    Put it this way: The Wii is/was a fad. But admittedly it's been an enormous success. Just not for the right reasons, which should be a large selection of regularly released games; instead it was because there was all this buzz over the new control scheme and how it appeals to all these different demographics.

    Current people saying things like "well Wii is still in the lead by far so who cares" make a good point, but only for THIS generation. Cuz guess what? They will NOT be able to repeat their success NEXT generation. If Nintendo releases another low-res system with (mostly) poor games and poor 3rd party support, whatever novelty they want to come up with (like motion controls) isn't going to matter; all the people who bought the Wii and were upset with it will just say "not this time."

  • nintendo-naut

    Posted May 4, 2009 9:49 am GMT

    Does no one see the reason for this? Every family in Japan has a Wii. What's next? The PS3 of course!

  • THORINATOR

    Posted May 4, 2009 9:46 am GMT

    No surprise really, the PS3 has built up some excellent exclusives with plenty more on the way in the next few months! keep pushing out quality titles Sony & also give us a nice price reduction on the PS3 & i'm sure sales will go through the roof!

  • dynomitemasta

    Posted May 4, 2009 9:35 am GMT

    It doesn't mean much really, the 360 also outsold the PS3 in Japan for like 7 weeks at one point..... Now, if they can pull that off in the US it would mean something.

  • willie699

    Posted May 4, 2009 9:14 am GMT

    Well done PS3. I think an eventual catch up process for sales was inevitable, it looks like its starting now with the PS3 actually getting into full swing. No doubt the Motion Plus will deliver unfulfilled promises and half assed games, but still bolster Nintendos sales.

  • masterds64

    Posted May 4, 2009 9:05 am GMT

    If the wii goes down, they would end up like sega did, that's half good half bad...

    That said, prehaps they will change thier ways a bit so they can not just bring casuals and kiddies, but hardcore gamers like me (very few games impress me on the wii, which isn't a good sign for a nintendo fan...)

  • 0678

    Posted May 4, 2009 8:48 am GMT

    woo go ps3. i can only assume the reason why this has occured is everyone in japan already owns a wii! like most users are saying 5 years and te ps3 should be where the wii is now. good for you.

  • MrZilch

    Posted May 4, 2009 8:21 am GMT

    That's nice. Now if only the fanboys would realize that it'll still take until 2013 -- assuming this rate of sales -- for the PS3 to pull even with the Wii. Nintendo is not in any danger of losing the lead.

  • xbox4life76

    Posted May 4, 2009 7:47 am GMT

    I guess this is the chance for PS 3 owners to gloat about how great their system is and how crappy the Wii is, but truth be told...there are more Wii's out there then PS 3's...why...affordability (is that even a word??). Ya the Wii doesn't compare to graphics and such to the Wii but the Wii is as discussed a billion times, a console where all ages can play with ease...so don't say it's a joke cause the millionaires/billionaires at Nintendo are the one's laughing...

  • senton94

    Posted May 4, 2009 7:22 am GMT

    I hope Wii'll go down so Nintendo may come to their senses...

    No, wait, that won't happen anyway...

  • Unassigned

    Posted May 4, 2009 7:06 am GMT

    The PS3 took so long to catch up in sales numbers for a good reason....lack of games. Maybe Wii games are not good but at least their trying to bring something to the customers. Sony's spending too much time trying to add gimmicky items to the PS3 while the Wii is just tossing out games.

  • boyplaybox

    Posted May 4, 2009 6:49 am GMT

    its a miracle that nintendo still survive against two big giant

  • Rect_Pola

    Posted May 4, 2009 6:15 am GMT

    Nintendo can complain the Japanese consumer is fickle and has a low attention span, but they still have no one to blame but themselves for not adapting to the challenge. They've always made good games, but the delay's too long.

    Their fanbase was/is strong enough to hold them like it did with N64 and GC, when they were the main source of good stuff aside from the decent 3rd party effort once in a blue moon. But now they have an audience that isn't used to this crap. I can't believe they expected the casual gamers to appreciate waiting. I don't want a drop in quality any more than anyone, so the key is far more aggressive steps need to be taken to get 3rd parties to develop for Wii to fill the void and get their own action. And I don't mean adding to the lazy port/shovelware parade, I mean REAL games.

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted May 4, 2009 6:11 am GMT

    It's funny how people say this is good news...both the PS3 and the Wii consoles sales tanked...just the Wii tanked harder.

  • Dante2710

    Posted May 4, 2009 5:10 am GMT

    not surprised, almost everyone owns a wii in japan by now

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