Big in Japan: Sept. 7-13: Pokemon catches 1.4 million

Sony's $299 PlayStation 3 Slim debuted big in Japan during the first week of September, selling an impressive 151,000 units upon its initial availability, according to industry-tracking Media Create. Into its second week on the market, the 120GB system has again easily outsold its primary competitors, though by a much smaller margin than the week prior.

For the week of September 7-13, Sony's PS3 shifted 55,344 units, well above the Wii's 17,568 units and Xbox 360's 7,568 consoles. Nintendo's DS and DSi easily took the week on the handheld front, with combined sales of 77,677. The PSP shifted 18,375 units on the week, while the PlayStation 2 added 2,612 systems to its lifetime total.

The latest release in Nintendo's ever-popular Pokemon franchise undoubtedly boosted DS sales during the week. Pokemon Soul Silver and Heart Gold sold a respective 723,000 and 720,000 units. Tomodachi Collection continued its strong run on the DS with 74,000 additional units, while fellow DS hit Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Starry Sky added 37,000 units to its total.

Last week's top performer, Mobile Suit Gundam: Battlefield Record U.C. 0081, slipped to fifth, selling 33,000 units, a figure that just edged out Wii Sports Resort's 32,000 weekly performance. Konami's Love Plus on the DS finished the week in seventh with 22,000 units, followed by Monster Hunter 3 on the Wii with 15,000, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PSP with 13,000, and new release Maplus Portable Navigator 3 for the PSP with 12,000.

Week of September 7-13, 2009
Software:
1) Pokemon SoulSilver Version (DS) - 723,000
2) Pokemon HeartGold Version (DS) - 720,000
3) Tomodachi Collection (DS) - 74,000
4) Dragon Quest IX (DS) - 37,000
5) Kidou Senshi Gundam Senki Record U.C. 0081 (PS3) - 33,000
6) Wii Sports Resort (WII) - 32,000
7) Love Plus (DS) - 22,000
8) Monster Hunter Tri (WII) - 15,000
9) Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP) - 13,000
10) Maplus: Portable Navi 3 (PSP) - 12,000

Hardware:
DSi - 66,498
PS3 - 55,344
PSP - 18,375
Wii - 17,568
DS Lite - 11,179
Xbox 360 - 7,568
PS2 - 2,612