DS set to overtake PS2 in early 2008
Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 11:01am by Jack
The idea has been bandied about, dissected, contested and now it appears as though it will finally come to fruition: the DS, that plucky little multicolored portable, is set to overtake the PS2 in Japan sometime in early 2008.
For some, this milestone was a given, especially in light of the portable’s insane sales numbers thoughout late 2006 and all of 2007. According to an article at GameIndustry.biz, the hard facts are thus:
For the week ending December 2 the DS sold 124,627 units, up from 116,694 the previous week, while the Wii shifted 74,764, up from 54,362 in the week before. That brings the lifetime sales figure for the handheld console to 20,284,183 - at which rate it will overtake the PlayStation 2’s lifetime figure in the middle of January next year.
During this period, the two Nintendo consoles were the only ones to see an increase in the number of units sold.
Full Japanese hardware list below…
1. Nintendo DS: 124,627
2. Nintendo Wii: 74,764
3. PlayStation Portable: 74,626
4. PlayStation 3: 37,092
5. PlayStation 2: 13,703
6. Xbox 360: 6632
December 7th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Well yeah, hardware sales are cool on both portable and console sides for the big N, what worries me is the fact that Japan seems to not like console games anymore, Super Mario Galaxy was a mere novelty on the sales chart, and being the best game out this year (IMHO) that is worrying:(
I´m curious to see how No More Heroes and Wii Fit will do, the later could be a big big hit.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Super Mario Galaxy has shown legs, though.
It has sold 30-40k since launch, charting in the top 10, or so.
It isn’t a novelty yet…
In general, though, Japan has moved away from console gaming.
The next real tests will be FF XIII- Even franchises that have sold millions on PS2 have released on PS3 and have sold very poorly(sure, low userbase, but it shows that the past user base is not interested in upgrading)
December 7th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Also, No More Heroes sold 10k on its first day.
WiiFit sold 250k+ (Shipment was 300k[No retailer faith after Super Mario Galaxy sales], sold out in many places) in its first week.
December 7th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Interesting to note that the Wii stomped the PS3 last week after the PS3 slightly edged out the Wii the week before. Those price-drop related blips are hilarious - since it brings all the fanboys out.
December 8th, 2007 at 9:50 am
However, the PSP was 100 units away from outselling the Wii. Why is that?
December 8th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Maybe Japan is running out of room , everything has to be space efficient and thats why portable consoles are becoming more popular. and I bet laptops/notebooks sell more than desktops there.