Sony’s PlayStation Portable overtakes Nintendo’s 3DS for top spot in Japanese hardware sales
In what can only be likened to a ‘rollercoaster’ couple of weeks for hardware sales in Japan, it seems the number one spot has again changed hands. Second in the previous week’s sales, the PlayStation Portable has jumped straight back into the top spot,
overtaking its closest and only rival, the Nintendo 3DS.
What is interesting though is that both handheld gaming devices have seen a drop in overall sales, but while the PSP stayed relatively constant, losing just over 3000 units worth of sales (dropping from 29,871 units sold to 26,373 units sold) the 3DS went
through a huge drop.
Dropping from the highest sales in the previous week which stood at a staggering 30,233 units sold to a less impressive 22,943 units sold, the 3DS lost out to the ever-consistent PSP in the highly competitive market.
Staying in the top three for another week was another Sony product, as the PlayStation 3 just missed out on the number two spot by a margin of 43 units. Sony’s High Definition console raked in an impressive 22,900 sales and while the figure was lower than
last weeks, it is still impressive for an older consoler.
Also on the chart making an improvement in sales from the previous week was the Nintendo Wii, which sold an impressive 13,068 units. Seeing how the console was the first of the next generation consoles to be released and with its successor, the Nintendo
Wii U, already announced, sales’ figures like these are inspirational.
The Xbox 360 also managed to sneak in some sales, but it seems that Japan just does not seem to want to warm to Microsoft’s hard-core gamer oriented console. The Xbox 360 managed 2,016 sales which pales in comparison to the 22,900 units its competition,
the PlayStation 3, managed to move.
The PlayStation 2 also managed to move a few units as it seems 1,309 people decided they still wanted the console which is around its 10th birthday.
The overall sales level has dropped this week in Japan, but one can expect those figures to shoot right back up as the hectic holiday season approaches.
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