Look and learn Mr Kutaragi
Last week’s Japanese hardware sales figures have just been released and, as expected, sales of the DS Lite top the chart. Nintendo shifted nearly 70,000 units in the first week alone, which isn’t all that bad considering the production issues which delayed the launch of the blue coloured DS Lite by a week.
Combined DS and DS Lite sales over the week of February 27 to March 5th were 117,556, not bad for a single week and almost three times the 43,110 PSPs sold in the same week. Sony needs to really put its special handheld-videogame-marketing thinking cap on to reverse the relative decline of the importance of the PSP in Japan.
What is perhaps more telling about the Japanese affinity for all things Nintendo is the fact that the GameCube still outsells Xbox and Xbox 360 - combined. It seems that Microsoft also need to come up with some canny marketing plans to try to bump start the floundering sales performance of its next-gen home console in Japan.
If anyone has any bright ideas how Sony or Microsoft might reverse their foundering Nipponese fortunes, then just let us know in the forums below.
Japanese hardware sales Feb 27 - Mar 5
* DS Lite: 68,438
* DS: 49,118
* PSP: 43,110
* PS2: 25,778
* GBA SP: 5,493
* GB Micro: 3,213
* Gamecube: 1,489
* Xbox 360: 1,240
* Xbox: 101
* GBA: 98
Combined DS and DS Lite sales over the week of February 27 to March 5th were 117,556, not bad for a single week and almost three times the 43,110 PSPs sold in the same week. Sony needs to really put its special handheld-videogame-marketing thinking cap on to reverse the relative decline of the importance of the PSP in Japan.
What is perhaps more telling about the Japanese affinity for all things Nintendo is the fact that the GameCube still outsells Xbox and Xbox 360 - combined. It seems that Microsoft also need to come up with some canny marketing plans to try to bump start the floundering sales performance of its next-gen home console in Japan.
If anyone has any bright ideas how Sony or Microsoft might reverse their foundering Nipponese fortunes, then just let us know in the forums below.
Japanese hardware sales Feb 27 - Mar 5
* DS Lite: 68,438
* DS: 49,118
* PSP: 43,110
* PS2: 25,778
* GBA SP: 5,493
* GB Micro: 3,213
* Gamecube: 1,489
* Xbox 360: 1,240
* Xbox: 101
* GBA: 98
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Comments
majin dboy 14 Mar 2006 19:34
1/5
nice one.was reading about this on ign.
nintendo's next step regarding the DS/lite is to try and emulate the success of their newest handheld across the world.
im talking ques miles long and angry nintendo fans seeking out every PSP and smashing it to pieces.CMON NINTENDO.
nintendo's next step regarding the DS/lite is to try and emulate the success of their newest handheld across the world.
im talking ques miles long and angry nintendo fans seeking out every PSP and smashing it to pieces.CMON NINTENDO.
Joji 14 Mar 2006 19:56
2/5
Must be like a second christmas for nintendo right now. There also seems to be a rivival not just in their fortune but also they and other DS developers games produce for the DS, and the general buzz from the people in the street.
This all bodes well for the upcoming Revolution. I'm sure the cheap price and variety of games to download will have these same people packing out the streets in sleeping bags again.
Sony and MS can't do anything really except try to spoil the party with PS3 news and 360 releases. PSP is now a distant memeory for Nintendo. With two bversions of the DS and two GBAs there's no coming back for Sony from this pounding IMO.
As for MS, their gaijin fortunes were always marked for deathly sales. If they can't beat GC in japan with both Xboxs' they have no hope in japan at all. It won't matter what games grace 360.
This all bodes well for the upcoming Revolution. I'm sure the cheap price and variety of games to download will have these same people packing out the streets in sleeping bags again.
Sony and MS can't do anything really except try to spoil the party with PS3 news and 360 releases. PSP is now a distant memeory for Nintendo. With two bversions of the DS and two GBAs there's no coming back for Sony from this pounding IMO.
As for MS, their gaijin fortunes were always marked for deathly sales. If they can't beat GC in japan with both Xboxs' they have no hope in japan at all. It won't matter what games grace 360.
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ann0uk 14 Mar 2006 20:53
3/5
MS will not be too worried about the poor sales of both the Xbox brands in Japan, North America and Europe are lucrative for them.
Sony will copy Nintendo with the touchscreen in the PSP2 and they will copy the Revolution controller should it become successful. As a Nintendo fan that pisses me off but that is business.
Only Nintendo will know how to make the best of these innovations though.
Sony will copy Nintendo with the touchscreen in the PSP2 and they will copy the Revolution controller should it become successful. As a Nintendo fan that pisses me off but that is business.
Only Nintendo will know how to make the best of these innovations though.
Ditto 14 Mar 2006 22:34
4/5
ann0uk wrote:
MS will not be too worried about the poor sales of both the Xbox brands in Japan, North America and Europe are lucrative for them.
I think that you're right there.
Sony will copy Nintendo with the touchscreen in the PSP2 and they will copy the Revolution controller should it become successful.
I agree about the touch screen. I don't think they'd dare copy the Revo directly, but I can see them doing a variant.
Only Nintendo will know how to make the best of these innovations though.
No evidence of this yet me for me.
ann0uk 15 Mar 2006 00:31
5/5
No evidence that is right, but Nintendo have made a big gamble with this new controlling mechanism and they have never dissapointed me with their excellent first party software. I am getting rather tired of the PR bullshit that is coming from them, we need some concrete answers but come E3 I think that Nintendo will have some inspiring things to show.
I think if Sony were to either copy directly or in another way they will lose some credability but in the world of business and to their fanbase it doesnt really matter.
I think if Sony were to either copy directly or in another way they will lose some credability but in the world of business and to their fanbase it doesnt really matter.