Japan: 360 Takes the Cake, Wii and PS3 Fight for Crumbs

Media Create Sales: 02/16 - 02/22 (HARDWARE)

Does that leave DS and PSP with the icing or what?


DSi - 41,839
PSP - 29,552
Xbox 360 - 25,334
Wii - 16,973
PS3 - 16,149
DS Lite - 9,975
PS2 - 5,029

Japanese Sales: 360's Star Shines, Wii's Zombie Dead on Arrival

Media Create Sales: 02/16 - 02/22
01. [360] Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope (Square Enix) 162,000 / NEW
02. [NDS] Mario & Luigi RPG 3 (Nintendo) 62,000 / 255,000
03. [PSP] Idolmaster SP: Perfect Sun (Namco Bandai) 46,000 / NEW
04. [PSP] Idolmaster SP: Missing Moon (Namco Bandai) 39,000 / NEW
05. [PSP] Idolmaster SP: Wandering Star (Namco Bandai) 35,000 / NEW
06. [NDS] Shining Force Feather (SEGA) 30,000 / NEW
07. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) (Capcom) 18,000 / 435,000
08. [PS2] Sacred Blaze (Flight Plan) 17,000 / NEW
09. [PS3] Street Fighter IV (Capcom) 17,000 / 103,000
10. [PS3] Demon's Souls (SCE) 15,000 / 78,000

(click to enlarge)

11. [PSP] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami)
12. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo)
13. [PS2] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami)
14. [PSP] Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 (Namco Bandai)
15. [PSP] Kidou Senshi Gundam: Giren no Yabou - Axis no Kyoui V (Namco Bandai)
16. [WII] Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Namco Bandai)
17. [NDS] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix)
18. [NDS] Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo)
19. [360] DoDonPachi Daioujou Black Label Extra (Genterprise)
20. [PS2] Kidou Senshi Gundam: Giren no Yabou - Axis no Kyoui V (Namco Bandai)
21. [WII] Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop (Capcom)
22. [NDS] Chou Gekijouban Keroro Gunsou: Gekishin Dragon Warriors de Arimasu! (Namco Bandai)
23. [WII] Wii Play: Mario Tennis (Nintendo)
24. [NDS] Wagamama Fashion: Girl's Mode (Nintendo)
25. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
26. [WII] Wii Play: Metroid Prime (Nintendo)
27. [NDS] Pokémon Platinum (Pokémon)
28. [PSP] Tenchu 4 PSP (From Software)
29. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven (Level 5)
30. [NDS] Penguin no Mondai: Saikyou Penguin Densetsu! (Konami)

UK - Street Fighter IV Dethrones Wii Fit

Street Fighter IV has debuted in the number 1 spot on the UK Top 40 chart, taking the place of the 5-week king, Wii Fit.

Also making an impressive debut is Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, in the number 3 spot. Ben 10: Alien Force made a leap from 13 to 4. Another new appearance is the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection. The reshuffling this week has pushed F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin from number 2 to number 10. Mystery Case Files: Millionheir has plummeted from number 3 to number 26.

Disney’s Bolt made an impressive jump from number 40 to number 12. Ubisoft’s My Fitness coach was bumped from number 8 to number 20. Atari’s Race Pro makes a new appearance.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand makes an appearance on the chart at number 22. Skate 2 has fallen from number 21 to 38. Left 4 Dead falls from 11 to 25.

Rank – Title – Publisher

1. Street Fighter IV – Capcom
2. Wii Fit – Nintendo
3. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – THQ
4. Ben 10: Alien Force – D3P
5. FIFA 09 – EA
6. Call of Duty: World at War – Activision Blizzard
7. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection – Sega
8. Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo
9. Wii Play – Nintendo

10. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin – Warner Bros. Interactive
11. Professor Layton and the Curious Village – Nintendo
12. Disney’s Bolt – Disney Interactive Studios
13. Race Pro – Atari
14. Grand Theft Auto IV – Take 2
15. The House of the Dead: Overkill – Sega
16. Guitar Hero: World tour – Activision Blizzard
17. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – Sega
18. Carnival: Funfair Games – Take 2
19. Need for Speed: Undercover – EA

20. My Fitness Coach – Ubisoft
21. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Activision Blizzard
22. 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand – THQ
23. Lego Batman: The Videogame – Warner Bros. Interactive
24. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training – Nintendo
25. Left 4 Dead – EA
26. Mystery Case Files: Millionheir – Nintendo
27. Mario Kart DS – Nintendo
28. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Eidos
29. Lego Indiana Jones: Original Adventures – LucasArts

30. Football Manager 2009 – Sega
31. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 – Konami
32. New Super Mario Bros. – Nintendo
33. LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment
34. Sonic Unleashed – Sega
35. Puzzler Collection – Ubisoft
36. Shaun White Snowboarding – Ubisoft
37. Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City – Nintendo
38. Skate 2 – EA
39. The Lord of the Rings: Conquest – EA
40. Quantum of Solace – Activision Blizzard

MC 2009-02-09 and Famitsu 2009-01-26: Things of Note

Based on the latest Famitsu hardware numbers...
PSP comparisons: After 218 weeks, PSP is where PS2 was at 170.4 weeks (June 4, 2003), where DS was at 96.9 weeks (October 7, 2006), and where GBA was at 147.0 weeks (January 11, 2004).

X360 comparisons: After 166 weeks, X360 is where GCN was at 16.0 weeks (December 30, 2001), where PS3 was at 28.4 weeks (May 23, 2007), and where Wii was at 4.7 weeks (December 29, 2006).

PS3 comparisons: After 118 weeks, PS3 is where PS2 was at 32.7 weeks (October 13, 2000), where PSP was at 57.8 weeks (January 14, 2006), where GCN was at 118.9 weeks (December 20, 2003), and where Wii was at 30.9 weeks (June 30, 2007).

Wii comparisons: After 115 weeks, Wii is where GBA was at 93.7 weeks (January 3, 2003), where DS was at 75.1 weeks (May 8, 2006), where PS2 was at 111.7 weeks (April 19, 2002), and where PSP was at 162.1 weeks (January 14, 2008).

DSi comparisons: After 15 weeks, DSi is where GBASP was at 32.7 weeks (September 26, 2003), and where DSL was at 12.1 weeks (May 22, 2006).


Based on the latest Media Create hardware numbers...
DS vs PSP: Weekly shares of 66.6 / 33.4 bring total shares to 68.8 / 31.2. If DS stopped selling and PSP continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 411.4 weeks (January 4, 2017).

X360 vs PS3: Weekly shares of 34.5 / 65.5 bring total shares to 24.4 / 75.6. If PS3 stopped selling and X360 continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 193.1 weeks (October 29, 2012).

PS3 vs Wii: Weekly shares of 47.0 / 53.0 bring total shares to 26.5 / 73.5. If Wii stopped selling and PS3 continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 266.0 weeks (March 23,2014).

Week over week, most things are up by a few hundred to a few thousand. PSP is the exception, down by less than a thousand.

Famitsu Software Stuff
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 continues doing well in its second week. It's now the top Tales of the World title


as well as having the highest total of any Tales since late 2006's Tales of Destiny PS2 remake.


Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (3314) is no longer the fastest-selling Taiko game for its age, falling behind PS2's Taiko 3 (1284). Taiko 3 is currently has the second-highest Taiko total on record, while Taiko Wii is sixth.


Inazuma Eleven reappears on the charts. This is its first time in the Top 30 this year, but it must never been too far from it; it's gained about 46K since we last saw it in the 2008 Top 100 list.

Landmark: 360 Hits 900k in Japan; Still Short of Goal

Japan - Just four short months ago we posted an article that quoted Microsoft's goal of one million units for the land of the rising sun.

That goal came a little bit closer to reality last week, if only incrementally: 360 has now passed the nine hundred thousand barrier and is just one hundred thousand short of Microsoft's goal.

When the goal was first asserted back in October, the 360 was hovering near seven hundred thousand units. Since then the 360 has seen a two hundred thousand unit surge in four months.

While some scoff at the American entry's attempts at Japanese assimilation, there's little doubt that Microsoft's machine has altered the market forever.

Potentially the most important factor is that Microsoft forced Sony to answer to the 360 before they were done milking the PS2 for long-tail software sales.

Instead, Sony pushed through plans to produce a hardware behemoth that would compete with the 360 in the US. The effects of this have been clearly felt in Japanese sales, where Sony's entry is lagging far behind the third player in the market, Nintendo's Wii.

There are numerous reasons why the PS3 hasn't met expectations (and they've been covered to death), but no small part of that analysis is price which is clearly related to hardware costs...and Microsoft, in whole or in part, can take credit (or blame) for forcing Sony's hand on the issue.

Whether or not Microsoft will translate the paltry-but-not-nonexistent userbase into future profits in the Japanese market is to be determined. But this is a start.

(click to enlarge)

Japanese Sales: Mario & Luigi Beat Ken & Ryu In Battle to the Pain

Media Create Sales: 02/09 - 02/15 Software
01. [NDS] Mario & Luigi RPG 3 (Nintendo) 193,000 / NEW
02. [PS3] Street Fighter IV (Capcom) 86,000 / NEW
03. [PSP] Kidou Senshi Gundam: Giren no Yabou (Namco Bandai) 40,000 / NEW
04. [PS2] Kidou Senshi Gundam: Giren no Yabou (Namco Bandai) 38,000 / NEW
05. [360] Street Fighter IV (Capcom) 38,000 / NEW
06. [PSP] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami) 27,000 / 174,000
07. [PS2] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami) 25,000 / 170,000
08. [PS3] Demon's Souls (SCE) 22,000 / 62,000
09. [PSP] Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 (Namco Bandai) 22,000 / 280,000
10. [NDS] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix) 20,000 / 156,000

11. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) (Capcom)
12. [PSP] Tenchu 4 PSP (From Software)
13. [WII] Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Namco Bandai)
14. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo)
15. [NDS] Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo)
16.
17. [WII] Wii Play: Mario Tennis (Nintendo)
18. [NDS] Wagamama Fashion: Girl's Mode (Nintendo)
19. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
20. [NDS] Pokémon Platinum (Pokémon)
21. [WII] Animal Crossing: City Folk (Nintendo)
22. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven (Level 5)
23. [NDS] Penguin no Mondai: Saikyou Penguin Densetsu! (Konami)
24. [WII] Wii Sports (Nintendo)
25. [NDS] Maruko DS (Namco Bandai)
26. [NDS] Kirby Super Star Ultra (Nintendo)
27. [NDS] Tongariboushi and the 365 Days of Magic (Konami)
28. [NDS] Momotaro Dentetsu 20th Anniversary (Hudson)
29. [NDS] Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo)
30. [NDS] Taiko Drum Master 2: The Seven Island Adventure (Namco Bandai)

Landmark: Nintendo Passes 500 MILLION Systems Shipped

This is something I really should've noticed before. But better late than never?

As of the quarter ending September 30, 2008, Nintendo's combined shipments of home game consoles (NES, SNES, N64, GCN, and Wii) passed 200 million.

As of the quarter ending December 31, 2008, Nintendo's combined shipments of portable game machines (Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and the variations of each) is nearly 300 million. DS's numbers from the next quarter will probably push it over the edge.


Put together, as of the quarter ending December 31, 2008, their combined shipments of home and portable hardware passed 500 million.

UK - F.E.A.R. 2 Debuts at Number 2

Despite the number two debut of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, Nintendo’s Wii Fit managed to hold onto the number one spot for the fifth consecutive week.

Ben 10: Alien Force makes its first appearance at number thirteen. The House of the Dead: Overkill debuts at number fifteen. Skate 2 has fallen from number eight to number twenty-one.

Notably, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest has fallen from fourteen to twenty-seven, and LittleBigPlanet has dropped from twenty-four to thirty-three. Ubisoft’s My Fitness Coach has jumped up from seventeen to eight.

Rank – Title – Publisher

1. Wii Fit – Nintendo
2. F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin – Warner Bros. Interactive
3. Mystery Case Files: Millionheir – Nintendo
4. Call of Duty: World at War – Activision Blizzard
5. FIFA 09 – EA
6. Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo
7. Wii Play – Nintendo
8. My Fitness Coach – Ubisoft
9. Professor Layton and the Curious Village – Nintendo

10. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – Sega
11. Left 4 Dead – EA
12. Guitar Hero: World Tour – Activision Blizzard
13. Ben 10: Alien Force – D3P
14. Grand Theft Auto IV – Take 2
15. The House of the Dead: Overkill – Sega
16. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training – Nintendo
17. Carnival: Funfair Games – Take 2
18. Need for Speed: Undercover – EA
19. Lego Batman: The Videogame – Warner Bros. Interactive

20. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Eidos
21. Skate 2 – EA
22. Puzzler Collection – Ubisoft
23. Lego Indiana Jones: Original Adventures – LucasArts
24. Football Manager 2009 – Sega
25. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Activision Blizzard
26. Shaun White Snowboarding – Ubisoft
27. The Lord of the Rings: Conquest – EA
28. Mario Kart DS – Nintendo
29. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 – Konami

30. New Super Mario Bros. – Nintendo
31. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima – Nintendo
32. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Activision Blizzard
33. LittleBigPlanet – Sony
34. Sonic Unleashed – Sega
35. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 – EA
36. Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box – EA
37. Big Beach Sports – THQ
38. Saints Row 2 – THQ
39. Quantum of Solace – Activision Blizzard
40. Disney’s Bolt – Disney Interactive Studios

MC 2009-02-02 and Famitsu 2009-01-26: Things of Note

Based on the latest Famitsu hardware numbers...
PSP comparisons: After 217 weeks, PSP is where PS2 was at 169.7 weeks (May 30, 2003), where DS was at 96.6 weeks (October 5, 2006), and where GBA was at 146.5 weeks (January 8, 2004).

X360 comparisons: After 164 weeks, X360 is where GCN was at 15.9 weeks (December 29, 2001), where PS3 was at 27.6 weeks (May 17, 2007), and where Wii was at 4.6 weeks (December 28, 2006).

PS3 comparisons: After 117 weeks, PS3 is where PS2 was at 32.0 weeks (October 8, 2000), where PSP was at 57.4 weeks (January 11, 2006), where GCN was at 118.8 weeks (December 19, 2003), and where Wii was at 30.6 weeks (June 29, 2007).

Wii comparisons: After 114 weeks, Wii is where GBA was at 93.7 weeks (January 3, 2003), where DS was at 75.0 weeks (May 7, 2006), where PS2 was at 111.4 weeks (April 17, 2002), and where PSP was at 161.8 weeks (January 12, 2008).

DSi comparisons: After 14 weeks, DSi is where GBASP was at 31.4 weeks (September 17, 2003), and where DSL was at 11.9 weeks (May 21, 2006).


Based on the latest Media Create hardware numbers...
DS vs PSP: Weekly shares of 63.9 / 36.1 bring total shares to 68.8 / 31.2. If DS stopped selling and PSP continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 402.0 weeks (October 24, 2016).

X360 vs PS3: Weekly shares of 34.1 / 65.9 bring total shares to 24.3 / 75.7. If PS3 stopped selling and X360 continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 227.4 weeks (June 19, 2013).

PS3 vs Wii: Weekly shares of 44.1 / 55.9 bring total shares to 26.4 / 73.6. If Wii stopped selling and PS3 continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 308.4 weeks (January 7, 2015).


Week over week, other than a slight upward blip by X360, everything is down.

Looking at total weekly hardware sales for the last few years, we can easily see that 2009 is much lower than 2007 or 2008. It's still higher than early 2006; but that was a time when X360 was unimportant, PS3/Wii hadn't released, and DS was in shortage.




Famitsu Software Stuff
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 has a pretty great first week. It alone puts it just shy of being the top Tales of the World title.


It's also the biggest first week any Tales game has had since late 2006's Tales of Destiny PS2 remake.


The DS (3416) and Wii (3418) versions of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time do not exactly hold up well compared to the previous GCN (1203) and DS (147) games in the series.


In the last five months, three Soul Eater games have been released. Monotone Princess for Wii, Plot of Medusa for DS, and now Battle Resonance for PSP. They've all had pretty low first weeks, and the first two didn't chart their second week. Seems pretty doubtful this new one will buck the trend.



With PSP games taking the top two spots for the week, total PSP software sales passed DS software sales for the week. The last time DS wasn't the top software platform of the week was last April, when Mario Kart Wii launched.

Sony Sales Fall Year-on-Year, Microsoft and Nintendo Growing

In January, sales of the Playstation 3 dropped approximately 25 percent year-on-year, while sales of the Playstation Portable also dropped by the same percentage. Sales of the long-running Playstation 2 fell 62 percent, from 264,000 units to 101,200.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 grew approximately 25 percent in January, year-on year, and the Wii has grown exponentially in the same period, with an approximately 147 percent increase in sales, from 274,000 units to 676,000.

As hardware sales have all but collapsed in Japan, Sony is feeling the brunt of the pain. Despite the publisher’s projected losses of nearly $3 billion, they have claimed that their global layoffs will not affect their games division.

Source: gamesindustry.biz

Japanese Hardware Market Collapsing (Almost)

Japan - Hardware sales have all but collapsed. One year ago this week, total hardware sales in Japan were right around 250 thousand units. This year: 146 thousand, 42% less than 2008.

Last year this week, the Wii sold 81k, this year, 20k. Last year, the PSP sold 76k, this year, 35k. These two systems alone account for the majority of the lower numbers, as the DS is on par (2008: 60k, 2009:62k), and the 360 actually doubled its sales from 2008 (2008: 4k, 2009: 8k).

It's hard to imagine when sales will recover, as hardware sales typically decline until April (going by the traditional sales-falloff after the New Year), and then hit a little spike around Golden Week...but sales have already dipped far past their yearly lows from 2008. So low, in fact, that they really don't have much further to go down. This could be a very, very hard year for manufacturers.

Sony Platform Software Surges in Japan - Media Create Sales: 02/02 - 02/08

Japan - It appears that Sony isn't quite down for the count.

This week, Sony platforms took 5 of the top 7 spots--including PSP, PS3, and PS2. PSP's Tales game took first and Sony's Demon's Souls took second, while Konami's annual Pro Evolution Soccer took the three and four spots for the PSP and PS2, respectively.

Meanwhile, Square's latest venture, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS & Wii) has sold a respectful but disappointing amount for each platform.

Don't forget to look past the top 30! I've updated the latest known Wii Series LTD charts--and Wii Music really fell on its own flute.

Media Create Sales: 02/02 - 02/08
01. [PSP] Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 (Namco Bandai) 45,000 / 258,000
02. [PS3] Demon's Souls (SCE) 40,000 / NEW
03. [PSP] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami) 38,000 / 147,000
04. [PS2] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami) 37,000 / 145,000
05. [NDS] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix) 34,000 / 136,000
06. [NDS] Detective Conan & Kindachi (Namco Bandai) 20,000 / NEW
07. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) (Capcom) 18,000 / 398,000
08. [WII] Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Namco Bandai) 16,000 / 355,000
09. [NDS] Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo) 15,500 / 1,650,000
10. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) 15,000 / 323,000

11. [WII] Another Code: R Gateway of Memory (Nintendo)
12. [WII] Wii Play: Mario Tennis (Nintendo)
13. [PS3] Midnight Club: Los Angeles (Spike)
14. [NDS] Wagamama Fashion: Girl's Mode (Nintendo)
15. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
16. [NDS] Maruko DS (Namco Bandai)
17. [WII] Animal Crossing: City Folk (Nintendo)
18. [NDS] Pokémon Platinum (Pokémon)
19. [PSP] Dissidia Final Fantasy (Square Enix)
20. [NDS] Kirby Super Star Ultra (Nintendo)
21. [NDS] Penguin no Mondai: Saikyou Penguin Densetsu! (Konami)
22. [NDS] Tongariboushi and the 365 Days of Magic (Konami)
23. [NDS] Destiny Links (Namco Bandai)
24. [NDS] Momotaro Dentetsu 20th Anniversary (Hudson)
25. [WII] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix)
26. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven (Level 5)
27. [WII] Wii Sports (Nintendo)
28. [NDS] Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo)
29. [PS3] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami)
30. [PSP] Enkaku Sousa (SCE)

Those looking for an update on the Wii series sales in Japan need look no further. Here they are, 15 weeks since I've last updated them. You'll notice some of the data is spotty; that is due to games dropping out of a trackable range and being updated with LTD data as they reappear.

Also check out two games with amazing legs -- Wagamama Fasion: Girls Mode and Rhythm Tengoku Gold. These games defy the typical sales curve and continue to amaze. Can you guys think of any games (non NSMB division) that have sold so consistently for so long? Maybe Pokemon? Maybe Monster Hunter?

Enjoy:

(click to enlarge)

You might be wondering why I don't do this with many other games. Simply put, there are very, very...VERY few games that are trackable for this length of time. Most games sell 80% of what they'll ever sell in the first week or two that they're on sale.

If you guys have any games you'd like similar charts for, please let me know either by email or in the comments section.

>>

UK - Nintendo Stays Strong, Debuts No. 4 Title

Nintendo has been dominating the number one spot on the UK Top 40 Software Chart, as the Wii Fit had the lowest sales decline of all titles this week with just 2%.

The only new release in the top 40 is Nintendo’s Mystery Case Files: Millionheir, debuting at number four.

According to chart-track.co.uk, the software market has not yet experienced its first weekly sales increase.

Sales of EA’s SimAnimals were up 90%, as the title entered the top 40 for the first time at number twenty-two, in its second week of release.

Guitar Hero: World Tour climbed back into the top ten despite a decrease of 18% in sales, and Gears of War 2 has fallen from number twenty-six to thirty-nine. Left 4 Dead jumps up from twenty-nine to fifteen.

Rank – Title – Publisher

1. Wii Fit – Nintendo
2. FIFA 09 – EA
3. Call of Duty: World at War – Activision Blizzard
4. Mystery Case Files: Millionheir – Nintendo
5. Professor Layton and the Curious Village – Nintendo
6. Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo
7. Wii Play – Nintendo
8. Skate 2 – EA
9. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – Sega

10. Guitar Hero: World Tour – Activision Blizzard
11. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training – Nintendo
12. Carnival: Funfair Games – Take 2
13. Need for Speed: Undercover – EA
14. The Lord of the Rings: Conquest – EA
15. Left 4 Dead – EA
16. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Eidos
17. My Fitness Coach – Ubisoft
18. Grand Theft Auto IV – Take 2
19. Football Manager 2009 – Sega

20. Lego Indiana Jones: Original Adventures – LucasArts
21. Lego Batman: The Videogame – Warner Bros. Interactive
22. SimAnimals – EA
23. Shaun White Snowboarding – Ubisoft
24. LittleBigPlanet – Sony
25. Sonic Unleashed – Sega
26. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 – Konami
27. Mario Kart DS – Nintendo
28. New Super Mario Bros. – Nintendo
29. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Activision Blizzard

30. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Activision Blizzard
31. Resistance 2 – Sony
32. Wall-E – THQ
33. Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks
34. Saints Row 2 – THQ
35. Big Beach Sports – THQ
36. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima – Nintendo
37. Fable II – Microsoft
38. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree – Nintendo
39. Gears of War 2 – Microsoft
40. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga - LucasArts

MC 2009-01-26 and Famitsu 2009-01-19: Things of Note

Based on the latest Famitsu hardware numbers...
PSP comparisons: After 216 weeks, PSP is where PS2 was at 168.9 weeks (May 19, 2003), where DS was at 96.3 weeks (October 3, 2006), and where GBA was at 146.0 weeks (January 4, 2004).

X360 comparisons: After 164 weeks, X360 is where GCN was at 15.8 weeks (December 29, 2001), where PS3 was at 26.8 weeks (May 11, 2007), and where Wii was at 4.6 weeks (December 28, 2006).

PS3 comparisons: After 116 weeks, PS3 is where PS2 was at 31.4 weeks (October 4, 2000), where PSP was at 57.0 weeks (January 8, 2006), where GCN was at 118.6 weeks (December 19, 2003), and where Wii was at 30.4 weeks (June 27, 2007).

Wii comparisons: After 113 weeks, Wii is where GBA was at 93.6 weeks (January 2, 2003), where DS was at 74.9 weeks (May 6, 2006), where PS2 was at 111.0 weeks (April 14, 2002), and where PSP was at 161.5 weeks (January 10, 2008).

DSi comparisons: After 13 weeks, DSi is where GBASP was at 30.0 weeks (September 7, 2003), and where DSL was at 11.6 weeks (May 18, 2006).


Based on the latest Media Create hardware numbers...
DS vs PSP: Weekly shares of 61.6 / 38.4 bring total shares to 68.8 / 31.2. If DS stopped selling and PSP continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 317.9 weeks (March 8, 2015).

X360 vs PS3: Weekly shares of 31.8 / 68.2 bring total shares to 24.2 / 75.8. If PS3 stopped selling and X360 continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 232.2 weeks (July 16, 2013).

PS3 vs Wii: Weekly shares of 42.8 / 57.2 bring total shares to 26.4 / 73.6. If Wii stopped selling and PS3 continued at this week's rate, it would catch up in 284.7 weeks (July 19, 2014).


Week over week, portables are slightly up and consoles are pretty flat, with Wii's 3.5K drop being the biggest console change.

Famitsu Software Stuff
Kirby Super Star Ultra (3265) passes 1 million, becoming the second modern Kirby to do so. It still has about 60K to go to pass up Squeak Squad and become the top modern Kirby


Taiko no Tatsujin Wii apparently had some supply issues, but its legs are holding out. Its low was two weeks ago. Last week nearly doubled it. This week nearly tripled it.


It is interesting to note that while Wii hardware sales are floundering, software on the whole remains decent--at least relative to the market as a whole. Going by the Famitsu software pie, this is the seventh week in a row that Wii has accounted for more than 20% of software sales, and the eighth week in a row that it's the #2 software pusher. Of course, DS sits in a near-permanent first place doing double what anything else can individually.

The Wii Hits Hard Times : Media Create Sales: 01/26 - 02/01 (Hardware)

The party turns sour for Wii. "Uh-oh!"

Japan - The Wii, just four weeks after completing a year in which every 4th piece of hardware sold was a Wii (23.9% average weekly market share for 2008), is on the ropes with only 23 thousand units sold for the week.

While there are certainly many factors, among them being hardware sales being down across the board, the chief concern must be the declining weekly market share. This week the Wii only took 13.77% out of all hardware sold--down 20% from last year at this time.

Holding steady at 17k is the PS3. With a growing grin, the madame d'hardcore looks for several upcoming releases to fluff her skirts even further. All but leaving the dance is the 360 and PS2, murmuring something about "5k" and "we're big in the states!"

Of course, the star of the party is still the DS, who defies conventional recession logic and has sold yet another 70 thousand units.

Media Create Sales: 01/26 - 02/01 (Hardware)
[DSi] 55,613
[PSP] 44,135
[WII] 23,278
[PS3] 17,405
[DSL] 15,147
[360] 8,107
[PS2] 5,334

PSP Continues Hot Streak - Media Create Sales: 01/26 - 02/01 (Software)

Media Create Sales: 01/26 - 02/01 (Software)
01. [PSP] Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 (Namco Bandai) 213,000 / NEW
02. [PSP] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami) 109,000 / NEW
03. [PS2] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami) 108,000 / NEW
04. [NDS] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix) 102,000 / NEW
05. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) (Capcom) 23,000 / 380,000
06. [WII] Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Namco Bandai) 22,000 / 339,000
07. [WII] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix) 22,000 / NEW
08. [WII] Wii Play: Mario Tennis (Nintendo) 20,000 / 108,000
09. [NDS] Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo) 20,000 / 1,634,000
10. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) 19,000 / 3,215,000

11. [NDS] Wagamama Fashion: Girl's Mode (Nintendo)
12. [PSP] Dissidia Final Fantasy (Square Enix)
13. [PS3] Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III (SCE)
14. [PSP] Soul Eater: Battle Resonance (Namco Bandai)
15. [NDS] Vampire Kishi DS (D3 Publisher)
16. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
17. [PSP] Zill O'll Infinite Plus (KOEI)
18. [PS3] Tomb Raider: Underworld (Spike)
19. [360] Ninja Blade (From Software)
20. [PS2] Harukanaru Toki no Naka de: Yume no Ukihashi Special (KOEI)
21. [NDS] Pokémon Platinum (Pokémon)
22. [NDS] Tongariboushi and the 365 Days of Magic (Konami)
23. [NDS] Kirby Super Star Ultra (Nintendo)
24. [NDS] Momotaro Dentetsu 20th Anniversary (Hudson)
25. [WII] Animal Crossing: City Folk (Nintendo)
26. [NDS] Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor (Atlus)
27. [NDS] Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel (Level 5)
28. [WII] Wii Sports (Nintendo)
29. [PS3] Naruto: Narutimate Storm (Namco Bandai)
30. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven (Level 5)

This week we're comparing the PSP Top 10 to the DS Top 10:

(click to enlarge)

UK - Professor Layton Makes Big Jump, Skate 2 Sales Down

Wii Fit keeps the number one spot for the third week in a row on the UK Top 40 Software Chart. Call of Duty: World at War remained as the number two seller, and EA’s FIFA 09 is still selling strongly in the UK as it moved up to number three.

After Nintendo replenished stock of Professor Layton and the Curious Village, sales shot up a whopping 54%, as the title moved up six places to number four.

Skate 2 sales were down 28% percent as the new release dropped to number five. Ubisoft’s own fitness game, “My Fitness Coach”, is still doing well in the top 10.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is still a strong seller, moving up eight spots to number nineteen. Left 4 Dead leaped up from number forty to number twenty-nine.

Some games made notable drops: Gears of War 2 fell from twenty-one to twenty-six, and Fallout 3 dropped from twenty to twenty-eight. The UK’s own Fable II makes a reappearance in the top 40, as well as the last four games on the list.

Rank – Title – Publisher

1. Wii Fit – Nintendo
2. Call of Duty: World at War – Activision Blizzard
3. FIFA 09 – Electronic Arts
4. Professor Layton and the Curious Village – Nintendo
5. Skate 2 – Electronic Arts
6. Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo
7. Wii Play – Nintendo
8. My Fitness Coach – Ubisoft
9. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Eidos

10. Need for Speed: Undercover – Electronic Arts
11. The Lord of the Rings: Conquest – Electronic Arts
12. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games – Sega
13. Guitar Hero: World Tour – Activision Blizzard
14. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training – Nintendo
15. Carnival: Funfair Games – Take 2
16. Shaun White Snowboarding – Ubisoft
17. Lego Indiana Jones: Original Adventures – LucasArts
18. Grand Theft Auto IV – Take 2
19. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Activision Blizzard

20. Football Manager 2009 – Sega
21. Lego Batman: The Videogame – Warner Bros. Interactive
22. LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment
23. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Activision Blizzard
24. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 – Konami
25. Sonic Unleashed – Sega
26. Gears of War 2 – Microsoft
27. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree – Nintendo
28. Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks
29. Left 4 Dead – Electronic Arts

30. Mario Kart DS – Nintendo
31. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima – Nintendo
32. New Super Mario Bros. – Nintendo
33. Wall-E – THQ
34. Fable II – Microsoft
35. Kung Fu Panda – Activision Blizzard
36. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga – LucasArts
37. Resistance 2 – Sony Computer Entertainment
38. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 – THQ
39. Big Beach Sports – THQ
40. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 – Electronic Arts