Japanese hardware sales: Lite's out
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Mar 13th 2006 at 4:18PM }
When we awoke from our dreamy slumber this
morning, the Japanese sales chart for the week ranging from 27 February to 5 March was gently resting
on the adjacent pillow, wrapped in a satin cloth and smelling of lavender. We immediately unwrapped the overtly
feminine package and were pleased to find a brand new entrant into the wacky world of sales charts. The ranking,
according to number of units sold, is a follows:- DS Lite: 68,438
- Phat 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
Previous Japanese hardware charts: [Thanks for the reminder, DownloadingData! Thanks for the image, Jason!].
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Loban @ Mar 13th 2006 4:50PM
Was this really a surprise to anyone? Say your prayers PSP, you tried your best, but it's time to go shack up with the Sega Game Gear in the retirement home. Just wait until the DS lite hits the states, listen closely and you'll be able to hear thousands of PSPs wheeping gently.
bluetrane @ Mar 13th 2006 5:30PM
meh so what the psp outsold the DS by 20 000 odd units in the us the same periode.
checkout the figures on gonintendo.com
http://gonintendo.com/?p=1426
oh and i have no love for the psp.
you can use stats to prove anything.... 95% of the Japanese population knows that...
Sense @ Mar 13th 2006 6:00PM
85% percent of all statistics are made up.
tactics @ Mar 13th 2006 6:03PM
i dont really get it though... like 450,000 ds units were shipped to japan... how come, according to this chart, just over 100,000 of them are reported as being sold? didnt they sell out completely? shouldnt the numbers reflect a number closer to 400,000?
i'm always confused by these.
funny though, how the old skewl GBA sold only 3 units less than the xbox... hahaha...
unreal mccoy @ Mar 13th 2006 6:12PM
look at those numbers again bluetrane:
The DS sold 70,000 more than the PSP in one week in Japan, while the PSP sold 20,000 more than the DS thorughout the entire month of Feb.
Unless you use Enron math, I think Nintendo is coming out on top.
Loban @ Mar 13th 2006 7:05PM
"meh so what the psp outsold the DS by 20 000 odd units in the us the same periode."
the same period? so one week = one month now eh?
Loban @ Mar 13th 2006 7:07PM
And did you ever stop to think that maybe DS sales were down in the US because alot of people are waiting for the DS lite, like me.
Wait until the DS lite hits the states, it'll be a completely different story.
mendia @ Mar 13th 2006 7:25PM
In yo face PSP! (t")t
bluetrane @ Mar 13th 2006 7:38PM
wow loban chill. don't berate a loyal nintendo fanboy. I just wanted to point out that japanese figures dont represent global ones.
the next time i get into a fight with a sony fanboy ill sick you on them xD
Loban @ Mar 13th 2006 8:36PM
:)
Sorry, didn't mean to sound like a jackass. I just really don't like the PSP, I see no reason to own one and can't understand why anyone would waste their money.
I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm really not that big of a Nintendo fanboy, I just don't like "all-in-one" devices like the PSP attempts to be.
D. Short @ Mar 13th 2006 9:34PM
Man Loban, i know what you mean. I can't stand my psp haha... I paid 250 bucks for the thing, and I find myself secretly hoping that no good games come out for it... Sometimes my own fanboyness disgusts me
MRex @ Mar 13th 2006 11:46PM
That is impressive numbers, though it strikes me as a bit odd that the number is so uneven. There were reports of sell-outs all over the country on the first day of release and there weren't any in stock to take from, so either the retailers were holding on to some or there's a number of unsold machines somewhere out in the less populated areas or outside the bigger cities.
I am guessing that many customers who didn't own a DS and were waiting for the DS Lite, didn't get one and then decided to buy the "old" version. Both are still sold out at many stores here in Japan, and when it comes to the DS Lite, many stores still don't take pre-orders.
What's strange is that no-one seems to know when next shipment will come in. I don't know what the hold up is, but Nintendo is holding back on something. They ought to be able to push the factories a bit harder because leaving people without makes people anxious. Which in turn is taken advantage off by the online/import stores who raise the prices even above PSP retail prices. That's truly mad!
It's a known fact that the DS Lite was sold out immediately after it was released and though they say that 450 000 units will ship during March they better get a move on (see Nintendo's Japanese homepage for the officials). The release dates for the rest of Asia and the world, having been pushed back to April is a proof of that.
What makes the sales different from other consoles is the variation we see in demographics. People from all generations play the DS, which also can be seen from the game-sales charts. The top DS games are the mixed brain training games, and they are there for a reason. There is no doubt in my mind that we are seeing a milestone in the portable console era, where the DS/DS Lite is the winner. The DS has pretty much already secured a place in the Hall of Fame.
designerwhite @ Mar 13th 2006 11:56PM
that 450,000 number is what nintendo was hoping to ship in march. assuming they can ramp up production, or at least keep up the pace - they'll do it.
120 000 x4
= 480,000 - soo... good prediction nintendo! (though they could probably sell more than that if they could make them.)
PodMonkeys @ Mar 14th 2006 7:37AM
Way to go Nintendo!
HunterF1 @ Mar 14th 2006 10:15AM
With over 64,000 DS Lites released the first week, it is shameful that Lik Sang and Play-Asia cannot fill their preorders by this date (3/14). I mean, the preorders numbers they have are a very small fraction of this released number.
All of their huffing and puffing and Economic explanations are weak excuses.
Perhaps they would have been more anxious to get their hands on the units if they did not have them comfortably pre-sold and those customers in a vice already. It like "Oh well, too bad....we'll fill 'em when we fill 'em."
unreal mccoy @ Mar 14th 2006 3:15PM
Total Japanese sales for February:
PSP: 128,187
DS: 242,438
That is an amazing beating! DS truly does PWN!
Ambyssiom @ Mar 14th 2006 8:02PM
WOW Looks like Nintendo might actually reach 10million units in Japan before the year is out
MRex @ Mar 18th 2006 7:25AM
Yes!! Success! Got my DS Lite today, by pure luck. Bought Children of Mana and Machigai Museum because I was so excited being able to find one.
CALIMAR @ Apr 4th 2006 6:41PM
ds lite is he best!take that psp