PS3 Hardware Dead Last in Japan -- Sales Charts

Kris Erickson • Oct 22, 2008 • Comments ()

What is going on with the PS3 in Japan? While Sony enjoys somewhat of a renaissance with its flagship console in other territories, the one country that historically formed the backbone of the company's success is rejecting the PS3. Last week the powerful console trailed behind other current-gen competitors, handheld machines, and even its predecessor, the Playstation 2. The hardware sales charts, which come from Japanese reporting company Media Create, track the weekly movement of video game consoles across major retail outlets. What is responsible for the sluggish sales of the Playstation 3? Media observers blame its high price, lack of attention-grabbing RPG titles, and ironically, the ongoing popularity of the PS2.

The biggest story this past week was the PSP, which luckily for Sony was the hottest-selling video game machine in Japan by a wide margin. The surge in sales was caused by the mid-week release of the new PSP 3000 hardware, which had a tremendous impact in a country that has become obsessed with the handheld gaming platform.

Japanese Hardware Sales Charts for October 10 - 17, 2008:

1. PSP -- 156,000
2. DS --　34,000
3. Wii　-- 25,000
4. PS2　-- 7,800
5. 360　-- 6,000
6. PS3　-- 4,800