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[neo2046]

one line is software, one line is hardware
(unit counts in 10,000)
http://homepage3.nifty.com/TAKU64/image/ds_psp.gif

 

[John Harker]

Microsoft should cut their losses, discontinue the 360 in Japan, and use all the resources to pumping units into Europe and North America. Use the leftover money they'd be saving and pump it into their marketing budget and make every kid feel like they need to die if they dont have a 360 in those countries.

They'd do better that way, heh.

Also, they must be regretting all the money they are pumping into Japenese devs for Japenese games, becuase they simply are NOT going to turn a profit at this rate. They are going to have to heavily promote games like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyessy in other terrorties to even break even on them.

 

[Link]

I'm wondering if Sakaguchi is severely regretting his decision to bank on the 360 at this point. In Japan, the console is dead in the water, and in the US and Europe, I doubt the 360's userbase is going to be buying a game like Blue Dragon en masse.

 

[monkeyrun]

Thanks Nintendo. Easter 2005 might overlap Easter 2006 if this goes on.

 

[CrisKre]

Ok this is monstruous. The thing is that DS can be compared to GBA but in a business perspective it is much better for Nintendo because the attach rate is signifficantly higher. And the games are where the biggest chunk of money is made.

Also I think Sony needs to start worrying about revolution in Japan right now. It would be all kinds of hillarious if we see this same performance for Rev vs. PS3 come 06 & 07. Interesting times indeed.

 

[Xrenity]

one line is software, one line is hardware
(unit counts in 10,000)
http://homepage3.nifty.com/TAKU64/image/ds_psp.gif

wow

 

[Link]

I don't see why so many people are assuming this means the Revolution will set the world on fire. The strong sales of the GBA didn't do a thing for GC sales, and "unique input" games like Jungle Beat didn't exactly take off either. Even if the Revolution sells twice as much as the GC in Japan, that's still far away from great sales.

I don't think you can look at handheld sales and use them for any kind of correlation in regards to console sales. They're just two completely different markets.

 

[nubbe]

Amazing numbers for DS.

I guess 360 is sold out in Japan, right?

Spoiler

lol

 

[borghe]

PSP is doing pretty well too at 100k (I remember when DS got up to 100k and everyone was saying how good that was, it should apply here as well regardless of how DS is doing)

this isn't entirely accurate. DS was doing 100K WEEKS before the holiday shopping season was upon us. I'm not trying to knock the PSPs 100K, it is decent, but it is pointless to compare the DS doing that over half a month ago. Kind of like PS2 selling 300K in a month in america, and then calling the GCN as a contender because it sold 300K in November, despite PS2 selling 800K.

The thing that interests me though is the clear divide that exists in the portable market. Wetern developers seem to have completely backed off from the DS, whereas Eastern developers have really cooled their heels on the PSP. I actually wish both sides would stop segregating development so much between the two systems: i.e. better JPN support for the PSP (which would make me happy) and better US support for the DS (which would probably make other potential DS owners happy).

 

[Beowvlf]

Also I think Sony needs to start worrying about revolution in Japan right now. It would be all kinds of hillarious if we see this same performance for Rev vs. PS3 come 06 & 07. Interesting times indeed.

No one has ever answered this, and yet it's been said so many times, so I'll ask now: what on Earth makes people think the DS success in any way will translate to Revolution success? The console and handheld markets are completely different.

I'm not saying it will or it won't, but I find it kind of absurd that so many are thinking the DS success somehow equals Rev success simply because they both have new methods of control.

IMO it's not the touch screen or the dual screens that are the reason for the DS' success in Japan right now, it's the games, and the current mass appeal of non-traditional games like Nintendogs, Tamagotchi and Brain Training.

 

[sprsk]

No one has ever answered this, and yet it's been said so many times, so I'll ask now: what on Earth makes people think the DS success in any way will translate to Revolution success? The console and handheld markets are completely different.

I'm not saying it will or it won't, but I find it kind of absurd that so many are thinking the DS success somehow equals Rev success simply because they both have new methods of control

You answered your own question

IMO it's not the touch screen or the dual screens that are the reason for the DS' success in Japan right now, it's the games, and the current mass appeal of non-traditional games like Nintendogs, Tamagotchi and Brain Training.

 

[elostyle]

Which all wouldn't work without a touchscreen.

People think the success will translate because everyone also thought Sony would be taking over the handheld market with a console approach.

 

[Fuzzy]

God damn the MC site is slow today. The notes.

Sales of the top 100 titles totaled 2,166,476 units, 121.76% of last week's total and 263.45% of the weekly average. With the Christmas sales season moving into full swing, the market is showing activity.

Nineteen new releases took spots in the top 100, accounting for 33.53% of sales. Of these titles, "Tales of the Abyss" stood out with sales of approximately 404,000 units. The game got off to an even better start than its predecessor "Tales of Legendia," which was launched in August of this year and sold approximately 242,000 units in its first week, and "Tales of Rebirth," the title before that, which was launched in December of last year and sold approximately 335,000 units in its first week.

Looking at the results for existing titles, "Animal Crossing: Wild World" and "Mario Kart DS" again sold more than 100,000 units each and took top spots in the sales ranking. Sales grew across the board for other standard titles as well, including "Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop!" "Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon," and "DS Training For Adults: Work Your Brain." Driven by strong software sales, sales of DS hardware jumped to approximately 409,000 units this week from approximately 299,000 units last week. Demand for presents was notably high.

BTW here are the YTD and LTD for the DS and PSP.

DS - 3,163,547 / 4,659,143
PSP - 1,928,637 / 2,410,889
DS Lead - 1,234,910 / 2,248,254

The DS can double the PSP next week.

And here's the HW market share breakdown for this week.

Nintendo DS - 65.89%
PSP - 15.42%
PlayStation 2 - 8.92%
Game Boy Advance SP - 3.08%
GameCube - 2.88%
Game Boy Micro - 2.33%
Xbox 360 - 1.39%
Game Boy Advance - 0.07%
Xbox - 0.03%

 

[Beowvlf]

You answered your own question

Do gamers really want to play Nintendogs and Brain Training at home?

Which all wouldn't work without a touchscreen.

People think the success will translate because everyone also thought Sony would be taking over the handheld market with a console approach.

Not working without the touchscreen is extremely debatable. I doubt the success would differ had the DS not had a touch screen, and Nintendo made 'em work with traditional controls.

 

[Razoric]

I'd say the DS->Rev success could happen because there seems to be a continuing trend towards fun, simple games at a good price.

All Nintendo needs to release is a balls-to-the-wall version of Nintendogs, Animal Crossing and Brain Training and they've got Japan in the bag.

 

[borghe]

it is about the games. Nintendo is dominating handhelds in japan because the DS provides a play experience (And the games to back it up) that can't be duplicated on any other system. Also it should be noted that more DSes are selling than possibly any other console in recent history in Japan as well.. This means NEW people are possibly buying DSes, not just the same gamers necessarily.

IF (meant to be emphasized) Nintendo can in fact duplicate what they have done on the DS.. not sales but releasing new types of gaming experiences for the Rev that appeal to people outside the core game buying market, like they have with DS... you COULD (again emphasis intentional) see a similar level of success IN JAPAN with Rev. Obviously at this point I think it is safe to say X360 will not be providing any sort of competition in Japan.. unless DOA4, FFXI, or Blue Dragon happen to change that (which I don't see happening). So that means next-gen IN JAPAN will be Nintendo vs. Sony in a relatively fresh start for each. Taking all of that into account using DS vs. PSP for Japan could be telling.

The rest of the world who knows. You likely won't see what you are in Japan. Non-games (for lack of a better term) are not taking off like they have in Japan, though still proving to be popular. Maybe they just need more time to make a bigger impact. Maybe they never will. For the time being I think handhelds will continue to be close outside of Japan and Nintendo will likely suffer, at least for the short term, from their perceived less quality in the west on the console front.

 

[Fuzzy]

Do gamers really want to play Nintendogs and Brain Training at home?

I don't want to play those on my DS.

Not working without the touchscreen is extremely debatable. I doubt the success would differ had the DS not had a touch screen, and Nintendo made 'em work with traditional controls.

Because we know Sega's Brain Training really lit up the charts.

 

[Calidor]

No one has ever answered this, and yet it's been said so many times, so I'll ask now: what on Earth makes people think the DS success in any way will translate to Revolution success? The console and handheld markets are completely different.

I'm not saying it will or it won't, but I find it kind of absurd that so many are thinking the DS success somehow equals Rev success simply because they both have new methods of control.

IMO it's not the touch screen or the dual screens that are the reason for the DS' success in Japan right now, it's the games, and the current mass appeal of non-traditional games like Nintendogs, Tamagotchi and Brain Training.

because revolution shares some features with the DS (affordable, cheap, rated for everyone, easy interface) that makes possible games with appeal for a wide public.

 

[sprsk]

Do gamers really want to play Nintendogs and Brain Training at home?


Not working without the touchscreen is extremely debatable. I doubt the success would differ had the DS not had a touch screen, and Nintendo made 'em work with traditional controls.

What makes nintendogs or brain training "travel games"?

 

[CrisKre]

No one has ever answered this, and yet it's been said so many times, so I'll ask now: what on Earth makes people think the DS success in any way will translate to Revolution success? The console and handheld markets are completely different.

Ok. Im not saying it WILL. Im saying Rev and DS share many similarities. The philosophy behind them is very alike. And look at the DS.
It would be stupid for Sony not to worry. A year and a half ago almost NO ONE would have predicted the outcome to be as it is today between DS vs PSP.
I have the feeling once revolution is fully unveiled it will really be clear that Nintendo is on to something, and I would bet there will be more support for rev than we imagine, similar to DS unveiling with Utada and third party support evident that took place last fall. Well see.

 

[jarrod]

No one has ever answered this, and yet it's been said so many times, so I'll ask now: what on Earth makes people think the DS success in any way will translate to Revolution success? The console and handheld markets are completely different.

It'll probably translate about as well as using PlayStation ideologies has for Sony in handhelds.

 

[Moor-Angol]

If someone cares, here is the complete DS chart list in Japan, based on weekly Famitsu data

http://moorangol.altervista.org/ds.html

 

[argon]

Do gamers really want to play Nintendogs and Brain Training at home?

What if a new DS/REV version of Nintendogs let you raise your puppy on the console, and take it out for walks with the handheld? There's tons of potential for interconnectivity there.

Brain Training could offer a good amount of 3D brain teaser puzzles, using the freestyle remote.

 

[Moor-Angol]

I don't see why so many people are assuming this means the Revolution will set the world on fire. The strong sales of the GBA didn't do a thing for GC sales, and "unique input" games like Jungle Beat didn't exactly take off either. Even if the Revolution sells twice as much as the GC in Japan, that's still far away from great sales.

You're right, but if Revo doubles GC sales: Revo > N64 > GC
Don't forget there are about 3.8 million GC sold in Japan since launch and i remember Saturn sold more than N64 in Japan

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I can access the site, the numbers are real.

DS 408,770
PSP 95,689
PS2 55,342
GBASP 19,098
GC 17,849
GBM 14,432
Xbox360 8,623
GBA 416
Xbox 182

DS numbers are you shittin me :lol :lol :lol

damn soon the 360 will be pulling xbox numbers damn shame

 

[BorkBork]

I can access the site, the numbers are real.

DS 408,770
PSP 95,689
PS2 55,342
GBASP 19,098
GC 17,849
GBM 14,432
Xbox360 8,623
GBA 416
Xbox 182

What, not 420K?!

 

[PhoenixDark]

DS 408,770
PSP 95,689
PS2 55,342
GBASP 19,098
GC 17,849
GBM 14,432
Xbox360 8,623
GBA 416
Xbox 182

DS: "Double the fun, double the ownage losers!"
PSP: "...but rememeber my retail?"
GBASP: "Japan treated me like Jennifer Aniston, but I ain't complainin"
GC: "17,849 more suckers scammed, lolz!"
GBM: "But I though Japan loved petite women?"
Xbox 360: "Next gen doesn't matter...at least we won WWII!"
GBA: "You can call me Adam"
Xbox: "I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD!"

 

[btrboyev]

change the xbox one with, I'm green with envy

(xbox isn't black)

 

[elostyle]

So they sold 1/8th of the DS install base in the US in one week in Japan? Crazy.

 

[Idioteque]

DS: "Double the fun, double the ownage losers!"
PSP: "...but rememeber my retail?"
GBASP: "Japan treated me like Jennifer Aniston, but I ain't complainin"
GC: "17,849 more suckers scammed, lolz!"
GBM: "But I though Japan loved petite women?"
Xbox 360: "Next gen doesn't matter...at least we won WWII!"
GBA: "You can call me Adam"
Xbox: "I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD!"

No love for PS2?

 

[jamesinclair]

06. GBA Pokemon Dungeon Red 84,669 (355,624)
07. NDS Pokemon Dungeon Blue 80,484 (353,918)

I love how they sell together. Next week the DS one will sell slightly more than the GBA one.

 

[jj984jj]

I don't want to play those on my DS.

Because we know Sega's Brain Training really lit up the charts.

You hit the nail on the head, I don't want Nintendogs either, traditional gamers aren't the ones buying these games.

However, I don't see Sony sitting back and letting only Nintendo make these games next generation, so what both Nintendo and Sony come up with will be interesting.

 

[elostyle]

You hit the nail on the head, I don't want Nintendogs either, traditional gamers aren't the ones buying these games.

However, I don't see Sony sitting back and letting only Nintendo make these games next generation, so what both Nintendo and Sony come up with will be interesting.

A lot of traditional gamers bought nintendogs just like they bought singstar or whatever.

Everybody seems to think that "real gaming" and/or "hardcore gaming" is defined by what's currently spinning in their PS2 this week. That's a pretty meh attitude.

 

[jamesinclair]

DS 408,770
PSP 95,689
PS2 55,342
GBASP 19,098
GC 17,849
GBM 14,432
Xbox360 8,623
GBA 416
Xbox 182

My predictions from last week:

DS 309,000 - I swear, that 3 is a typo!
PSP 95,200 - Almost perfect.
PS2 72,800 - Sony am cry
Xbox360 23,000 - Its not my fault.
GC 15,200 - Pretty close
GBASP 12,300 - Meh
GBM 9,000 - I underestimated
GBA 404 - Spot on
Xbox 171 - Again, very close


Yay, I like my predictions

 

[Mrbob]

DS is a beast in Japan.

I also don't think DoA4 will revive the Xbox 360 in Japan like some people think it will. It will help boost system sales again for sure, but it is going to take more than one game to help 360 out long term.

 

[soundwave05]

:lol at the DS.

It sold almost double the PSP + PS2 + GBA SP + GB Micro + XBox 360 + GCN + XBox *combined*.

I mean holy shit.

DOA4 will give the 360 a boost, but anyone who thinks that system has any real long term future in Japan is kidding themselves. It's just going to be another XBox over there.

Those PSP and PS2 numbers are bit lower than one would expect. Sony needs to get the PS3 out.

 

[The_lascar]

If someone cares, here is the complete DS chart list in Japan, based on weekly Famitsu data

http://moorangol.altervista.org/ds.html

Based on Famitsu & Media Create data :

1/ Brain Training (Nintendo) 911 441
2/ Nintendogs (Nintendo) 837 212
3/ Wario Ware Touched ! (Nintendo) 816 211
4/ Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo) 783 263
5/ Brain Exercice (Nintendo) 772 847
6/ Animal Crossing Wild World (Nintendo) 760 977
7/ Tamagotchi (Bandai) 564 923
8/ Jump Super Stars (Nintendo) 419 583
9/ Mario Kart DS (Nintendo) 365 057
10/ Pokémon Mysterious Dungeon (Nintendo) 353 918

 

[Scotch]

Why does Media Create even count Xbox by the way? I'm sure a couple of hundred PSOne's get sold every week, right? Why not count those?


Anyhow, looking forward to Culex' chart

 

[snatches]

First off, I just can't believe that anyone of us, no matter how positive we were about the DS at first, could have anticipated this type of Japan pwnage.

I mean, 67% of the damn console market at Christmas!!1! WTF!

that said I wan't to ask this question-What if Sony had launched the PS3 this fall in Japan?

What if they were pushing some unique connectivity with PSP on a launch title?

Like MGS4-> PSP functionality for example?

I'm thrilled with the DS success so this is not a troll....I just like GAF speculation....

Not launching the PS3 in '05 could be a big strategic mistake for Sony, and not because of MS....because of the competitor they didn't expect to do so well......

 

[human5892]

Why does Media Create even count Xbox by the way? I'm sure a couple of hundred PSOne's get sold every week, right? Why not count those?

I think someone mentioned that they'll stop tracking Xbox beginning in 2006, especially now that the 360 is out. You're right, though -- they really could've stopped long before.

 

[Pimpbaa]

I wonder if Nintendo can replicate this kind of success with the Revolution in Japan. Seems like system specs don't matter to them, plus they love non tradition games ( or non games in the case of brain training).

 

[soundwave05]

06. GBA Pokemon Dungeon Red 84,669 (355,624)
07. NDS Pokemon Dungeon Blue 80,484 (353,918)

I love how they sell together. Next week the DS one will sell slightly more than the GBA one.

This title has been a bit more "quiet", but its gradually crept up to almost a million copies already.

It should get there in 3-4 weeks.

I'm guessing Pokemon Dungeon will now become a spin-off franchise in and of itself.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Holy fucking shit.

Remember when someone photoshoped that Miyamoto/Iwata picture with them laughing and Iwata holding up a DS so that Miyamoto and Iwata's faces were dogs?

Someone Animal Crossing-ize Miyamoto and Iwata's faces. :lol

 

[Moor-Angol]

Remember when someone photoshoped that Miyamoto/Iwata picture with them laughing and Iwata holding up a DS so that Miyamoto and Iwata's faces were dogs?

Me and a friend of mine did a better pic

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Omg culex we need your chart lol

 

[elostyle]

that said I wan't to ask this question-What if Sony had launched the PS3 this fall in Japan?

What if they were pushing some unique connectivity with PSP on a launch title?

Like MGS4-> PSP functionality for example?

I'm thrilled with the DS success so this is not a troll....I just like GAF speculation....

Not launching the PS3 in '05 could be a big strategic mistake for Sony, and not because of MS....because of the competitor they didn't expect to do so well......

Cue Reggie: "Not my problem".

 

[mckmas8808]

I wonder if Nintendo can replicate this kind of success with the Revolution in Japan. Seems like system specs don't matter to them, plus they love non tradition games ( or non games in the case of brain training).

System specs have never mattered to them on their handhelds. It's hard to take down a monopoly in one year. Nintendo is doing what they should be doing. If they lost 50% of the market share in one year in Japan wouldn't that be weird and horrible?

 

[Smiles and Cries]

where is our traditional Easter Chart?

Who was that dude with the beautiful weekly chart update?

can't wait to see those beautiful peaks

 

[NintendosBooger]

No one has ever answered this, and yet it's been said so many times, so I'll ask now: what on Earth makes people think the DS success in any way will translate to Revolution success? The console and handheld markets are completely different.

I'm not saying it will or it won't, but I find it kind of absurd that so many are thinking the DS success somehow equals Rev success simply because they both have new methods of control.

IMO it's not the touch screen or the dual screens that are the reason for the DS' success in Japan right now, it's the games, and the current mass appeal of non-traditional games like Nintendogs, Tamagotchi and Brain Training.

Because unlike the Game Boy --> Gamecube scenario, it would seem that, through the DS, Nintendo has generated a new fanbase, perhaps separate and distinct in a way from their original fans. From what I can tell, GBA owners are essentially 2D purists and "traditional" gamers who want to reenact experiences of the 16-bit golden era of gaming while maintaining long-standing ties with the console market leader for the most part (Playstation brand). To use an analogy, "I like you a lot (handheld), Nintendo, but not in that way any more (console)." I don't see that being the case with the DS, a system that has seemingly cultivated a new audience (non-gamers) from the ground up, and as a result, Nintendo is hoping that these new gamers will continue with their new-found trust of their brand and migrate over to the Revolution console.

 

[human5892]

Because unlike the Game Boy --> Gamecube scenario, it would seem that, through the DS, Nintendo has generated a new fanbase, perhaps separate and distinct in a way from their original fans. From what I can tell, GBA owners are essentially 2D purists and "traditional" gamers who want to reenact experiences of the 16-bit golden era of gaming while maintaining long-standing ties with the console market leader for the most part (Playstation brand). To use an analogy, "I like you a lot (handheld), Nintendo, but not in that way (console)." I don't see that being the case with the DS, a system that has seemingly cultivated a new audience (non-gamers) from the ground up, and as a result, Nintendo is hoping that these new gamers will continue with their new-found trust of their brand and migrate over to the Revolution console.

Are you sure your ass can handle that much pulled out of it at once?