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[BishopLamont]

aren't we seeing this to an extent already in Japan?

i'm not sure how much you can bump hardware in any real way for a console with stuff like new colors either - i'm sure it'd make a bit of a difference, but personalization for something that sits by your tv is a very different issue than for something you haul about on your person. something like more internal memory isn't going to really make a big impact either - people are complaining about the storage, but i don't think it's keeping many buyers away. and finally - this isn't a ds->dsl issue since the wii is already a rather nicely designed piece of hardware anyway - there's far less of an obvious gain by somehow improving the form factor.

this is an escalating image problem caused by lack of compelling software in genres people want, and is being propagated by slack third party support, and even a lack of anything recent and visionary from nintendo themselves that appeals to a traditional console audience.

I bet Nintendo was banking on a bit more third party support then they are getting atm. It's a shame really, because it's entirely a lack of third party games that's hurting it at the moment. Lack of first party support is a given because Wii games take a lot longer to make then DS games. I expect alot of first party games from Nintendo in the near future, because they'll need it this year and they know it. New colors wouldn't be a surprise either but I don't see a price drop this year at all, they know price isn't an issue, it's content.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

actually that's a dang good number for a 2D shooter nowadays. Anything over 10K is kinda rare.

I know it's a good number for a shooter.
But it probably won't even beat Otomedius G. =/

Then again from everything I've read this DDP port is pretty screwed up. Maybe it's just as well.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

PSP　30000

wow, its nosediving even with the rather solid lineup last weeks (they are doing good for themselves though). Will be interesting to see how it does when this week Musou is unleashed along side a limited edition new color, plus next week with the two new colors main skus and another two new ones in three weeks.

 

[birdchili]

I bet Nintendo was banking on a bit more third party support then they are getting atm.

maybe, though i can't imagine they had any real idea how much of a hit they'd have on their hands hardware-wise.

maybe dealing with the massive ongoing supply-issues in other territories caused them take their eye off the ball with ensuring third-party support?

it's content.

sure. i don't have a read on how monster hunter can do, though it doesn't seem at all like a sure hardware mover.

dq:x can move hardware now, but i think it needs to be supported with some interesting lesser rpgs... i'm not going to buy a console today for dragon quest two years from now, but i might buy one for "rpg foo" now that i'm kind-of interested in if i can *also* bank on having the right platform for dragon quest later. without other genre entries, i don't see dragon quest moving very many 2009 consoles.

 

[schuelma]

PSP　30000

wow, its nosediving even with the rather solid lineup last weeks (they are doing good for themselves though). Will be interesting to see how it does when this week Musou is unleashed along side a limited edition new color, plus next week with the two new colors main skus and another two new ones in three weeks.

Yeah, its getting lost in the (understandable) angst about Wii hardware, but PSP hardware is significantly down from last year as well.

 

[Johann]

It's very funny how the Wii's growth in popularity is the opposite of the DS in where it began.

The DS had astronomical sales in Japan with relatively tame sales overseas at its infancy. This translated Japanese developers shifting a great deal of their support behind the DS. We saw this fanaticism carry into overseas with record hardware sales.

On the other hand, the Wii has incredible sales overseas but lukewarm (yet still strong) sales in Japan. However, many Western developers have yet to put serious effort into the system and Japanese developers are confused with where to put their franchises. I don't think we'll see the Wii mania transfer from North America and Europe into Japan. Even if Western developers put serious effort into the Wii, their games wouldn't make much of a dent in the Japanese market (even though Japanese games can be a hit overseas and home).

 

[BoilersFan23]

Oh forgot about these, they're making nice money for Banco, BKD originally only did 25k, the re-release did 41k and now this has done 80k. Banco in general have been very successful this generation. They've supported all platforms and have taken advantage of each consoles features, and have been rewarded very nicely.

I believe that those two games were bundled with 360 consoles also as the Holiday season pack-in game (and there was probably some left), kind of like how Sony bundled GT5P Spec III with PS3 consoles (which is why that game kept making sales charts).

 

[Hcoregamer00]

02. [PSP] Idolmaster SP: Perfect Sun/Missing Moon/Wandering Star (Bandai Namco) - 121,000 / NEW

Is that a record for Idolmaster?

 

[markatisu]

Yeah, its getting lost in the (understandable) angst about Wii hardware, but PSP hardware is significantly down from last year as well.

So what now PSP hardware isnt selling but games are :lol

 

[Minsc]

Any guesses on where the Wii will bottom off? Is under 10,000 likely, or are there upcoming games to stop the bleeding?

 

[Lightning]

I dunno, probably just me but I find those Star Ocean 4 sales most unimpressive. All they do is fall into the familiar "Good for a 360 game" category but are by all other means extremely disappointing.

360 hardware with no other big games in sight can only go in one direction so they should get their excitement in now I guess.

Overall though, just a disappointing week. I will be expecting much more from Yakuza 3 next week and PS3 hardware better be above a crappy 25k.

 

[poppabk]

It lost momentum some time ago. The 360 posting a higher number once or twice isn't really the problem, it's a symptom.

I'm really talking about a significant change in momentum, where either the PS3 or 360 actually becomes the top selling console for a significant period of time. The Wii relies on word of mouth, and if that word of mouth becomes negative then sales could drop off rapidly, not the gradual decline we are seeing at the moment.

 

[Minsc]

I dunno, probably just me but I find those Star Ocean 4 sales most unimpressive. All they do is fall into the familiar "Good for a 360 game" category but are by all other means extremely disappointing.

How much better can they do than ~100% of what the retailers ordered?

 

[schuelma]

I'm really talking about a significant change in momentum, where either the PS3 or 360 actually becomes the top selling console for a significant period of time. The Wii relies on word of mouth, and if that word of mouth becomes negative then sales could drop off rapidly, not the gradual decline we are seeing at the moment.

I don't see it lasting that long, honestly. PS360 has RE5 next week and then nothing of note until the FF13 demo in April.

Things are definitely going poorly for Wii at the moment, but there is software on the horizon.

 

[schuelma]

Any guesses on where the Wii will bottom off? Is under 10,000 likely, or are there upcoming games to stop the bleeding?

I think its already started to stabilize. 20K two weeks ago, 21K last week, looks like something similiar this week.

I think it might get down to 13-15K and then go up in April.

 

[Loudninja]

I don't see it lasting that long, honestly. PS360 has RE5 next week and then nothing of note until the FF13 demo in April.

Things are definitely going poorly for Wii at the moment, but there is software on the horizon.

What software is coming for the Wii?

 

[Inflammable Slinky]

Something to keep in mind is that everyone in Japan is panicking the fuck out about the recession, and consumer spendthriftness is getting even worse than usual. We might be looking at some serious contraction in all video games this year.

 

[schuelma]

What software is coming for the Wii?

Wii Sports resort/ M+ sometime this Spring (I'm thinking late April or May)

MHG in April (just a port, but the CC bundle and demo might move some units)

MH3 this Summer

Tales of Ten, Samurai Warriors 3 sometime in 2009.

Plus Nintendo's massive niche 2009 lineup announced last October.

 

[SimpleDesign]

How much better can they do than ~100% of what the retailers ordered?

Square Enix is also charging up the ass for it aren't they? It's like $80 I think.

Correction, if it's 8,925 Yen it's over $90.

 

[jibblypop]

What software is coming for the Wii?

I think Monster Hunter and Wii Sports Resort should be the biggest ones. They also have Dragon Quest but that one is probably a LOOONG way off.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

Tenchu IV PSP - At least it didn't immediately die like the Wii version. So this puts it from "Pathetic" to "Horrible". Still a ridiculous drop for the series though. What happened to this though? Did it actually get advertised? Or is the Tenchu base on the PSP now?

Hardware Sales - What can I say? The 360 has yet again climbed on top. The PS3 had its little burst and it looks like it will cling on with Yakuza 3 then probably disappear until Final Fantasy XIII. The PSP is having strong software sales but the hardware has definitely taken a hit. Possibly its getting ready to plateau. And the Wii...well yeah better software Nintendo.

Dead Rising Wii - I don't know what's more ridiculous that people are shocked by these sales or seemingly wanted the game to do well. It's a totally Western centric mediocre wash away port. It's understandable and a good thing that the Japanese gamers rejected it.

I've made this point in regards to PS3, but its even more true for 360- as of now, there is nothing big left on the horizon after RE5 next week. Nothing. Wii has a decent amount of big stuff coming the rest of the year.. so far, the HD twins do not.

Very true. It's kind of sad for Microsoft. I mean just when they've crossed the line into the Japanese market they've ran out of gas. Either way the obvious reason to the 360's triumph is due to the PS3's and Wii's insanely weak libraries. As much as people praise the Japanese centric library on the 360 this is really anything but the case. I mean outside of the 2 Mistwalker games, Infinite Undiscovery, The Last Remnant, Star Ocean 4, Eternal Sonata, Idol Master, Ace Combat 6, Otomedius, Raiden IV, and the dozen or so of niche Western games the 360 doesn't offer much. I know many are looking at me with a blank stare of "WTF you just listed a lot of games" but keep in mind that the 360 has been out since late 2005 in Japan. That's a little over 3 years. How many Japanese appealing games did the Playstation 2 have at that time, or even the SEGA Saturn? The 360 isn't some amazing powerhouse it's just that the PS3 and Wii are so stale that it stands out so that Japanese gamers who were hungry for software had no choice but to explore a system that was deemed a niche brand. SONY and Nintendo's fumbles have turned a mere niche console to a mass market competitor.

I do agree that the Wii should be fine for now. The PS3 and 360 have Resident Evil 5 coming out soon, and after that the PS3 has Yakuza 3 followed by an intensely long desert until Final Fantasy XIII and Gran Turismo 5 which have been in development so long since announcement that their eventual release seems nearly myth. It will be interesting to see how things pan out.

 

[botticus]

I'm really talking about a significant change in momentum, where either the PS3 or 360 actually becomes the top selling console for a significant period of time. The Wii relies on word of mouth, and if that word of mouth becomes negative then sales could drop off rapidly, not the gradual decline we are seeing at the moment.

Even if the PS3 or 360 outsold the Wii for a significant period of time, at this point it would not be by a significant number of units. Is a hypothetical situation where the Wii, PS3, and 360 all sell between 15 and 20 thousand units a week really going to cause any sort of shift in developer resources between the three players? More likely it would lead to more portable support.

 

[Luckyman]

Plus Nintendo's massive niche 2009 lineup announced last October.

It´s nice to announce things but after recent Wii software sales even by Nintendo published titles.. how many will make it?

 

[Stumpokapow]

It´s nice to announce things but after recent Wii software sales even by Nintendo published titles.. how many will make it?

Make it to the shelves in Japan? All of them.

Make it to the US? There's no connection between US sales potential and localization decisions, let alone between JPN sales and localization decisions.

 

[Sirolf]

Nice to see good sales for the 360 even if its temporary..
:lol :lol :lol :lol @Wii

 

[harSon]

I dunno, probably just me but I find those Star Ocean 4 sales most unimpressive. All they do is fall into the familiar "Good for a 360 game" category but are by all other means extremely disappointing.

360 hardware with no other big games in sight can only go in one direction so they should get their excitement in now I guess.

Overall though, just a disappointing week. I will be expecting much more from Yakuza 3 next week and PS3 hardware better be above a crappy 25k.

You try to hard :lol The only way they could have done better is to punk each customer into buying the same copy of Star Ocean 4 twice. Star Ocean 4 sold 100% of its initial shipment, they couldn't have done any better...

 

[schuelma]

You try to hard :lol The only way they could have done better is to punk each customer into buying the same copy of Star Ocean 4 twice. Star Ocean 4 sold 100% of its initial shipment, they couldn't have done any better...

I think his point was that just because expectations were low doesn't mean we can't take a step back and admit that its a pretty substantial downturn from the prior sales.

 

[PantherLotus]

Nice to see good sales for the 360 even if its temporary..
:lol :lol :lol :lol @Wii

LOLz aside, Marketshare, my friend. Look at weekly market share across all hardware and you'll see basically straight lines.

read: if weekly market share appears static ("basically straight" lines), but sales are going down, that means that the economy is fucking sales across the board and LOLz are more like SADz.

 

[harSon]

I think his point was that just because expectations were low doesn't mean we can't take a step back and admit that its a pretty substantial downturn from the prior sales.

The only thing you can judge from those numbers is the fact that Square Enix underestimated demand, anything else is purely speculation considering we don't know how many copies the game would have sold with ample stock.

 

[donny2112]

It did it :lol

Again. 360 has surpassed Wii in Famitsu's tracking once before. This would be the first time it passed it in Media-Create's tracking, though.

 

[Sirolf]

LOLz aside, Marketshare, my friend. Look at weekly market share across all hardware and you'll see basically straight lines.

read: if weekly market share appears static ("basically straight" lines), but sales are going down, that means that the economy is fucking sales across the board and LOLz are more like SADz.

Sure you're right,i can't contest that.
But seeing Wii sandwiched between 360 and PS3 makes me lulz.

 

[jj984jj]

Wow, Shining Force Feather and Sacred Blaze didn't get very far. I hope they have legs, but comparing the first day to the week doesn't bode well, especially for SB.

But 360 is on top for the week! Yay!

 

[PantherLotus]

Sure you're right,i can't contest that.
But seeing Wii sandwiched between 360 and PS3 makes me lulz.

Yeah, me too. It's a perfect storm of no system-moving software releases for the Wii combined with a markedly down economy combined with a big release for the 360. And not to downplay it, as it's clearly a David v. Goliath story (although I question the effectiveness of calling either multi-national megarich corporation "david"), but it's really meaningless.

What I do like to see is the weekly average of the losing systems performing better than the previous year. I'm at work so I can't access the numbers, but PS3 @ 16k seems like it is remarkably static compared to the basement in which it dwelled last year. Momentum?

 

[swerve]

"The spirit of the XBOX era is returning to Japan"?

 

[Captain Smoker]

What software is coming for the Wii?

http://www.gamefaqs.com/search/inde...her=&dist=1&sort=4&link=0&res=0&title=0&adv=1 (sorted by release date)

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/wii/releases.html?limiter=2 (better format, but this list also contains WiiWare - games)

 

[Rolf NB]

Yeah, me too. It's a perfect storm of no system-moving software releases for the Wii combined with a markedly down economy combined with a big release for the 360. And not to downplay it, as it's clearly a David v. Goliath story (although I question the effectiveness of calling either multi-national megarich corporation "david"), but it's really meaningless.

What I do like to see is the weekly average of the losing systems performing better than the previous year. I'm at work so I can't access the numbers, but PS3 @ 16k seems like it is remarkably static compared to the basement in which it dwelled last year. Momentum?

Definitely. It'll only be a matter of weeks now until Ken Kutaragi resumes his rightly position at the helm of SCE and the trumpets are blown to mark the beginning the The Third Age proper.

It's a shoe-in for a breadwinner held closely to the chest and still going strong.

 

[Spiegel]

Yeah, 360 is going to sell 1 million+ but for a console with these exclusives/timed-exclusives: Star Ocean IV, New IP from Sakaguchi & Toriyama, Tales of Vesperia, 2 Capcom Games, New IP from Square-Enix, New IP from Sakaguchi, New IP from Tri-ace,...

Xbox 1 sold half of that in ~the same time with no exclusive RPG and almost no japanese support.
In the end, selling half a million more was worth the effort for Microsoft?

 

[jj984jj]

Yeah, 360 is going to sell 1 million+ but for a console with these exclusives/timed-exclusives: Star Ocean IV, New IP from Sakaguchi & Toriyama, Tales of Vesperia, 2 Capcom Games, New IP from Square-Enix, New IP from Sakaguchi, New IP from Tri-ace,...

Xbox 1 sold half of that in ~the same time with no exclusive RPG and almost no japanese support.
In the end, selling half a million more was worth the effort for Microsoft?

Probably not, but if they didn't go after any of this would it have changed their position WW?

 

[harSon]

Yeah, 360 is going to sell 1 million+ but for a console with these exclusives/timed-exclusives: Star Ocean IV, New IP from Sakaguchi & Toriyama, Tales of Vesperia, 2 Capcom Games, New IP from Square-Enix, New IP from Sakaguchi, New IP from Tri-ace,...

Xbox 1 sold half of that in ~the same time with no exclusive RPG and almost no japanese support.
In the end, selling half a million more was worth the effort for Microsoft?

They're building support for future console generations. Microsoft is patient and capable of executing long term plans, the foundations they're laying now will pay off in the long run.

 

[markatisu]

Probably not, but if they didn't go after any of this would it have changed their position WW?

They could have ignored Japan and still maintained the position they are in now, the "big" games the 360 gets for Japan do not translate over to the US and EU charts at all

 

[cws]

homeconsoles are dead....pathectic sales...

 

[Stumpokapow]

Yeah, 360 is going to sell 1 million+ but for a console with these exclusives/timed-exclusives: Star Ocean IV, New IP from Sakaguchi & Toriyama, Tales of Vesperia, 2 Capcom Games, New IP from Square-Enix, New IP from Sakaguchi, New IP from Tri-ace,...

Xbox 1 sold half of that in ~the same time with no exclusive RPG and almost no japanese support.
In the end, selling half a million more was worth the effort for Microsoft?

Well where's the point of comparison?

How many companies were third place two generations in a row in a territory and invested a major amount of time and effort into improving their stature and doubled their sales without changing their cardinal order?

I mean, they're not investing just for the 360, they're investing for future consoles. They're building a brand. The same way the 6 billion dollars sunk on Xbox 1 is not seen as a failure or a loss for Microsoft as a company.

Unfortunately you can't read the future. Who knows if there will be 2 more generations, 10 more, or no more. Japan might revitalize or it might totally dry up as a market. No one might care ten years from now. There's no historical comparison at all to really read whether or not Microsoft's strategy is likely to pay off longterm.

I'm not sure it makes much sense to assign a specific investment/payoff ratio to be considered "satisfactory" in the context of any one system.

 

[Spiegel]

My point is that with those games released, x360 should have sold a lot more consoles.

What could have Microsoft done to sell an acceptable amount of consoles in Japan? They have to buy Square Enix and Namco Bandai?

 

[Liabe Brave]

The only thing you can judge from those numbers is the fact that Square Enix underestimated demand, anything else is purely speculation considering we don't know how many copies the game would have sold with ample stock.

It wasn't S-E, it was retailers that underestimated demand.

And these numbers of SO 4 do indicate a second shipment occurred. Sinobi's first day sellthrough percentage indicated an initial shipment of 165k or less. There's no way for consumers to actually purchase 100% of a shipment in a few days; there will always be straggler copies in out-of-the-way stores. And of course, 101% is even tougher.

Barring an unprecedented miracle, it's pretty uncontroversial to say that SO 4 is a great success for 360, and a step down for the franchise. That's par for the course with any big PS2 IP, no matter what platform it comes out on now.

 

[neojubei]

My point is that with those games released, x360 should have sold a lot more consoles.

What could have Microsoft done to sell an acceptable amount of consoles in Japan? The have to buy Square Enix and Namco Bandai?

How about releasing a handheld system, muahhahaha.

 

[h3ro]

If I'm reading that chart correctly, the 360 version of SF IV didn't even chart/sell 6000 copies last week? The PS3 version only sold 18,000? Ughh.

What the fuck, Japan?

 

[schuelma]

If I'm reading that chart correctly, the 360 version of SF IV didn't even sell 500 copies last week? The PS3 version only sold 18,000? Ughh.

What the fuck, Japan?

No. The top 30 ends at about 6K. The other numbers were for new releases.

 

[h3ro]

No. The top 30 ends at about 6K. The other numbers were for new releases.

Thanks for the clarification.

Still, the 360 install base is there (they all bought Katamari damn it), a big ass release like that should chart. Well, at least the PS3 version is still there, doubt it'll be there next week though...

 

[neojubei]

If I'm reading that chart correctly, the 360 version of SF IV didn't even chart/sell 6000 copies last week? The PS3 version only sold 18,000? Ughh.

What the fuck, Japan?

wow. At least the PS3 one is somewhat selling.... oh well. Europe loves SF4.

 

[Loudninja]

Cant believe Demon souls is still there.