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Yakuza 3 helps the PS3 outsell the Wii in Japan
Quality software titles Yakuza 3 and Resident Evil 5 help the PS3 outsell the Nintendo Wii

The PlayStation 3 has outsold the Nintendo Wii in Japan for the first time in 16 months according to market research firm Enterbrain. In March, Sony sold 146,948 PlayStation 3s compared to 99,335 Nintendo Wiis and 43,172 Xbox 360s. The sales success is fueled by the release of solid software titles such as Resident Evil 5 and PlayStation 3 exclusive Yakuza 3 (Ryu Ga Gotoku 3).

March sales numbers show the impact a quality exclusive title can have on hardware console sales. Yakuza 3 is currently a Japan-only exclusive title that debuted in first place with 372,301 copies sold, second only to Metal Gear Solid 4 which sold 465,000 in its debut week. For the week Yakuza 3 was released, Sony sold 36,513 units of the PS3 topping even the Nintendo DSi which sold 35,827 units.

Resident Evil 5 also saw strong sales in Japan with the PlayStation 3 version outselling the Xbox 360 version considerably. There were 312,000 copies of the PlayStation 3 version sold compared 79,000 for the Xbox 360 version.

Globally, the PlayStation 3 has seen sales momentum thanks to the release of another exclusive Killzone 2. In an interview with MCVUK, Sony UK MD Ray Maguire discusses how Killzone 2 is a hardware system seller stating, "It certainly has helped drive hardware I think there were a lot of people out there who wanted something which really showed the power of PlayStation 3 – and now they can see it it’s a reason for them to get on board.”
 
Despite the recent hardware sales success, Mizuho Investors Securities’ Etsuko Tamura is quoted in a Reuters article stating the PS3 is still unlikely to threaten the Nintendo Wii's global dominance. She stated software makers are focusing development resources on the Wii due to its large install base.

Game publishers have recently been pressuring Sony for a price cut or risk losing more development funds to Nintendo. With the PlayStation 3 finally showing signs of success against the Nintendo Wii, a price cut may be what is needed to maintain the momentum.

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i think it's more surprising
By someguy123 on 4/8/2009 12:06:01 AM , Rating: 4
that the damn wii is still selling 99,335 units. who are these people still buying wiis???? i don't remember anything big other than Madworld being released recently....so are there people really still buying the wii for wiisports/yoga?

nintendo seems to have created a console that literally sells itself, without much software incentive.




RE: i think it's more surprising
By The0ne on 4/8/2009 12:10:46 AM , Rating: 2
Yes. Some schools considering Wii Sports in class :)


RE: i think it's more surprising
By Zensen on 4/8/2009 1:22:17 AM , Rating: 3
ridiculous, where you hear that! How can they even justify the costs unless they get one wii console between say a class of 15?

I know we had more kids than that in our gym classes. 1 price of a wii will still get you a few nice soccer balls and some cones to kick around. I'd rather the competitiveness of that than some computer game than throwing virtual soccer boots towards me.

Have a run its a far better cardio-vascular exercise than the wii - do it in a group and there's more incentives.

It's wii time - sorry teach, here's my sick note excusing me from "phys ed". lol


RE: i think it's more surprising
By Chocobollz on 4/8/09, Rating: -1
RE: i think it's more surprising
By The0ne on 4/8/2009 1:54:55 PM , Rating: 2
I with you on the old school PE stuff but I got a laugh from reading it myself :)

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04062009/news/regional...


RE: i think it's more surprising
By Alexstarfire on 4/8/2009 1:33:41 AM , Rating: 4
I wasn't surprised that the PS3 sold more. The Wii is reaching saturation point in Japan. Since the PS3 used to be doing the worst, and probably sold the least amount total, more people don't have that then the others consoles. Not a big surprise to see the only console that probably hasn't reached saturation point do the best.


RE: i think it's more surprising
By BZDTemp on 4/8/2009 5:11:29 AM , Rating: 2
By that logic the 360 should outsell even beer and sushi in Japan :-)

I think it is really about the games.


RE: i think it's more surprising
By xti on 4/8/2009 11:22:09 AM , Rating: 2
yup. this happened with halo as well right? every time a big game comes out the ps3 and/or xbox360 has a spike.

even the red sox finally won a couple.


By neothe0ne on 4/8/2009 11:53:05 PM , Rating: 2
The saturation point of American products in Japan is a fraction of what the saturation point of Japanese products are in Japan.


RE: i think it's more surprising
By Trikat on 4/8/2009 8:44:00 AM , Rating: 2
I do not think saturation is the main point the Wii is trickling down in sales.
The Wii came out with a lot of hype and a much lower cost of the Nintendo Wii vs their competitor consoles.
Not only that, but it was touted as a great way to get exercise the body and mind (hence the thing about the gyms/schools desire to get a Wii).
All the above can only last so long...

The PS3 and Xbox 360 prices have fallen and are more competitive. Plus both of these consoles are receiving even more games that will help boost sales.

I personally did not find the Wii to be that much fun, but then I had no friends to play the Wii with... :(
(To me the games were more entertaining on the Xbox 360 and PS3)


By SilthDraeth on 4/8/2009 8:33:05 AM , Rating: 2
A friend of mine, and his GF bought a Wii and Wii Fit at the same time. Funny thing is Wii Fit is a very fun game.


RE: i think it's more surprising
By Hiawa23 on 4/8/2009 9:34:10 AM , Rating: 2
I have always been a Nintendo fan, now, 34, & I own every Nintendo console since the Nes, but I have not been able to get into the Wii at all. I own a PS3 & 360 & love Hd gaming, online voice, & the power of these consoles, but I am so turned off by not only the Wii control scheme, but the Gamecube graphics, & really not many games at all appeal to me on it & the few that do, I think are ruined by the control scheme, so I use it only for retro gaming.

I am a traditional gamer so all I need is a vibrating regular controller, but it's cool to see Nintendo back on top. Honestly I don't care who is in 1st 2nd 3rd, no more than I care how many cars Honda sells compared to Mitsubishi, as I own a car from both companies. The fanboys are always hilarious when the sales numbers come out every month like they built console A B C, or something. I happen to prefer the 360 to the PS3 but it's good news to see Sony making some headway in Japan.


By inighthawki on 4/8/2009 10:24:23 AM , Rating: 1
This surprises me too, the number of wii's still being purchased is amazing. This is to be expected though that the PS3 might eventually outsell it. Once the wii gets into every home, there are less and less people there to buy them. Saying "THE PS3 OUTSOLD THE WII!!! OMG!" is only stating the obvious. You can only sell so many of something before every has it.


By Major HooHaa on 4/8/2009 6:37:22 PM , Rating: 2
Wii gaming can be very retro and nostalgic. My first machine was a Commodore 64. I also loved the Sega Megadrive (also known as the Sega Genesis), but by the time the Xbox and playstation 2 came along, I felt that I just wasn't bothered with console gaming anymore. I was of the opinion that you could get much deeper gaming via the medium of P.C. Gaming, with its Keyboard and Mouse control system and an On-line gaming community that goes further back in time than the original Quake game.

After all, both Counter-Strike and the prototype for Portal were both created by that community.

But then the non-game-playing members of my family got a Nintendo Wii and we have had real retro fun with the likes of the Zelda lightgun game (featuring the character Link) and then the Wii 4 player 'Mario Kart' game. Also, the other Christmas we downloaded the Sega Mega Drive game "Streets of Rage 2" to the Wii, which is an absolute classic game with great gameplay, graphics and awesome music.

These are some of the reasons that I like the Wii.


By GoodBytes on 4/7/2009 11:57:53 PM , Rating: 1
Wii owners play less their console than any other console owners.
http://kotaku.com/5202863/nielsen-people-may-buy-w...

Source Kataku:




By GoodBytes on 4/8/2009 12:03:41 AM , Rating: 1
Just to let people know, I am a proud Wii owner!


By Master Kenobi (blog) on 4/8/2009 7:51:47 AM , Rating: 2
I will admit my Wii doesn't get a whole lot of use, maybe 1-2 days a week tops. However my computer gets 3-4 hours usage daily with Dawn of War 2, WoW, and Left4Dead.


By Insomniator on 4/8/2009 8:47:01 AM , Rating: 2
I really don't know anyone that plays their wii unless they just got it within a few months ago. Have there been any 'real' game (galaxy, zelda etc) releases on it in the past... year? Its a bunch of gimmicky party crap imo.

I just bought a PS3 and its a freaking blast. I've played a lot of my friends' 360s and am still so glad I got PS3 instead.

If Sony somehow managed to release the PS3 at the same time at the same price as the 360, even without Bluray I think it would be killing it right now.


By callmeroy on 4/8/2009 8:56:04 AM , Rating: 2
I'll take your line further, since I basically agree with you....

Here's where/the audience wii blows the doors off any other console:

- Party entertainment....I've been to parties before where they had a wii set up on a big screen TV and everyone had a blast with it (drunk, sober, younger, older, all the same)

- Kids.....if you have kids under 12 and especially under 10 -- wii is an excellent choice for their first video game console introduction so to speak. Better than throwing them right into T rated or MA rated games. Finally because younger kids can't sit still so the involvement of having to move around somewhat to use the wii controller I also think appeals to this audience well.

Audience that will laugh at/dislike the wii:

12 and older, but especially around 14 y/o - through adults (w/o any kids mainly).....

Because the majority of that audience will find wii either gimmicky or too "kiddy".


By Verran on 4/8/2009 10:29:54 AM , Rating: 3
You know what I think the biggest problem with people bashing the Wii? Perception.

The hard-core gamer that still lives in his parents basement, may or may not be employed, and spends 8-14 hours a day playing games like Halo 3 has always been the target audience for consoles. They've gotten quite used to being the center of attention.

All of a sudden, the Wii comes along and pretty much just completely disavows their demographic. The Wii figured out that there's a whole new market of 'casual gamers' that are ripe for the picking, and now the hard-core gamers are dumbfounded. A game system that's not tailored to them specifically? Why, that's unprecedented!

So they bash the Wii for its limited graphics or the gimmicky controller or the lack of an HD drive or the fact that people don't play the system as much, and yet all the while the Wii never claimed to do any of those things. The hard-core players are so used to having their butts kissed that they can't even recognize that the system is not for them. So they keep trying to compare it to their PS3 or 360 and all the while the demographic that the Wii is marketed to probably doesn't even consider the other consoles. They don't care what the PS3/360 has to offer because it's not what they want. The Wii is.

The hard-core gamers just really have no capability of comprehending that some people may want different things than them. If they don't like the Wii, how could anyone else?!


By Reclaimer77 on 4/8/2009 12:22:16 PM , Rating: 1
Pretty good post man.

I don't have a Wii and I still don't understand why it brings the fanboi's out from under their rocks to bash it on a variety of levels that don't even matter because it's clear Nintendo is NOT TRYING TO COMPETE on those levels.


By Chaser on 4/8/2009 2:45:14 PM , Rating: 2
Were the original Nintendo, Segas etc the "hard core choice" of gaming console when they were new?

I don't know who's bashing the Wii. I personally own a PS3 and I wish the best for all of them. I also realize the the Wii is marketed ina completely different demographic than the others and doesn't compete directly again them. It is a family reunion, casual, nursing home, inexpensive party console that really doesn't interest me.


By The0ne on 4/8/2009 3:25:43 PM , Rating: 2
Well said.

People, not gamers, who defined themselves as hardcore gamers are really people who have since closed their door to other types of games and hardware out there. Most of these hardcore gamers are into your FPS games and consider any other games inferior for whatever reasons they may have to make them happy. Most wouldn't know what a cell processor is or does to even begin making those types of statements yet they continue to spout arguments all over the place.

As a gamer, one doesn't care whatsoever what hardware the game is running on, who the company is and so forth. You are a gamer because you like playing games. If you're playing just FPS or a limited selection of games you may be a hardcore player but definitely not a gamer since you don't appreciate what's out there.


By tmouse on 4/8/2009 9:53:15 AM , Rating: 2
I do not know one way or the other about wii usage; but Nielson's data interpretations have become pure crap in recent times. First off this "data" is gathered by journals and questionnaires. The problem with this approach is the target audiences for the wii are not the ones providing the information and their parents are statistically far more likely to be too busy and not reply. The older audiences for the other counsels, generally, have more time and personal attachment to their choice and thus provide the information. This selection bias is not included in Nieslon's reports. Another problem is the younger audience is not in control of the amount of time they spend playing games (hopefully). The differences in the audience's ages make a direct comparison nearly impossible and probably irrelevant. A direct comparison can be made between the ps3 and xbox since their audiences are similar. Just look how they mis-reported the numbers of people who are not ready for digital, reporting 80% levels in some cities, which is totally ridiculous, but may be true if you just count boxes, and do not take into account that the average home has 3-4 tvs( this provides a totally false rate. Their success has been more because of a lack of competition; than their statistical accuracy. Many of the people with boxes keep them on even when they are not watching because if they do not watch enough, rather than considering that as part of the analysis (ie: NO tv is worth watching ) they stop using those people and go to others, sampling bias anyone?


By Wierdo on 4/8/2009 1:31:40 PM , Rating: 2
I thought that's the whole point of the Wii's new market of casual gamers. We're talking a console for kids, grannies, on-off gamers, frat parties, family weekend get-togethers, fitness gamers, and holiday gatherings.

Sure there are some hardcore games and gamers too, but for the new market none of these settings are gonna compare in gaming dedication to the good old all-nighter joystick-fondling norms of the old stereotypical console gaming lifestyle.

A casual gamer supposedly just plays and hour or two a day/week for fun and then go back to other hobbies and projects, stating that Wii owners play less than other console owners should be a "duh" moment.


Yakuza 3
By Shooks on 4/7/2009 11:54:15 PM , Rating: 2
I have not heard anything about localization, but PLEASE bring this game to the US.




RE: Yakuza 3
By someguy123 on 4/8/2009 12:02:04 AM , Rating: 2
I don't think it'll come over to the states; I believe the sales were abysmal everywhere except in Japan.

maybe they'll try after a few months, but right now it looks like it's not going to happen.


RE: Yakuza 3
By someguy123 on 4/8/2009 12:02:26 AM , Rating: 2
*sales of the last Yakuza game.


RE: Yakuza 3
By Chocobollz on 4/8/2009 4:38:50 AM , Rating: 3
Speaking about localization, I think that if they want to be successful not just in Japan, they should've change the title like:

- Preman 3 for Indonesia
- Triad 3 for China, Hongkong, and Taiwan
- Mafia 3 for Italy
- and so on

Ok, maybe it's a little bit too much XD


RE: Yakuza 3
By ertomas on 4/8/2009 8:33:50 AM , Rating: 5
By that logic they should call it:

Government 3 here in Venezuela...


RE: Yakuza 3
By dastruch on 4/8/2009 9:11:39 AM , Rating: 2
hah, +1


RE: Yakuza 3
By eetnoyer on 4/8/2009 2:37:03 PM , Rating: 2
"Hey Peter! Watch yer corn hole, bud."


PS3 > ALL
By matt0401 on 4/8/2009 1:48:17 AM , Rating: 2
:)




The big picture
By Chaser on 4/8/2009 8:51:39 AM , Rating: 2
I think the point of this article is that the momentum for PS3 is beginning to slingshot. Japan may not be the U.S. but the Japan market is more indicative of global, non U.S. demand, for the PS3 especially in the Far East: Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and also for Europe markets. The past year's exclusives for the PS3 are beginning to allow the PS3 to show its graphics and performance capabilities as those games and the PS3 isn't shackled by competing products (and customers).




To date it has been...
By Motoman on 4/8/2009 11:04:55 AM , Rating: 2
...sheer lunacy for anyone to even compare Xbox or PS3 sales numbers to the Wii...

...but I have to wonder at what point does this market become saturated? With the astronomical sales numbers that the Wii has put out, how many more candidate households are there that don't have one yet?




PS3 is good.
By rburnham on 4/10/2009 9:54:14 AM , Rating: 2
Did people realize the Wii games were mostly gimmicks? Sure, the Wii is fun at a party, but aside from that, we barely use the one my roommate has. The PS3 gets a lot of usage around here thanks to the Blu-ray drive. The game library is not quite as big as the 360s (and the PS3 lacks the awesome Castle Crashers), but there's plenty of games.

Not to mention my PS3 has yet to crap out in the last two years, whereas my friend is on his 4th 360 in the same amount of time. Weird stuff.




PS3 Outselling the Wii--What?
By videog on 4/11/2009 10:42:28 AM , Rating: 2
I find that hard to believe considering the price. That is something else.

<a href="http://cm4.upclick.com/click.aspx?uid=999745&crid=...">Unlimited PS3 Cheats</a>




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