Xbox 360 tops PS3 in Japan again - is the tide finally turning?
By Dave Parrack
The Xbox 360 has had a torrid time in Japan since being released in 2005, with a combination of nationalism and gaming habits going against the Microsoft console. But it’s now beaten the PS3 in sales for three weeks in a row, and the whole of September to boot. Is the tide finally turning for Xbox in Japan?
I’m getting a distinct feeling of deja vu here. This is the third week in a row that I’ve reported how the Xbox 360 has sold more in Japan than the Playstation 3. This time around also brings the news that the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 for the month of September - the first time that the Microsoft console has managed that feat.
However, unlike the last two articles I’ve written on this phenomenon, rather than being surprised at the result and asking how long it can possibly last, the tables have turned so significantly that it has become the norm. Which now leads me to ponder whether this can carry on long-term and see the Xbox 360 even overtake the PS3 in total sales?
According to Media Create, the week ending September 28th saw the Xbox 360 manage sales of 11,291, which is down on the week before but still looking relatively healthy. The PS3 only managed sales of 8,275, which is almost exactly the same as the week before.
Hardware sales for the week ending September 28th:
DS - 57,487
Wii - 26,314
PSP - 25,671
Xbox 360 - 11,291
PS2 - 9,848
PS3 - 8,275
As you can see from the full sales figures listed above, this means the PS3 came dead last in hardware last week, even being beaten by its aged sibling the PS2. Nintendo continues to dominate proceedings, with the DS and Wii beating all-comers in their respective fields.
For the whole of September, the Xbox 360 sold 53,547 compared to sales of 33,071 for the PS3. Sony must be looking at these numbers and wondering what the hell is going on. But is this recent sales surge enough to turn around Microsoft’s fortunes in Japan for the future?
The Xbox 360 is still massively behind the PS3 in terms of lifetime sales, with the Sony console having sold around 2 million, while the Microsoft console has only managed 700,000 or so. But that gap is slowly but surely closing.
The price cuts have helped, as has the release of Xbox 360 games made especially to appeal to the Japanese market. If these two factors continue for the foreseeable future then I can see the Xbox 360 certainly managing to gain a foothold in Japan. This will at least ensure Microsoft try and crack Japan again next time around, assuming the company doesn’t exit the console market altogether.
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October 3rd, 2008
Wait for HUGE releases such as Motorstorm, Resistance 2, LBP, KZ2 etc etc. things will be back to money or im getting a sex change
October 3rd, 2008
I’d hardly call 3 weeks ‘the norm’, but even so, its good for MS.
What is the trend tho… Are sales above the ps3 but steadily decreasing or increasing?
October 3rd, 2008
Nice work Microsoft! And to think, people laughed at them when they were pressing on in Japan.
October 3rd, 2008
Uh, how is going from 29k units to 14k units, and then down to 11k units, growing slowly but surely?
Becoming the norm of what? Losing sales after a bought out exclusive release?
You lost me there…
October 3rd, 2008
Good MS nice job but this should’ve been happening long ago since the 360 had been out in japan 18 month before the ps3 anyways its good they finaaly getting a foothold there but like Greg said the sales are definetly going down
October 3rd, 2008
Sony is making the most money they got PSP PS2 PS3 three consoles. While Microsoft only has the Xbox 360. This is not going to last just wait until Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII come out which are exclusives. FFXIII won’t be release for Xbox 360 in Japan. And just wait for Sony’s exclusives to start releasing it will be mayhem no MERCY. Sony outsold the Microsoft wait more than just 3 weeks.
October 3rd, 2008
Wait for HUGE releases such as Motorstorm, Resistance 2, LBP, KZ2 etc
Um what, those games only have a niche audience in Japan. Japanese gamers like those games about as much as US gamers like RPG’s. If the Japanese gamers loved those types of games the Xbox, which already has top titles in those genre’s would actually be kicking a$$ in Japan.
October 4th, 2008
I wonder who it is that is imposing me now? His/her english skills aren’t so great, my guess is it’s Ivan.
October 4th, 2008
Hey buddy i don’t bother with that bullshit. I have a life if you think is me i don’t care but i don’t write useless idiotic spam.
October 4th, 2008
Lets see. If the ps3 sold no consoles at all and the 360 managed to sell 30,000 a week from now on , it would still take about a year to catch up. I wonder how FF13 exclusive or LBP will do over there?
October 4th, 2008
once again, reality shoves a great big foot up the ass of dave parrack.
ah…seems like just yesterday you were swearing it would never happen again…
i think you and Michael Pachter should get a bet going to see who can be wrong more….
not sure who’d win that, but it would be enjoyable to watch…
bourne - bust out the scissors …. ms isn’t done in japan yet…
seriously tho; i don’t care, have ever cared, nor will ever care what happens in japan. i don’t live there…..
October 4th, 2008
Every PS3 Sony sells is getting them $400 or more that’s like buying the Wii & Xbox 360 that means from just one console Sony is making as much money even though sells are u nits are a bit smaller than the competion in the end the only thing that matters is MONEY. And as much as the rival companies like Microsoft and Nintendo sell they won’t make more money than Sony. I know most of you might think this a fanboy lie but is just facts $100 business. Nintendo still doing great Microsoft well ????
October 4th, 2008
LOL kev, bust out the scissors!
And Ivan, nobody else here types as poorly as you, so who else could it be??
October 5th, 2008
I only type poorly because I use the tip of my small pin penis to do so. It become hard very much so. Both Penis and typing.
I Love cocks.
October 5th, 2008
harry sachz has no life he such bad poser. Get a life fanboy xbox will always be trash bitch lmfao.
October 5th, 2008
Xbox 360 Arcade for a mere 199 with lots of great used games from 4.99 to 19.99. Even Ivan could take a break he so richly deserves and enjoy a little Halo or Crackdown or Gears or maybe take a look at some of the new japan style RPG’s. All for less than a middle of the road ipod.
October 6th, 2008
jay:
I already own a Xbox 360 which is hack to play free ISO games burned to DVD9.
October 6th, 2008
MS released a few exclusive J-RPG’s and reduced the console to such an extent they’re practically giving it away, so this is hardly surprising is it? You can make practically anything sell if you offer it cheaply enough, but that does not make it successful does it?
What makes me laugh though is that the PS3 can outsell the 360 in it’s home country of the USA for 3-6 consecutive MONTHS and no one bats an eyelid. But the 360 selling in Japan for 3 WEEKS and suddenly it’s the biggest news in console gaming!!! Not to mention the fact this is 3 weeks during one of the quietest sales periods in the Japanese gaming industry!
It also bugs me how people blank the PS2 - this is still a Sony console, and one that makes them much more profit than the PS3 at present - I bet if you asked anyone high up in Sony whether they would want to sell 20K PS3’s a month or 10K PS3’s and 10K PS2’s and they would choose the latter!
Also - we are 3K units extra here - so the 360 has clawed back around 10K of the 1.7 MILLION unit sales gap! Big deal! My guess is the PS3 will make this back threefold during the first week LBP is released, and then again when FFXIII is released (exclusively on the PS3 in Japan), and probably next week too after the TGS where Sony are reportedly announcing 11 big new PS3 games!
Let’s break this down - The PS3 has not had a price cut or any major game releases in the last few weeks in Japan; by contrast the 360 has dramatically cut it’s price (at a significant loss to MS) and released 2 or 3 of it’s major exclusive J-RPG releases (that MS paid for to try and salvage Japanese sales) - The result? A meagre 10,000 units sales lead!
Fanboy’s may call this a huge victory, I would call it throwing good money after bad…
October 6th, 2008
PS3Owner:
Nice comment. America is full of Xbox fanboys most don’t even have an Xbox. PS3 by next year will have pass Xbox 360 in sells. Sony is making more more money than the rivals because they have 3 hot consoles selling great.
October 6th, 2008
@Ivan every post you make is idiotic spam.
October 6th, 2008
PS3owner makes a great point, although with a decidedly slanted edge. Three weeks is nothing to celebrate, although that’s no license to start predicting future failure. M$ saw a weakness in their product and patched it up the only way they know how. And for now, the fix seems to have worked. Let’s wait and see how this pans out.
-Arvis
October 7th, 2008
After all these years some still seem to think nationalism has anything to do with the poor sales. Seriously, the marketing and different gaming culture were never properly tackled in its early days and that can be turned around, and it is starting to do so. I think Xbox 360 will do well in the end, but we may need a few more of those ‘turns’ to capture the target demography and turn the competition on its head. The line up is still too PC-centric for Japan at the moment.