PSP Gets First Ever Number One In Japan

Following several weeks of improved hardware sales, Sony’s PSP console has finally seen a breakthrough in Japanese game sales, with the format’s first ever number one in Japan. A new iteration in the popular licensed strategy role-playing game series SD Gundam G Generation, the top selling game, with 155,634 units, also represents Bandai Namco’s second number one in two weeks. Although sales were down on the previous week, they were still well above the seasonal norm, with New Super Mario Bros. rising one place, despite falling below 100,000 units for the first time in eleven weeks. Yet again, Pachinko and Pachi-slot simulations have proven a very important sub-genre in Japan, with Sega Sammy’s latest title performing extremely strongly at number three. There has also been modest successes for Nintendo’s Rhythm Tengoku, from the Wario Ware, Inc. team, and Atlus’ latest Growlanser role-playing game. Two prominent franchises which have not performed to expectations though are Star Fox Command for DS at number fourteen with just 28,358 sales and Goku Makaimura (aka Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins) for PSP at number sixteen, with 21,321 unit sales. Hardware sales for the Nintendo DS have remained static, amidst further reports of the console being low on stock, with 164,731 units sold (including 1,159 units of the original hardware). Sales for the PSP have increased to a new weekly high for the year of 49,352 units - still far behind the DS, however. The PlayStation 2 was down slightly at 25,987 units sold, while the Game Boy Advance family of consoles registered 4,746 sales. After a yearly high last week, the Xbox 360 was down to its usual sub-1,500 mark with 1,389 units sold, ahead of the GameCube at 904 units.

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