It seems like Wii is unbeatable. Shortly after the NPD Group
released its data about the gaming sales in US during February, Media Create
revealed that Nintendo Wii is the champion in Japan too.
According to Media Create, in the week ending March 9,
Nintendo sold 57,068 Wiis in Japan,
which is almost double compared to 21,008 PS3s sold by Sony. As for Microsoft,
its Xbox 360 continues to struggle and it has sold only 2891.
So far, Microsoft has failed to impress the Japanese gamers,
who bought only 257,800 Xbox 360 consoles during 2007, according to the data
released by Enterbrain. In comparison,
Nintendo Wii sold 3.6 million units, while Sony managed to sell 1.2 million
PS3s.
Though, it is very possible that during the next week Xbox
360’s sales will be higher, because on March 6, Microsoft started to sell its
Xbox 360 Arcade in Japan
for only 27,800 yen ($260) instead 34,800 yen.
Xbox Arcade was launched in the US last year in October and it is
sold for $279.99. The package includes five family-friendly games, a wireless
controller, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connection to enable
high-definition output if desired and 256 MB of memory useful for storing games
and entertainment content. Unlike the Core version, the Arcade
doesn’t have a hard drive.
On the handheld market, Nintendo DS was outsold by Sony’s
PSP. Sony sold 53,924 PSPs, while Nintendo DS ranked second with 48,658 units.
As for the United
States, PS3 had a good February month,
despite being outsold by Nintendo Wii almost 2 to 1. While Wii sold 432,000
units, Sony managed to sell 281,000 PS3s and Microsoft was lagging far behind
with only 255,000 units.
According to the analysts, PS3 sales were boosted by the
recent victory of BluRay, and it remains to be seen is Sony will manage to keep
the rhythm.
Though, earlier this month iSuppli analyst Pamela Tufegdzic
predicted that 2008 will be the turning year for Sony’s PlayStation 3. "2008
will be a turning year for the PS3," said Tufegdzic for Reuters.
"Sony is offering a better forthcoming software pipeline with blockbuster
titles like "Gran Turismo 5", which will boost PS3 sales this
year."
Also, Sony announced June 12 as the official release date of
its exclusive game, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots. It is believed
that the new title will boost the sales of PS3, in the same manner as Halo 3
did for Xbox 360 during last year.
On the Xbox 360’s front, Microsoft is expecting the release
of Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar’s upcoming title, to boost the sales of its
gaming console. Although, the game is not an Xbox 360 exclusive, GTA’s makers have
promised some exclusive content to be available later this year.
So, after all it seems like the battle of the gaming
consoles is still open.
