PSP dominating Japanese hardware sales once again |
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| BY Dan Haspert Mar. 24th, 2008 | More on: |
While most of the Japanese hardware sales figures will come as little surprise: the Xbox 360 is continuing to be about as popular as VHS tapes, and handhelds continue to dominate the market. What may come as a surprise, is that the choke hold the DS has on the handheld market has begun to slip away with the PSP taking top honors for the third time in a row. While the PSP only sold a handful more units then the DS, the fact that it sold more at all is the remarkable thing.
Many factors could be contributing to the success of the PSP, from last year’s redesign, a competitive price point, to the number one selling game in Japan being a PSP title, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (Monster Hunter Freedom 2).
If you couple the success of the PSP with that of the PS3 in not only the Japanese market but all over the world, Sony is looking at what could turn out to be a very successful year for them. Continuing to outsell the Xbox 360 here in America, and Europe, along with keeping the DS at bay in Japan, will be key if they want to come out as the dominating hardware manufacturer in ’08.
Check out the sales figures out below:
- PSP: 57,651
- Wii: 55,845
- DS Lite: 53,266
- PS3: 14,934
- PS2: 9,930
- Xbox 360: 1,744
March 24th, 2008
at 7:21 pm
The PSP is an awesome piece of hardware. I have both the PSP and DS and honestly I use the PSP more then the DS. I just think that there are more games on the PSP that I want to play then there are on the DS. And the PSP has other great features as well.
March 24th, 2008
at 10:53 pm
I had a PSP since launch and just recently traded mine in for a DS. The PSP is an incredible piece of hardware, but there weren’t enough games that were available for the system to keep me interested. All the games to me were just kind of the Jr. league versions of their original counter part. Not bad but nothing that inticed me to play.
While the PSP is a great “all in one” system. I didn’t really use it’s other functions. On trips I usually always have my laptop for WiFi internet use, and movies, and I have a 30 gig Ipod for music and pics. The main focus of PSP for me would be gaming.
While the DS is definitly under powered to the PSP, I personally found more of the games to my liking and didn’t mind the graphical hit.
March 24th, 2008
at 11:31 pm
That is the one reason I don’t own either handhelds. If i go anywhere i take my laptop and game on that, so I have not been able to talk myself into getting one. I think though if I were to, I would have to get the DS.
March 25th, 2008
at 4:16 am
I think the success of the different handhelds reside entirely with the popularity of their software titles.
In Japan, it’s not uncommon to see 50 year old businessmen and 65 year old grandmas whip out their Nintendo DS on their long train commute. It’s a natural extension of their culture, since most people are accustomed to playing with their cell phones the entire time while on the train.
DS really enjoyed so much success because of its enormous library of games, games that particularly appeal to these type of casual gamers (such as trivia, brain teaser, or girly type games). It’s also a lot easier to use on a cramped train. DS even released a pink version in Japan long before it came to the U.S. Nintendo has always known who their target audience is.
PSP on the other hand, while a great piece of technological hardware, seems to be all over the place with its features instead of focusing on the games. Maybe with more games like this Monster Hunter Portable 2 they’ll continue to gain ground.