AfterDawn: News

Wii continues to outsell PS3 in Japan

Nintendo's Wii console is benefiting from the large price gap between it and the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console, outselling the PS3 at a ratio up to 4 to 1. Between January 22nd and 28th, The PS3 sold about 20,000 units in Japan. In the same time frame, the Wii had moved another 80,000 units. The PS2 also beat the PS3 with 21,000 units sold in the same time.

PS3 wasn't the worst performing console during that time frame though, Microsoft only managed to sell 7,000 Xbox 360 consoles as it struggles to grow in the Japanese market. The PS3 launched in Japan on November 11th and has since sold 614,000 units. The Wii launched on December 2nd and has sold more than 1.4 million units since then.



This is a clear sign that Sony needs to drop the price of the PS3, according to Enterbrain's Hirokazu Hamamura. "There could be a price cut for PS3 by the end of the year, and more software titles will hit the market," he said. He said the PS3 will pick up after a while but that the Wii will continue to stay ahead for some time.

Source:
GamesIndustry.biz

Written by: James Delahunty @ 6 Feb 2007 8:31

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• 18 comments

• hughjars

  It's not unexpected to see the Wii selling so well IMO.
  
  It's got good games and an innovative approach.
  
  .....and sadly for some too many people still find SD perfectly acceptable.
  
  Quote:This is a clear sign that Sony needs to drop the price of the PS3, according to Enterbrain's Hirokazu Hamamura. "There could be a price cut for PS3 by the end of the year, and more software titles will hit the market," he said. - Ha! That's funny....an kind of desperate.
  
  So they're going to cut them to below the half price level they're trying to sell them here in the UK?
  
  If they can't sell them at 1/2 the price they are launching them here at what makes anyone think they'll be shifting here at all -
  (short initial fanboy rush excepted)?

  6.2.2007 10:19 #1

• jetyi83

  another article on here says the price drop is expected around april 2008.
  
  of course the wii is selling more, its only 250 bucks. the ps3 is more than double that.
  
  id much much rather have a ps3, but not yet. there are no good games for it yet, plus i dont have 600 bucks to spend. i think most people will get a wii first, because its cheap and pretty fun and has a mod chip now. The ps3 sales will grow as soon as games start to come out.

  6.2.2007 10:45 #2

• solarf

  I don't think there is any game out there that would make me spend $600..

  6.2.2007 12:13 #3

• chubbyInc

  If the PS3 is already out, why would people still be buying the PS2?

  6.2.2007 13:38 #4

• plutonash

  its cheaper and the ps3 cant play many ps2 games.

  6.2.2007 14:04 #5

• plutorash

  Originally posted by plutonash:its cheaper and the ps3 cant play many ps2 games.Wow! It seems to play all of my ps2 and ps games just fine. Do you actually ever know what you're talking about?

  6.2.2007 14:55 #6

• kearney

  hm. where are all the ps3 fanboys on this one? Guess its hard to say the PS3 is the best when reports of how none are being bought come out

  6.2.2007 17:00 #7

• chubbyInc

  Did Plutorash set up that account just to bash Plutonash ??
  
  the 21,000 PS2 bought are probably from people who's original PS2 broke on them.
  
  Hmmmm not many games going to be solely on the PS3 anyways, except a few Japanese made games.

  6.2.2007 20:29 #8

• Javafriek

  Quote:hm. where are all the ps3 fanboys on this one? Guess its hard to say the PS3 is the best when reports of how none are being bought come out
  Well said, my thoughts exactly.

  7.2.2007 04:19 #9

• croy00

  The PS3 does suck but can you buy a PC with the same harware as the PS3 for $600. Not a chance no I think sony needs to give their rights all to nintendo and bow down to the superior entity. And maybe make stuff that doesn't suck moldy socks. Just an idea.

  8.2.2007 15:22 #10

• borhan9

  You know I think Sony still is thinking that because the ps2 did so well they can hike the price of the ps3 based on the old consoles success. Maybe initially they can make a profit on the people that will by the console without actually researching the product. Eventually people will figure out it is better to go cheaper and get the same sorta games with a little less quality than the other one but the consumer does not get hit big in the back pocket.

  10.2.2007 02:23 #11

• DarkMods

  they cant drop it, think of how much money they spent making the PS3, if they drop the price they are not getting as much money as they spent making it. if sony didnt put so much hi tech in it, it would have a lower price

  10.2.2007 05:37 #12

• Chroma45

  Originally posted by croy00:The PS3 does suck but can you buy a PC with the same harware as the PS3 for $600. Not a chance no I think sony needs to give their rights all to nintendo and bow down to the superior entity. And maybe make stuff that doesn't suck moldy socks. Just an idea.A PC with Blu-ray player for $600; I think not. PS3 is not going to fair well and now Sony will struggle just like Nintendo had to before. The PS4 should have had a Blu-ray player and Sony went too far too fast.

  10.2.2007 07:02 #13

• Chroma45

  Originally posted by croy00:The PS3 does suck but can you buy a PC with the same harware as the PS3 for $600. Not a chance no I think sony needs to give their rights all to nintendo and bow down to the superior entity. And maybe make stuff that doesn't suck moldy socks. Just an idea.A PC with Blu-ray player for $600; I think not. PS3 is not going to fair well and now Sony will struggle just like Nintendo had to before. The PS4 should have had a Blu-ray player and Sony went too far too fast. Price of the unit should have been the deciding factor on what was in the system and not what Sony wanted to push onto consumers, a Blu-ray Trojan horse. Sony never learns.

  10.2.2007 07:03 #14

• hughjars

  Quote:A PC with Blu-ray player for $600; I think not. - Why would anyone care about that?
  
  Just because Blu-ray PC drives cost the earth is no reason to stop thinking 'PC'.
  
  A very nice Core 2 Duo rig which is able to play retail HD-DVD, Blu-ray and all the hundreds of other HD movies currently available (via download) is perfectly possible at very close to that kind of money (and far far more versitile and usable than any mere games console).
  
  Next month the Toshiba HD-DVD burner appears (and at a price that "signifiacntly unders any Blu-ray competition).
  There's your (affordable) high capacity disc storage.
  
  All in all a much better and more versitile player in the form of a PC with a high def blue laser burner.
  It really isn't far off now and won't be especially expensive either.
  
  The PS3 is a mess in a lot of trouble.
  
  It isn't selling in anything like the numbers once imagined.
  It's high cost and a totally unfocussed purpose is to blame, nothing like good enough to be a mini-PC and so bloated with expensive hardware it didn't need making it a grossly over-priced games console.
  
  No wonder the Wii is doing so well.

  10.2.2007 07:57 #15

• omexus

  the nintendo wii is not bad with the graphics, especially at 480p even the gamecube games look awesome and its 100% backwards compatible which is great, but if want the super duper graphics n physics and minus the dual shock controller,spend another $600au more, or even better graphics without the better physics spend another $200 more and get a Xbox360, so many choices,so little money, i think id buy the wii & x360 for the sameprice as the PS3, and when the PS3 drops in price bigtime i then can buy the PS3. and by then the PS3 would have ironed out most of the problems and then see some real good games with awesome physics.

  11.2.2007 20:43 #16

• Pyroglade

  Oh irony, you bring such sorrow (to Sony).
  Heh, Sony was expecting everyone to buy their lovely console because of the perfect graphics and incredible games...... Not so much.
  
  If you look at the Japan hardware sales, every single week, the DS-Lite has sold more than twice of all sony's products. The Wii has sold at least double of Sony also.
  >.> I think Sony should get their act together if they want to continue in the game industry.

  20.2.2007 21:28 #17

• DarkMods

  they arent they suck

  21.2.2007 03:35 #18