Japan charts: Xbox 360 catching PS3

By Robert Purchese Published 22 June, 2009

Platinum's Infinite Space on top.

Xbox 360 sales picked up across Japan last week, putting Microsoft's console within touching distance of the PS3.

But Nintendo platforms dominate the depleted market, as Wii and DS games account for 36 of the top 50 entries, according to Media Create data reproduced on NeoGAF.

Taking top honours is SEGA and Platinum Games' Infinite Space on DS. This is the science fiction-RPG where players control and customise a starship. We had a brief look at Infinite Space in 2008, although the game has no Western date yet.

The only other new entry in the top 10 is New Control Play! Chibi-Robo on Wii. This was great on the GameCube. There's no Western date for this, either.

This Week Last Week Title Platform Weekly Sales Lifetime Sales
1 New entry Infinite Space DS 38,394 38,394
2 1 Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days DS 28,161 429,000
3 5 Sloane and McHale's Mysterious Story DS 26,360 128,000
4 2 Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth DS 18,496 233,000
5 3 Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires PS3 13,690 117,000
6 7 Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (BEST) PSP 13,443 735,000
7 New entry New Control Play! Chibi-Robo Wii 11,202 11,202
8 9 Wii Fit Wii Fit 9534 3,454,000
9 6 Evangelion: Jo (Prologue) PSP 7872 23,000
10 4 Arc Rise Fantasia Wii 7666 34,000

Japanese hardware sales:

Platform This Week Last Week 2009 Sales Lifetime Sales
DS 42,280 44,447 1,564,602 26,684,237
PSP 26,904 29,070 1,107,132 12,465,235
Wii 18,442 17,177 580,993 8,059,970
PS3 10,009 10,173 568,268 3,190,736
Xbox 360 8015 6625 217,108 1,046,545
PS2 3498 4096 125,111 21,524,640
Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (44) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • lambtron #1 3 years ago

    Sweet Lord.

  • rotmm #2 3 years ago

    I think "Xbox 360 catching PS3" as a headline is a little bit of a stretch ;)

  • miiiguel #3 3 years ago

    This litle surge must have something to do with Sega Vintage Collection, by looking at Comix Zone and Phantasy Star II leaderboards, most of the dudes are Japanese who only have these "new" games.

  • Triggerhappytel #4 3 years ago

    Particularly poor week for the PS3. I thought it was picking up steam over there? Seems like quite a dull week for software too - nothing appears to be selling particularly well, given how much they usually do.

    Gotta marvel at the staying power of Wii Fit though. It must have made Ninty a fucking fortune.

  • Dizzy #5 3 years ago

    Both 360 and PS3 are doing really badly. I have said this many times before, but Japan has moved to mobile only. Next gen mobile systems should have a "play-on-TV" mode build in IMHO. That should go down well in Japan.

  • AphoticCosmos #6 3 years ago

    How the hell is Wii Fit still up there? Is EA Sports Active not out in Japan yet? I agree with Trigger, Wii Fit must have made a ridiculous amount of money by now.

    8015 up on 6625 is quite a bit percentage leap for the 360, though. Strange. Still, it is quite obvious that not only is Japan going completely mobile, perhaps due to the long hours and commutes in Japanese everyday life, but that Nintendo has resoundingly won. When the Wii outsells the 360 and PS3 combined, well . . .
    Edited by 1 at 22/06/09 @ 12:49

  • SFG_Clan #7 3 years ago

    I don't think 360 will ever completley grasp the Japanese market, they all seem to be ultra-nationalist consumers when it comes to video games. However I think this is progress and thats something

  • Widge #8 3 years ago

    Well, the PSP2000 onwards have play on TV which is nice. Be good to see if the Go! allows play on TV AND DS3 control method.

  • Psychotext #9 3 years ago

    "I think "Xbox 360 catching PS3" as a headline is a little bit of a stretch"

    For once they're technically right. The 360 improved more than the PS3 dropped. Usually when they say it it's because the higher selling console dropped by a massive amount.

    They could certainly do with the qualifier of "in weekly sales" though. :D
    Edited by 1 at 22/06/09 @ 12:54

  • AusFreelancer #10 3 years ago

    Time for next gen yet? ;p

  • drumbaby #11 3 years ago

    Blimey, Xbox 360 lifetime Jpn sales overtaking PS3's soon then???!!!

  • stevetuck #12 3 years ago

    Wii fit is its own console.... awesome :D

  • woodnotes #13 3 years ago

    With the Japanese market shrinking, it's amazing that they still make so many Japan-only and Japan-centric games.

    The UK market has expanded and is now as big as (if not bigger) than the JP market and yet we don't make games just for the UK market. Just an observation.

  • cyacomini #14 3 years ago

    Still a bit strange though - usually 360 sales spikes in Japan happen when there is a major release, Blue Dragon and Ace Combat being most memorable.

    Not sure why the surge this month though, no 360 titles in the charts at all - is this maybe a hang-over from E3 announcements?
    Edited by 1 at 22/06/09 @ 13:08

  • woodnotes #15 3 years ago

    Probably got excited about Natal.

    Actually, no, probably isn't that.

  • miiiguel #16 3 years ago

    @woodnotes: UK+Europe+US = Western culture; Japan+"The Golden Triangle" = Asian culture.
    Japanese do not make games only for themselfs, you can see many Koreans; Thais; Hong Kong gamers playing that sort of stuff.

  • woodnotes #17 3 years ago

    Fair point miiiiiiiguel. Although I suppose we don't get sales figures for those countries so it's difficult to guage, but likely a larger market than I thought when you add it all together.

  • Dizzy #18 3 years ago

    "we don't make games just for the UK market. Just an observation. "

    Cricket? Darts? ;)

  • coolbritannia #19 3 years ago

    how about sonyfanboy name is fanboy?

  • woodnotes #20 3 years ago

    @ Dizzy:

    "Cricket? Darts? ;)"

    You might be surprised to learn that EA's Cricket (and Rugby) games are made by HB Studios in... Canada :p

    EDIT: Pretty sure by our performance that Cricket is actually bigger in other markets! Darts on the other hand.... I'll give you that one :)
    Edited by 2 at 22/06/09 @ 13:24

  • TheRook21 #21 3 years ago

    8 9 Wii Fit Wii Fit 9534 3,454,000

    When did Wii Fit become its own platform and no longer on the Wii?


    @ Stevetuck - great minds... and all that jazz
    Edited by 1 at 22/06/09 @ 13:37

  • uglygamer #22 3 years ago

    NATAL is probably the video gaming revolution Japan needs.

  • anomagnus #23 3 years ago

    who gives a fuck about japan anymore, anyway?

    Their games are caught in a time warp, that they cannot break out of. Sure, they tidy the game up with new graphics, but the Japanese can't design games for shit anymore.

  • coolbritannia #24 3 years ago

    aye, I don't rate anything coming out of Japan at the moment, the metal gear games are pants IMO, capcom have disappointed of late (SFIV aside), I'm hoping dead rising 2 bucks the trend.

  • Hexagon #25 3 years ago

    Judging from the lifetime sales, it doesn't sound too implausible that the Wii will surpass the PSP in total sales in Japan someday.

  • coolbritannia #26 3 years ago

    scratch that, The Last Guardian looks pretty japanese to me and that looks ace.

  • Steroyd #27 3 years ago

    A lot of posts are below the viewing threshold wtf is this new feature?

    Title means nothing in the grand scheme of things it's more PS3 sales dropping to Xbox 360 levels, rather than the other way round, I didn't realise that the Wii and PS3 sales over the year so far were so close, Japan truly is a handheld nation these days.

  • Triggerhappytel #28 3 years ago

    Psychotext - "For once they're technically right. The 360 improved more than the PS3 dropped. Usually when they say it it's because the higher selling console dropped by a massive amount."

    Erm, no. The PS3's lifetime sales are 3,190,736. It sold 10,009, making a total of 3,200,745. The 360's lifetime sales are 1,046,545, and it sold less than the PS3 this week at 8015, giving a total of 1,054,560. All that's happened is the 360 is losing ground this week at a slower rate than it was last week - but the sales are still lower therefor the gap is still widening.

    You see?

  • carlitoswagon #29 3 years ago

    Only another 2 million sales to go!!!! and thats if the PS3 doesn't shift another console.......yipee.......fetch my finest wine and let us celebrate ; )

  • Psychotext #30 3 years ago

    @Triggerhappytel: Did you purposefully ignore the second part of my post?

    "They could certainly do with the qualifier of "in weekly sales" though. :D "

  • miiiguel #31 3 years ago

    @ "A lot of posts are below the viewing threshold wtf is this new feature?"
    Just clean your threshold, as comments are obviously rated acording to personal vibes rather than in its content. It might sound narcisistic to use my own comment as an example, but it kinda ilustrates what I'm saying: I answered woodnotes, based on my experienvce, from fellow gamers I found while playing Asian games like KUF or peeking at Sega's Vintage Collection leaderboards, and I got 3 negative remarks. It was as innocuous as a comment can be.
    Edited by 2 at 22/06/09 @ 15:00

  • Triggerhappytel #32 3 years ago

    Gotcha, Psycho. I think my brain is starting to hurt with all these figures ;)

    Although I think to proclaim the 360 is catching the PS3 in weekly sales would be a bit superfluous since they seem to fluctuate so wildly depending on what software is coming out.

  • Khanivor #33 3 years ago

    Aye farticus, you can count on Japanese games being uncluttered by what is flavour of the month because most of them are still built around the flavour of a decade ago :)

  • ronuds #34 3 years ago

    "coolbritannia, I'm a 360 owner, dick head."

    I see this comment went over well with the community! :D

  • MeBrains #35 3 years ago

    wow... donnie.... you are a man of stereotypes.

    japan likes more than just rpg's.
    Sony is a japanese company, surprise: Nintendo is as well.
    360 is the console of jrpg's.
    360 has the best all-round lib.
    and so on...

    i would agree with you that ps3 has sold better over the last months, because of some specific releases. i also believe Japan sales will pick up for ps3 once the price drops. something which has not worked for MS's console - Japan was the first region where 360's price was lowered if I remember well. It still has sold abysimally and I strongly think it will continue to do so (in Japan). This week's "upsurge" proves nill. I am sure you agree...

  • ronuds #36 3 years ago

    The 360 has definitely sold better since the last price drop. It's still not pushing anywhere close to Wii-like numbers, but it has definitely done "better".

  • coolbritannia #37 3 years ago

    hey ronuds, where did foxhounds comments go? they vanished?

  • ronuds #38 3 years ago

    Seems they have vanished. Maybe they were deleted for having such a low threshold? Maybe it was the swearing?!?

    Either way, he's a Sony fanboy through and through. Cool guy, though. :)

  • coolbritannia #39 3 years ago

    seems even his comments are stealth.

  • Bravestinsane #40 3 years ago

    How has the 360 picked up... what game has cause this... poor news eurogamer...

    Its not in touching distance, both sales for the PS3 and 360 were quite low compared to the rest of the world... 360 sold 80% of that of the PS3 an extra 20% is still a lot

    Up from the previous week is good new for MS... however it still hasn't even sold half of what the PS3 has sold so far this year...

    Let alone lifetime sales with PS3 selling three times that of the 360...

    Frankly this title is misleading and incorrect, it's no where near catching up... the sales are terrible for the 360 no matter how good this weeks sales are they are irrelivent in the long run unless the 360 takes of the PS3 in weekly sales and remains there for several months, in that case feel free to use this title... but otherwise this news is bollocks based on the title.

    Have a nice day reporting crap =)

  • shotgun44 #41 3 years ago

    Wow, a comment from Farticus that doesn't mention how dreadful he thinks the PS3 is...

    Keep it up, it makes a welcome change!

  • Bravestinsane #42 3 years ago

    haha Shotgun... im too busy laughing at people giving me negative feedback on my post for stateing the obvious, and the truth in the article.

    I love fan boys

  • funkateer #43 3 years ago

    Following the same logic, Eurogamer could also report about PS3 hw sales catching X360 sales in the US this week (see vgchartz).
    But, it would be a rediculous statement, just like this statement is rediculous too. It's called suggestive journalism.

    The X360 isn't catching PS3 sales in japan, the (big) gap is still widening, just not as fast as before.
    Edited by 2 at 24/06/09 @ 09:09

  • blueheat #44 3 years ago

    "we don't make games just for the UK market. Just an observation. "

    Cricket? Darts? ;)

    Actually, darts is massively popular in bars over here (Japan), although I've never seen it on tv or anything. But everytime I got to the local game centre to play pool, the pool tables are empty, but there is NEVER a spare darts board.