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[Chrono]

What's Galaxy's total so far?

 

[jarrod]

It's interesting how it may be a different kind of domination than the PS2, though. The amount Wii has exceeded PS3 is very, very similar to the amount PS2 exceeded Gamecube in the same period (just slightly higher), but the PS2 also had a 5m+ lead in Japan before Gamecube even launched. Does this mean PS3 has a better chance to remain relevant than the 'Cube? Or just that the dying process will take longer?

It may play out more like Saturn vs. PS1. Only with fewer multiformat games obviously. :lol

Saturn *was* considered the more traditionalist hardcore platform though, and generally saw better sales on those types of games (Capcom/SNK fighters, 2D shooters, Grandia, etc) and it still remained somewhat competitive even in the face of overall PlayStation domination thanks largely to it's enthusiast leanings. PlayStation also skewed more casual, and Sony made huge inroads into youth and female markets with innovative and accessable software like Parappa, Mingol, Doko Demo Issyo, Intelligent Cube, Xai, etc. It's not a perfect parallel, but there are interesting similarities...

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Thank you very much of these posts, keep up the good work!

I too appreciate the work that these guys go into.

I still don't get it. Relative to hardware sales software sales stay low (I'm talking about the PSP obviously). This week is better for it then many many weeks prior, but they're hardly huge.

Though I still think it's amazing how much the handheld market has grown of late in Japan. Previous generations we've seen one handheld do well, but we've never seen one break the 20 million unit mark, and another ready to break the 10 million unit mark. Last handheld cycle the market was at best 20 million units, and now we're looking at 30 million + units. Hell maybe even higher when all is said and done.

 

[jarrod]

I too appreciate the work that these guys go into.

I still don't get it. Relative to hardware sales software sales stay low (I'm talking about the PSP obviously). This week is better for it then many many weeks prior, but they're hardly huge.

Though I still think it's amazing how much the handheld market has grown of late in Japan. Previous generations we've seen one handheld do well, but we've never seen one break the 20 million unit mark, and another ready to break the 10 million unit mark. Last handheld cycle the market was at best 20 million units, and now we're looking at 30 million + units. Hell maybe even higher when all is said and done.

DS alone is probably good for 30m+ units... PSP+DS may reach into 40-45m units lifetime imo, which is bigger than any previous JP console market even. :lol

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Wow @ Smash. A million in eleven days?! What's the LTD of SSBM in Japan? Surely the Wii version is selling much better than it.

Super Smash Bros. Melee (Famitsu data)
357K week 1
420K week 2
...
1 million week 11
...
1.07 million week 19
...
1.35 million most recent

You might want to add this week to that statement because one of those fourteen games just happens to be NSMB, a game probably the equal of the top five best selling PSP games.

Closer to top nine.

For this week's software sales, though, I'd be very surprised to see PSP eclipse DS, but we'll probably have to wait for next week's Famitsu software pie to see. I think the last time PSP's percentage was higher than DS's was the week of Monster Hunter 2 Freedom's launch. That game sold sold 746K, and the total software percentage ended up 39.5% PSP to 31.7% DS.

 

[Phife Dawg]

What's Galaxy's total so far?

Famitsu has it at 867,000.

 

[Vinnk]

Lol at #4 & #5. Especially the Pikachu crying picture. Any chance you can get a better picture of that one ? The one you posted is blurreedddddd.

I was to busy to check stores today (Valentines Day) but I will go tomorrow. If the sign is still there, I will snap a high quality picture.

IIRC, you also bough Noeechanbara for Wii. Does this mean you are one of those "hardcore otaku" ?

Sometimes I fear I might be...

Can we expect 150k+ next week? How high is the demand?

Well, interest is very high. Many of my students want this game very much. Unfortunately they have already spent their New Year's Money so they can't get it unless they beg their parents or have a birthday coming up.

The hardcore smash fans have it by now, but the casual fans will keep the legs of this title going. At least thats what I think.

I also expect it to do well on golden week. If for some reson it has dropped out of the top 30 by then, I bet it will come back that week.

 

[kswiston]

PSP will never sell software like the DS. I'm surprised that making fun of that fact hasn't gotten a bit old in the past 100+ weeks (since the DS really started to pick up steam in late 2005).

On the positive side, at least the PSP managed to increase it's overall tie-in ratio this week (and in other recent weeks). After so many weeks of total hardware being much higher than total software, it's nice to see at least some PSP owners buying games. Even if they will never buy them with the enthusiasm of DS gamers.

 

[Mithos Yggdrasill]

The 3 PSP games have probably sold as many units as the 14 DS games. Not that it will keep the "PSP sells no games, lol" crowd from bitching.

.......

 

[Vinci]

Go go Brawl, Family Ski, and L!

 

[MisterHero]

GO SMASH GO!

 

[Mithos Yggdrasill]

Famitsu has it at 867,000.

Shit. Still low compared to the quality of the game. We can only hope that it will remain into the top 30 for long time.

 

[Brak]

Wow @ DMC4 crashing to earth.

After the first week it looked like the PS3 was going to have a decent hit on its hands, but now it looks like it will be another underperforming title.

 

[schuelma]

Wow @ DMC4 crashing to earth.

After the first week it looked like the PS3 was going to have a decent hit on its hands, but now it looks like it will be another underperforming title.

It's still likely to surpass DMC3, so that's pretty good.

More worrying for Sony is the apparent drop back to 20K level of hardware (going by Famitsu)

 

[Phife Dawg]

Shit. Still low compared to the quality of the game. We can only hope that it will remain into the top 30 for long time.

It's pretty much set to sell quite a bit more than 1m - I think that's pretty good personally. Quality doesn't equal a corresponding amount of sales sadly.

 

[kswiston]

It's pretty much set to sell quite a bit more than 1m - I think that's pretty good personally. Quality doesn't equal a corresponding amount of sales sadly.

Not as good as mario of old. Galaxy deserves to be selling at least as well as Wii Fit, not slightly better than Mario Sunshine in Japan. That game was probably my favourite of 2007. At least worldwide sales look solid. If its catelog sales are as strong as sunshine's were throughout the Gamecube's life (percentage wise of course), Super Mario Galaxy should be over 10M worldwide when everything is said and done. It may even pass Super Mario 64's 11M.

 

[D.Lo]

PSP will never sell software like the DS. I'm surprised that making fun of that fact hasn't gotten a bit old in the past 100+ weeks (since the DS really started to pick up steam in late 2005).

On the positive side, at least the PSP managed to increase it's overall tie-in ratio this week (and in other recent weeks). After so many weeks of total hardware being much higher than total software, it's nice to see at least some PSP owners buying games. Even if they will never buy them with the enthusiasm of DS gamers.

I do have to question how this would all be seen if it was the other way around.

If the PSP has dominated from the start and never let go (as Sony, all analysts, journalists, third parties, message board posters and game stores expected), and the DS, after flailing for years with only one hit game, had a hardware sales recovery after a re-design to become around 30% of the handheld market, but had incredibly poor software sales because people were picking it up for reasons other then gaming... if all this happened, would the DS be afforded the polite "well it's still doing pretty well for itself - Nintendo is set up to do better next gen" comments the PSP gets these days? Or would it be being written off as a last stand before they were expected to quietly exit the handheld business?

 

[tanod]

wheres dmc 360>.> also , smash is a non game now confirmed

Lesson in 360 software sales. A really good selling 360 title stays on the charts for two or three weeks tops. Example: Halo 3 was #1 the week it came out. Completely dropped off the top 50 in week 2.

 

[norinrad21]

Looks like DMC4 PS3 will do maybe just above 10k next week

 

[Rolf NB]

It's interesting how it may be a different kind of domination than the PS2, though. The amount Wii has exceeded PS3 is very, very similar to the amount PS2 exceeded Gamecube in the same period (just slightly higher), but the PS2 also had a 5m+ lead in Japan before Gamecube even launched. Does this mean PS3 has a better chance to remain relevant than the 'Cube? Or just that the dying process will take longer?

You're mistaken. There's a distinct difference in the sales patterns. The Gamecube sold well in the winter holiday period, especially its first one, but plummeted immediately afterwards, every year, i.e. in a typical February week the Gamecube would sell a tenth of what it did during the holiday spike.

OTOH the winning system, the PS2 of course, dropped much more gracefully and maintained about a quarter of its peak sales into April, May.

http://joshuajamesslone.name/gamecharting/vsps2gcn.php5

The PS3 follows the sales curve of a winning system (low relative post-holiday drop), but the absolute numbers are low. Or IOW it underperformed the Gamecube during holidays, but outperforms it quite clearly in the current period of the year.
That's because the PS3's hardware sales are not gated by any lack of wide appeal. They are gated by price.

The Saturn comparison is as cute as it is asinine. The Saturn's and the PS3's respective first years in Japan tracked nearly identical with the PS3 even slightly in the lead. It only comes up now, because the second year was the strongest for Saturn. It flatlined in its third year though and only crawled to about 6m LTD. I don't think there's much reason to expect the PS3 will fail to overtake the Saturn in Japan, but then unfortunately it will take another year or two until that turns into a verifyable truth.

 

[kswiston]

I do have to question how this would all be seen if it was the other way around.

If the PSP has dominated from the start and never let go (as Sony, all analysts, journalists, third parties, message board posters and game stores expected), and the DS, after flailing for years with only one hit game, had a hardware sales recovery after a re-design to become around 30% of the handheld market, but had incredibly poor software sales because people were picking it up for reasons other then gaming... if all this happened, would the DS be afforded the polite "well it's still doing pretty well for itself - Nintendo is set up to do better next gen" comments the PSP gets these days? Or would it be being written off as a last stand before they were expected to quietly exit the handheld business?

You would probably see both. You would see people spouting the "looks like Nintendo's third party next gen" BS that they did for the Gamecube (which was old and unfunny last gen as well), and you would also see people defending your alternate reality second place DS.

I'm not suggesting that PSP software sales in Japan are good. They're not. I'm just saying that the last few weeks have been a nice change of pace. If people want to make stale jokes about PSP software not selling, why don't they wait for a week where there's isn't a decent debut for a PSP game? Hell, I'm sure they will only have to wait another week or two.

 

[D.Lo]

That's because the PS3's hardware sales are not gated by any lack of wide appeal. They are gated by price.

Except that the PS3 is now the same price as the PS2 was for its first two years, ¥39,990, and that's not even accounting for inflation.

The PS2 had sold 4.3 million before it dropped below that price in its first price cut in July 2001 to ¥35k, and had sold 6.6 million at that price or above.

You would probably see both. You would see people spouting the "looks like Nintendo's third party next gen" BS that they did for the Gamecube (which was old and unfunny last gen as well), and you would also see people defending your alternate reality second place DS

I wasn't having a go at what you said, more agreeing with you and stating the thought I had based on it.

 

[Rolf NB]

Except that the PS3 is now the same price as the PS2 was for its first two years, ¥39,990, and that's not even accounting for inflation.

The PS2 had sold 4.3 million before it dropped below that price in its first price cut in July 2001 to ¥35k, and had sold 6.6 million at that price or above.

And?

PS2 early 2001@40k Yen  79,034 28,829 23,966 44,217 50,779
PS3 early 2008@40k Yen  64,183 38,907 38,117 34,363 41,796

(Famitsu vs Media Create hack-job, ratios may be off slightly, feel free to sue)

You need to think about what the word "except" means. PS3 is selling low weekly numbers because of its high price. It's not failing to attract attention, resulting in an instant death plummet after the end of the gift-giving season, like the Gamecube. That was the point. The PS2's performance doesn't move it.

 

[Kenka]

Srsly guys. Why in the world do we still not have this mother****ing Top 500 for 2007 ?

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

It's still likely to surpass DMC3, so that's pretty good.

More worrying for Sony is the apparent drop back to 20K level of hardware (going by Famitsu)

I'm sure they were ready for it.

The stimulus package that was price drop + DMC4 wasn't going to last forever.

 

[lastendconductor]

Sieg Zeon!

 

[donny2112]

Srsly guys. Why in the world do we still not have this mother****ing Top 500 for 2007 ?

Because it's not August, yet.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Srsly guys. Why in the world do we still not have this mother****ing Top 500 for 2007 ?

The Enterbrain book will be out by May if it follows previous books release dates. But if its like every other year, expect the top500 to come out by July/August like donny said.

I'm sure they were ready for it.

The stimulus package that was price drop + DMC4 wasn't going to last forever.

Well, its not like it had to last forever, just 4 weeks until next big game came out (Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan), but the following week to DMC4 release PS3 is already flirting with 20k. Christmas + 20/60 SKU killed + DMC4 helped PS3 in January. February first week we are off to such a start...can't help but wonder what it'll do 2/25-3/2 where PS3 doesn't have a single release.

 

[Parmenides]

Except that the PS3 is now the same price as the PS2 was for its first two years, ¥39,990, and that's not even accounting for inflation.

Japan? Inflation?

Stock and land prices soared to peak levels in the late 1980s.The economic and financial landscape changed significantly in the early 1990s,when the asset bubble burst. Japan's boom and bust triggered a banking crisis,zero interest rate policy and...deflation

Source: International Monetary Fund

Consumer Price Index (Annual Growth Rates %)

1999 -0.3

2000 -0.71

2001 -0.76

2002 -0.90

2003 -0.25

2004 -0.01

2005 -0.27

 

[Liabe Brave]

You're mistaken. There's a distinct difference in the sales patterns.

The sales curves may be different (which I implicitly acknowledged with my questions), but I'm not mistaken because I was referencing sales totals. Wii has exceeded PS3 by 3.3 million units in 15 months; PS2 exceeded Gamecube by 2.9 million units in Gamecube's first 15 months, or 3.5 million if you go through Gamecube's second January. I don't know why you think this is wrong, since this is the exact same data source you're looking at.

That PS3 appears to be performing in a different manner than Gamecube despite relative similarity of absolute numbers was the whole point of my post. I don't know that we can definitely assign this unusual takeup curve wholly to price, but it's certainly a factor. I believe another factor is the lack of headstart for Wii; by the time of Gamecube launch in Japan, PS2 had already outsold Gamecube's entire lifespan. (The same is almost true worldwide--25 million PS2s produced and probably about 20 million sold before Gamecube (22 million) and Xbox (25 million) even came out. That's utter domination.)

 

[Cheesemeister]

Sieg Zeon!

Is that what the Axis in Gundam is called? I don't follow the series.

 

[vanguardian1]

Is that what the Axis in Gundam is called? I don't follow the series.

It's Zeon's version of "Long live the Empire!" (Oblivion) or "Long live the Queen" (England), that's all.

 

[apujanata]

I was to busy to check stores today (Valentines Day) but I will go tomorrow. If the sign is still there, I will snap a high quality picture.



Well, interest is very high. Many of my students want this game very much. Unfortunately they have already spent their New Year's Money so they can't get it unless they beg their parents or have a birthday coming up.

The hardcore smash fans have it by now, but the casual fans will keep the legs of this title going. At least thats what I think.

I also expect it to do well on golden week. If for some reson it has dropped out of the top 30 by then, I bet it will come back that week.

Thanks in advance for the picture.

Golden week is in May, IIRC. I have a hard time imagining that SSBB are out of Top 30 by that month. Out of Top 10, is a possibility, but out of Top 30 ? No way.

 

[Man God]

It's Zeon's version of "Long live the Empire!" (Oblivion) or "Long live the Queen" (England), that's all.

Look at the uniforms, the reliance upon prototype superweapon after prototype super weapon, the flag...


Zeons are Space Nazis.

 

[lastendconductor]

Is that what the Axis in Gundam is called? I don't follow the series.

Well, a remnant faction of the former principality is called Axis after all :lol

 

[egocrata]

Do Nintendo games get Gundam games? Because a good Gundam for the DS will sell such a retarded amount of software it is not even funny.

Heh, I said "good Gundam". Naive am I.

 

[vanguardian1]

Look at the uniforms, the reliance upon prototype superweapon after prototype super weapon, the flag...


Zeons are Space Nazis.

While correct in many ways, I was referring to the way the phrase was used, not by WHO it was used by.

Do Nintendo games get Gundam games? Because a good Gundam for the DS will sell such a retarded amount of software it is not even funny.

Heh, I said "good Gundam". Naive am I.

Edit : I know a new Gundam 00 game is coming out for DS, but I don't know when.

 

[jman2050]

Do Nintendo games get Gundam games? Because a good Gundam for the DS will sell such a retarded amount of software it is not even funny.

Heh, I said "good Gundam". Naive am I.

Does SRW count? Cause DS has one of those.

 

[Man God]

While correct in many ways, I was referring to the way the phrase was used, not by WHO it was used by.




Edit : I know a new Gundam 00 game is coming out for DS, but I don't know when.

I use any excuse I can to point out the fact that Zeons are Space Nazis because it paints a sometimes frightening, sometimes hilarious image in my head.

 

[Mato]

Wii software sales are going swimmingly.

 

[vanguardian1]

I use any excuse I can to point out the fact that Zeons are Space Nazis because it paints a sometimes frightening, sometimes hilarious image in my head.

Meh. I'm not a big fan of UC, and I'm too excited about Gundam 00.

Spoiler

TEAR'EM APART, SETSUNA!!!!!

 

[GhostSeed]

Edit : I know a new Gundam 00 game is coming out for DS, but I don't know when.

03/27/2008
(video at the link)
http://ds00.jp/

And it actually doesn't look to bad.

 

[Busaiku]

Do Nintendo games get Gundam games? Because a good Gundam for the DS will sell such a retarded amount of software it is not even funny.

Heh, I said "good Gundam". Naive am I.

The only games besides Mahjong ones were both G Generation ones (DS and Crossdrive).
The 1st (DS) one (all numbers are from Japan-Gamecharts/Famitsu) did about 94k, the 2nd (Crossdrive) did 263k.
There's a 00 game coming, but it'll probably do as much as the Geass game, which only did 15k in its 1st week.

Gundam games have sold much better on the PSP though. G Generation Portable did 279k, Battle Chronicle 210k, Rengou vs Zaft 133k, Battle Royale 115k, and 3 more Gundam games that seem to have pulled good/decent numbers. And then there is this latest one of course.

 

[WARCOCK]

I hope Brawl becomes an MLG approved game.

I would count on it, they have a habit of sponsoring gimped pro-games. How the fuck can you omit a blizzard rts,choose source over 1.6 and DoA uh?????????bewbs????. *dies*

 

[Jokeropia]

And?

PS2 early 2001@40k Yen  79,034 28,829 23,966 44,217 50,779
PS3 early 2008@40k Yen  64,183 38,907 38,117 34,363 41,796

(Famitsu vs Media Create hack-job, ratios may be off slightly, feel free to sue)

You need to think about what the word "except" means. PS3 is selling low weekly numbers because of its high price. It's not failing to attract attention, resulting in an instant death plummet after the end of the gift-giving season, like the Gamecube. That was the point. The PS2's performance doesn't move it.

PS2 was heavily supply constrained during (and after) holiday 2000, which was it's first holiday in Japan. In subsequent Januaries (and during non-supply constrained weeks in general) it performed much more similarly to how the Wii is doing.

 

[test_account]

The hardware numbers are up now

Wii 81,737
PSP 75,912
DS Lite 60,464
PS3 23,985
PS2 11,038
Xbox 360 3,615

 

[schuelma]

The hardware numbers are up now

Wii 81,737
PSP 75,912
DS Lite 60,464
PS3 23,985
PS2 11,038
Xbox 360 3,615

Umm..that's not good news for Sony right there.

 

[AniHawk]

I knew the PSP would kill the DS sooner or later. None of you listened to me.

And what else is coming out for the Wii after Mario Kart? Dead system walking.

 

[Odysseus]

Umm..that's not good news for Sony right there.

mamma said you gotta take the good with the bad

balance it out



edit: seriously, quick summary. what's up with ds/psp over there?

 

[corez]

The hardware numbers are up now

Wii 81,737
PSP 75,912
DS Lite 60,464
PS3 23,985
PS2 11,038
Xbox 360 3,615

Come on DS Lite, more colors needed