I find the way the Japan PS3 outsells Wii in 2010 story reported so badly.

Writers are trying to frame it as some turning of the tide, or some rapid Wii decline.

Looking at the figures:

Japanese hardware, January 4-September 12, 2010 (combined SKUs):

1.DS – 1,637,461

2.PSP – 1,453,248
3.PS3 – 1,017,094

4.Wii – 1,015,513

5.360 – 153,564

6.PS2 – 60,012

The PS3 has sold merely 2000 units more and we are still in September. Remember at the end of 2009, something like 80% of Wii sales hit during the Christmas period. But even forgetting that, a week back we got life to date hardware figures for Japan, PS3 was at 5.5 million, Wii was at over 10 million.

PS3 selling 2000 units more in the space of year wont even begin to make the slightest dent in the overall install base that is already built up. And by the time wii sales flatline, a new Nintendo console will be out.

PS3 has overtaken the Wii in Japan sales this year. 360 is about to surpass Wii sales in NA this year as well. Worldwide the Wii might not be the best selling console of the year. They need to do something, to make sure they keep their yearly crown. I am sure the PS2 never had a year where it was not the best selling console.

Also the PS3 is now within 3.6 million units away from being #2 worldwide in console sales, that is with the 360s one year head start. Seems like Europe is still Sony Land.

FAMITSU REVIEWS

A sample of the most important games hitting Japan in the next week, courtesy of the review pages of the new Famitsu magazine:

- Dead Rising 2 (9/8/9/9, 35 points): Although things aren't massively different from the original game, Famitsu's reviewers had overall rosy impressions of Keiji Inafune's latest. "The massive amount of zombies and overall goofy feel is just as enjoyable in this game," one reviewer said. "Making your own weapons ups the silliness level a great deal as well."

"The sheer looniness of the bosses is pretty charming," another added. "You have a lot of freedom, and the combo weapons are a lot of fun."

Somewhat less charming were DR2's load times, which were reportedly an issue in both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. "This is true in both versions, but the load times are pretty long, which damages the tempo of the game," as one writer put it. Still, "the difficulty is on the high side, but being able to keep your experience level and start over from the beginning makes it approachable enough for casual users."

- Okamiden (9/8/8/9, 34 points): If DR2 doesn't rock the boat much, neither does Capcom's other big release for the month in Japan. "There isn't the impact you felt when playing Okami for the first time," one reviewer admitted, "but this game does successfully retain the unique aspects of the previous game. As a result, things feel very smooth and engaging as you play."

"The stylus is perfect for the brush-drawing action," another added. "The core bits of the previous game, the world exploration and visual beauty, are fully there on the portable system. It's a shame there are no dramatic changes apart from the controls, but maybe that just shows how complete a package it was in the first place."

- Quantum Theory (8/8/8/7, 31 points): Tecmo's entry into the hardcore third-person shooter field received good, but not great, results from Famitsu's writing crew. "It's a third-person shooter similar to many out there," one began. "There's a lot of variation to the combo attacks with the heroine, letting you fight in a variety of ways, but it seems a waste that you're limited stage-wise to where you can use them. It's also annoying how you get caught in little obstacles while running around."

Another liked the game's feel overall: "The hardcore world setting and enigma-laden story are both interesting. You can really feel the force behind the gun attacks."

A third reviewer brought up a bigger problem, however: "The default aiming is pretty slow, I felt, which made it hard to target enemies. I think you'll love or hate the game depending on how you deal with that. You can adjust the camera and aim sensitivity, so you may need to fiddle with those a bit."

LBP Music Video. Amazing what you can do just with the directors camera. GG you can create an entire sitcom in LBP2.

“I look around Tokyo Games Show, and everyone’s making awful games; Japan is at least five years behind,” said Keiji Inafune, 45, head of global research and development at Capcom and one of Japan’s most prominent game designers.

SHUT UP!! You are a crazy person. At this point he needs to be fired. Let him come here and make FPSs for the rest of his life. That is his dream is it not.

^ It's also possible that Nintendo will announce and release a new home console next year. Case in point, the DS. It was both announced and released in 2004. It's highly likely the same will happen with the 3DS (at least in Japan).

gamingeek said:

I find the way the Japan PS3 outsells Wii in 2010 story reported so badly.

Writers are trying to frame it as some turning of the tide, or some rapid Wii decline.

...

The Wii is in rapid decline in Japan. No software is being released for it.  For example, not counting WiiWare there have been 2 retail releases for it between Aug 30 and Sep 25 (Other M and Decca Sports).

aspro said:

Aussie retail check-in, Going through the latest catalogue from out largest electronics retailer: (as reference AUD = .94 USD)

Move Kit $95 Camera, one controller and Demo disc

Kinect: Not Advertised

Old Arcade 360: $188

New 360: $398

Black Wii: $288

DSiXL: $299

Halo Reach: $98

Fallout New Vegas Pre-Order: $109

SMG2: $96

Madden: $88

So, some good prices, some weird prices.  There appears to be no set value for new games, which I can dig (if they were not so high).

Do you guys make more money or is the dollar value less in Australia cause if its the equivalent of the american dollar that is a rip off. I feel bad for you guys.

aspro said:

The Wii is in rapid decline in Japan.

Home consoles are in decline in Japan. Yeah, PS3 gets more third party software, but that's always been the case, even when it was outsold, and that it does as poorly as Wii while having all that software is hardly positive and shows more is wrong with the console market there than any single platform's specific issues... Nintendo has a few titles set for this year (Kirby, Donkey Kong) that should help it out, though not to the insane levels of last year's New Super Mario Bros. Wii... Then again, people buying a new Wii will also pick that up among other classics.

Heavy Rain $40... Still not feeling it.