Support NeoGAF

[Ashes]

Sorry...but I can't let this one go. It's death knell.

But yes, the PS3's suddenly resurgent sales is a bit of a strange anomaly for this week.

I know, I know. I was trying to sound stupid... Maybe that didn't come across... :lol

 

[Speevy]

Tell that to the guy who had the nail put through his head.

 

[duckroll]

How come Gt5 is back in the charts? Chris posted pics of gt5 copies being returned or maybe that was stacks of used GT5 copies. I thought that was a death nail?
If it sells at this similar amount, in 3 years it may break a million copies.

Because numbers are really low? Compare the sales of #20 this week with #20 in the last few weeks.

 

[VOOK]

All I saw walking around Akihabara today dudes on their PSP playing Monster Hunter, not a DS in sight. I thought it was funny.

 

[SpaceDrake]

Man, the sales of Ni no Kuni are almost depressing; it looks like making the book part of the gameplay was a really, really bad idea. I hope the PS3 version manages to do a little better than this, at least. If it also fails to push out its initial shipment that'll be very, very bad for Level 5.

Also AKB selling that much dents my faith in humanity but that's just me possibly being a curmudgeon. A world where an idol game outsells a highly-promoted sequel to a long-respected franchise (PE) is... odd, though.

 

[AniHawk]

It only took six years, but the PSP finally managed to come out on top (for at least one year).

Also: One more year for MC PS2 numbers? Or will this be it?

 

[Pureauthor]

Does PE really count as 'long respected', especially given the massive gap in between iterations?

 

[SpaceDrake]

Does PE really count as 'long respected', especially given the massive gap in between iterations?

Well, a game with at least some nostalgia power behind it, then. The main reason the game was made is because fans have been asking for another game for ages.

 

[FINALFANTASYDOG]

Looking at past years, every year-end week, Sony sales have gone up, Nintendo sales have gone down. (supposedly this year, psp is supply-limited) Adults are on vacation, baby!

Gundam has remarkable staying power.

Also mixing trackers but according to famitsu GT5 sold less then 19K last week, so it's not that horrible of a drop.

 

[duckroll]

I dunno about long respected. PE1 sold a million in Japan, but PE2 sold less than 500k. It's not surprising that T3B is selling much less, since it's a third person shooter on the PSP. I can't really think of many people who loved PE in particular going "fuck yeah I can't wait to play a tps even though I hate them!"...

 

[AniHawk]

I think the PS3's going to easily come out on top for the year over the Wii for 2011. The Wii should see a small spike in the holidays as usual, and maybe one for a week or two when Zelda hits or maybe if The Last Story is a success, but I think it's pretty much on life support now.

 

[perfectchaos007]

yay I don't have to eat crow!

 

[Pristine_Condition]

Man, the sales of Ni no Kuni are almost depressing; it looks like making the book part of the gameplay was a really, really bad idea. I hope the PS3 version manages to do a little better than this, at least. If it also fails to push out its initial shipment that'll be very, very bad for Level 5.

Oh, I'm sure it will. It just has to, IMO. It's freaking gorgeous. I wouldn't buy the DS version either if I knew that amazing-looking PS3 version was coming out, so I don't blame the Japanese consumer for making that choice.

I hope I'm right, anyway.

 

[onken]

Yeah, well done PSP. Took the biggest game on the system to do it, but it was a Pokemon year as well.

 

[Osuwari]

interesting how the DS vs PSP battle will end up with the same looks as how it began. it went from "PSP is gonna kill the DS" to "PSP is beating DS" to "they're pretty even" to "DS is curbstomping everything" to "PSP is back" to "they're pretty even" to "PSP is beating the DS".

this is a first for the industry, right? when was the last time a runner up rose that big against the market leader?

 

[onken]

interesting how the DS vs PSP battle will end up with the same looks as how it began. it went from "PSP is gonna kill the DS" to "PSP is beating DS" to "they're pretty even" to "DS is curbstomping everything" to "PSP is back" to "they're pretty even" to "PSP is beating the DS".

this is a first for the industry, right? when was the last time a runner up rose that big against the market leader?

PS3? It never overtook Wii, but came pretty damn close, not many people would have predicted that after 2007/8.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Yeah, well done PSP. Took the biggest game on the system to do it, but it was a Pokemon year as well.

Well Pokemon B&W was still bigger than MHP3. What really put the PSP on top was the 3DS announcement and the effects of saturation.

 

[Busaiku]

I think the PS3's going to easily come out on top for the year over the Wii for 2011. The Wii should see a small spike in the holidays as usual, and maybe one for a week or two when Zelda hits or maybe if The Last Story is a success, but I think it's pretty much on life support now.

I don't know about that.

PS3 doesn't seem to have as many strong titles this year as it did last year.
Wii didn't really have any big titles last year.

I'd say Wii has a better year this year.

 

[duckroll]

this is a first for the industry, right? when was the last time a runner up rose that big against the market leader?

PSP LTD - 16,650,512
NDS LTD - 32,150,701

I don't think the PSP will be "rising up" against the DS anytime soon, or ever.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

PSP LTD - 16,650,512
NDS LTD - 32,150,701

I don't think the PSP will be "rising up" against the DS anytime soon, or ever.

How far is the PSP from the GBA?

 

[AniHawk]

I'm starting to think the 3DS is going to have problems if the PSP stays popular into its launch. One, I think the pricing is way too high, and Nintendo may have priced it competitively (unfavorably) against the PSP2. Two, I don't think sequels of casual games are going to sell. Three, third party support seems... lacking in areas. I mean there's a lot of support, but it's all games that are years old. And four, the games that are popular on the PSP might not be popular on the 3DS. As much as I'm sure that Capcom would like to get a Monster Hunter Portable 3(G?)D on the system, there's probably a strong association between PSP and Monster Hunter Portable. I'm reminded of a game that was coming out for the Wii where we got reports saying customers thought it was coming out for the PS3 and were disappointed to find out they were wrong. Think it was Tales of Graces or one of the Samurai Warrior games.

How far is the PSP from the GBA?

I think it surpassed it by about a million or so.

 

[Busaiku]

How far is the PSP from the GBA?

It's passed GBA by about 1 million, but GBA had far less time on the market.
GBA also sold many, many, many more games.

 

[confuziz]

I think the PS3's going to easily come out on top for the year over the Wii for 2011. The Wii should see a small spike in the holidays as usual, and maybe one for a week or two when Zelda hits or maybe if The Last Story is a success, but I think it's pretty much on life support now.

I think the consoles have already peaked (worldwide). So who wins the next couple of years doesn't really matter, the numbers will be significantly lower..

 

[m.i.s.]

The PSP resurgence has been nothing short of amazing and that on the back of so little (comparatively). It seems from the outside to be mostly the work of Monster Hunter and a good deal of Square-Enix love, but I can't help but feel there are other factors at work here.

Systems typically don't get that kind of "second wind" that late into their lifespans, especially outside of Japan. The only other example I can think of is what Pokemon did for the Gameboy, and even there, the effect in Japan was seemingly magnified compared to other markets.

Is it the comparative homogeneity of Japanese youth culture that does it? A shared urban experience, lifestyle and exposure to the same kinds of media? Do Japanese gamers have a more efficient word-of-mouth network than gamers in other locations? Why doesn't this happen elsewhere?

Why didn't Sony do more to promote Monster Hunter PSP in the West as Nintendo did with Monster Hunter Wii?

 

[Mr.NiceGuy]

I don't know about that.

PS3 doesn't seem to have as many strong titles this year as it did last year.
Wii didn't really have any big titles last year.

I'd say Wii has a better year this year.

I think we will see a price cut for the PS3 this year, this will push it over the wii (which I don't think will do much better even if it too had a price cut because simply the wii's problem isn't the price).

 

[Freezie KO]

Kid Icarus is going to be an interesting title though if it hits in the launch window will probably sell well regardless. It also has an impact on the future. Sakurai has said he wouldnt mind working on other ancient IPs and bringing them back but if KI doesnt live upto expectations I wonder if that will ever happen.

Gotta keep in mind genre too. 2D platforming a la DKC is going to be a whole lot more accessible than Sin and Punishment-style shooting using both the analog panel and the touchscreen.

Hopefully KI does well if it deserves the sales. DKCR deserves the sales. Good for Retro. Their biggest hit.

 

[m.i.s.]

I think the PS3's going to easily come out on top for the year over the Wii for 2011. The Wii should see a small spike in the holidays as usual, and maybe one for a week or two when Zelda hits or maybe if The Last Story is a success, but I think it's pretty much on life support now.

Difficult to judge seeing as Nintendo announce product shortly before launch. Just when you think it's all over for the Wii, Nintendo pulls another rabbit out of the hat. And DQX is still on track for Wii.

Also, considering the parlous state of the TV console market in Japan, Sony's stubborn refusal to let the PSP die could prove to be one of their most shrewdest moves. It keeps their handheld mindshare alive (even if they have come a cropper against the DS).

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

It's passed GBA by about 1 million, but GBA had far less time on the market.
GBA also sold many, many, many more games.

Dayhm! Who would've thought that a "failed" console could outsell the GBA :lol

Of course all that success is based in 1 country but still. And all on the back of a single franchise.

All it would take is to have Monster Hunter yanked from Sony...

Why didn't Sony do more to promote Monster Hunter PSP in the West as Nintendo did with Monster Hunter Wii?

Because the PSP isn't exactly popular outside of Japan and Monster Hunter was really seen as a Japan only franchise. It was only because Nintendo bought exclusivity for MH3 and that a western push was part of the deal.

Of course, now that Nintendo have proven that Monster Hunter (and Dragon Quest) can be big outside of Japan, Sony will probably push MHP harder than before.

 

[cvxfreak]

Next week's MHP3 sales are definitely something to keep a look out for. As far as I can tell for the Tokyo area, MHP3 is no longer selling out. The problem with that assumption is PSP systems are hard to come by, so if the system isn't around, then sales will naturally decrease. This would then lead to increased legs for the title.

 

[DiscoJer]

Why didn't Sony do more to promote Monster Hunter PSP in the West as Nintendo did with Monster Hunter Wii?

Has SCEA ever made a serious effort to promote anything on the PSP?

And hell, you can say that about Capcom USA as well.

 

[duckroll]

I don't know about that.

PS3 doesn't seem to have as many strong titles this year as it did last year.
Wii didn't really have any big titles last year.

I'd say Wii has a better year this year.

Wait what? What did the PS3 have in 2010 in Japan?

3 PS3 titles sold barely over 500k (RgG4, Hokuto Musou, GT5).

2 PS3 titles sold over 300k (Sengoku Basara 3, Winning Eleven 2011).

5 PS3 titles sold over 200k (Gundam Musou 3, ToG-f, RE5 Alternative Edition, ACE:R, WKC2).

That's a total of 10 titles which has sold at least over 200k in the entire year. None of them cracked 600k, none of them even close to a million.

What does the PS3 have 2011?

Sengoku Musou 3 Z, Shin Sangoku Musou 6, RgG Of the End, Winning Eleven 2012, Ni no Kuni, Tales of Xillia, Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

Those are just the announced titles we have now. I think it's more than comparable to 2010's line up, and more so because there will be a major FF game on the system. If Versus gets delayed even further and does not make 2011 at all, then it will still be relatively similar to 2010 in terms of the line-up of bigger titles.

There are also several titles which will do at least 100k+, but might go over 200k in sales: Trico, Catherine, Reminiscences of Haruhi, etc. I really don't see how 2011's outlook for PS3 in Japan is remotely weaker than the releases in 2010.

 

[cw_sasuke]

I'm starting to think the 3DS is going to have problems if the PSP stays popular into its launch. One, I think the pricing is way too high, and Nintendo may have priced it competitively (unfavorably) against the PSP2. Two, I don't think sequels of casual games are going to sell. Three, third party support seems... lacking in areas. I mean there's a lot of support, but it's all games that are years old. And four, the games that are popular on the PSP might not be popular on the 3DS. As much as I'm sure that Capcom would like to get a Monster Hunter Portable 3(G?)D on the system, there's probably a strong association between PSP and Monster Hunter Portable. I'm reminded of a game that was coming out for the Wii where we got reports saying customers thought it was coming out for the PS3 and were disappointed to find out they were wrong. Think it was Tales of Graces or one of the Samurai Warrior games.

Arent we exaggerating a bit ? We are talkin about the launch lineup mostly - and im pretty sure Kingdom Heart 3D, Fantasy Life, Layton V, Resident Evil Revelation, MML 3, Time Travelers and Co. arent just old games.

And comparing the Wii 3rd Party Situation with the 3DS one is a bit premature. Sure the 3DS will need some time to establish itself on the market, some games will sell better than others. But thats the point with every new hardware - PSP 2, Wii HD and Co. all consoles will have the same problem.

At the end the 3DS main enemy will be the PSP 2 - since it will outlive the PSP.

 

[yurinka]

LOL, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd shipped 4 millions in a month O_O

Wait what? What did the PS3 have in 2010 in Japan?

3 PS3 titles sold barely over 500k (RgG4, Hokuto Musou, GT5).

2 PS3 titles sold over 300k (Sengoku Basara 3, Winning Eleven 2011).

5 PS3 titles sold over 200k (Gundam Musou 3, ToG-f, RE5 Alternative Edition, ACE:R, WKC2).

That's a total of 10 titles which has sold at least over 200k in the entire year. None of them cracked 600k, none of them even close to a million.

What does the PS3 have 2011?

Sengoku Musou 3 Z, Shin Sangoku Musou 6, RgG Of the End, Winning Eleven 2012, Ni no Kuni, Tales of Xillia, Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

Those are just the announced titles we have now. I think it's more than comparable to 2010's line up, and more so because there will be a major FF game on the system. If Versus gets delayed even further and does not make 2011 at all, then it will still be relatively similar to 2010 in terms of the line-up of bigger titles.

There are also several titles which will do at least 100k+, but might go over 200k in sales: Trico, Catherine, Reminiscences of Haruhi, etc. I really don't see how 2011's outlook for PS3 in Japan is remotely weaker than the releases in 2010.

Do we have Final Fantasy XIII numbers?

 

[m.i.s.]

Because the PSP isn't exactly popular outside of Japan and Monster Hunter was really seen as a Japan only franchise. It was only because Nintendo bought exclusivity for MH3 and that a western push was part of the deal.

Of course, now that Nintendo have proven that Monster Hunter (and Dragon Quest) can be big outside of Japan, Sony will probably push MHP harder than before.

I see.

Wouldn't it be weird if Sony, after having Nintendo lay the all groundwork for Monster Hunter in the West, transition that success onto the PSP?!?!

That's probably giving Sony Euro & USA far too much credit (as in, they probably won't bother pursuing the strategy).

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

I wouldn't waste any second thinking PS3 and PSP Go bumps couldn't be because of their hacking.

Interestingly poor choices by SCEJ once again on the hardware front. Let's see:

- MHP3G bundled with both old, commoner PSP-3000 in dual colors. Nice price since its just 3k yen over getting that same console color. Hitting February, what's the point I wonder.

- Dissidia 012 bundle is...another normal PSP-3000 in limited edition color. Costs the same as buying full price console and game, just without fugly color choice in the system.

- There's been pink PSPs for a good time...guess February 2011 needed a value pack of it. Post-valentines for the special SCEJ touch.

- But wait, there's the PS3, they must be doing something with it given how its doing....oh, a metal green controller to go with Killzone 3. Superb reading market abilities there SCEJ.

Meanwhile, the new PSP revision only released in MH colors shoots up in amazon.co.jp to >34500Y new and >33000Y used from resellers and that's not the best part, that amazon catalogs it as 'discontinued from manufacturer' is.

 

[VOOK]

I know it's not good for Level 5... but I found Ni no Kuni for 2,980Y.

+1 Sale >_>

 

[Rolf NB]

LOL, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd shipped 4 millions in a month O_O


Do we have Final Fantasy XIII numbers?

Garaph says 1,861,724 units as of March 2010. Just in case Chris is afk.

 

[cw_sasuke]

I see.

Wouldn't it be weird if Sony, after having Nintendo lay the all groundwork for Monster Hunter in the West, transition that success onto the PSP?!?!

That's probably giving Sony Euro & USA far too much credit (as in, they probably won't bother pursuing the strategy).

Im pretty sure Sony pushed MHF Unite at least here in germany, there were many tv spots running for weeks - and it stayed in charts for 1-2 months i think. Dont know about other coutries, but they did pretty well here.

 

[duckroll]

Do we have Final Fantasy XIII numbers?

What sort of numbers? PS3 LTD? Units sold in 2010?

 

[ReyBrujo]

AKB1/48 might very likely actually do over 500k, like the producer expected. Certainly a big winner here for Dec sales which again shows the sales power of non-games or non-conventional games.

Strange, never heard Yasushi Akimoto saying they wanted to sell 500k, especially since Bandai's expectations were only 200k. Where did he say that?

Also AKB selling that much dents my faith in humanity but that's just me possibly being a curmudgeon. A world where an idol game outsells a highly-promoted sequel to a long-respected franchise (PE) is... odd, though.

Well, if this were true you would have already committed suicide. Lady Gaga sells more than much better bands, Just Dance sells more than much better games, American Idol has better viewership than much better TV programs, Harry Potter sells more than much better books and movies...

Give the audience what they want (even if it does not fit your tastes) and you will sell. As simple as that.

 

[m.i.s.]

Im pretty sure Sony pushed MHF Unite at least here in germany, there were many tv spots running for weeks - and it stayed in charts for 1-2 months i think. Dont know about other coutries, but they did pretty well here.

Generally speaking, it's amazing how Sony has dropped the ball in respect of Monster Hunter on the PSP in the West. Here, you have a more "grown up" version of Pokemon that Sony, so far, has been abysmal at capitalising on in the West.

Guess they had bigger fish to fry. ie blu-ray, slim PS3, price point, competing with MS, Move etc

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

I see.

Wouldn't it be weird if Sony, after having Nintendo lay the all groundwork for Monster Hunter in the West, transition that success onto the PSP?!?!

That's probably giving Sony Euro & USA far too much credit (as in, they probably won't bother pursuing the strategy).

Probably not with MHP3, considering that the PSP is deader than Elvis outside Japan.

IF they get MHP4 on PSP2, then they might do it.

 

[duckroll]

Strange, never heard Yasushi Akimoto saying they wanted to sell 500k, especially since Bandai's expectations were only 200k. Where did he say that?

Much closer to the release they talked about the huge pre-orders, and said that it is not impossible for them to sell over 500k eventually making it a true mega hit. I don't mean sales expectations, I was just referring to that comment.

 

[duckroll]

Garaph says 1,861,724 units as of March 2010. Just in case Chris is afk.

The number for Famitsu is 1,891,435 as of 27th June 2010.

 

[test_account]

Dayhm! Who would've thought that a "failed" console could outsell the GBA :lol

Of course all that success is based in 1 country but still. And all on the back of a single franchise.

All it would take is to have Monster Hunter yanked from Sony...

The PSP sales were already healthy before MHP3, so i dont think that the PSP really needed MHP3 to survive. Having MHP3 didnt hurt the sales of course (i replied to this since you mentioned "take" and "have", which i assume is present/future time?).

 

[Chris1964]

The number for Famitsu is 1,891,435 as of 27th June 2010.

{2009.12.14 - 2010.10.24} 0001. [PS3] Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix) {2009.12.17} - 1.516.532 / 1.901.724

 

[duckroll]

So FFXIII sold 30k from March to June (3 months), and 10k from June to October (4 months).

 

[Chris1964]

One week behind for DK sales

 

[Michan]

That's some fascinating insight. Thanks, Chris1964.

 

[markatisu]

The PSP resurgence has been nothing short of amazing and that on the back of so little (comparatively). It seems from the outside to be mostly the work of Monster Hunter and a good deal of Square-Enix love, but I can't help but feel there are other factors at work here.

Systems typically don't get that kind of "second wind" that late into their lifespans, especially outside of Japan. The only other example I can think of is what Pokemon did for the Gameboy, and even there, the effect in Japan was seemingly magnified compared to other markets.

Media Player & Monster Hunter, that is about it. There is no special fairy dust on the PSP and it certainly is a steaming pos worldwide in terms of game sales and viability as a platform.

I am not sure what you mean about resurgence either, its not like MH games never sold on the PSP and we don't have like 10 1m sellers (at least I don't think we do) on that platform either. Its been good in Japan, and that is about it.

I see.

Wouldn't it be weird if Sony, after having Nintendo lay the all groundwork for Monster Hunter in the West, transition that success onto the PSP?!?!

That's probably giving Sony Euro & USA far too much credit (as in, they probably won't bother pursuing the strategy).

Well first you would need people in the US and EU to actually buy a PSP, then opt not to hack the firmware and buy the game.