Pigs can fly: Xbox 360 outsells PS3 in Japan
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Aug 15th 2008 at 9:30AM }
Nintendo DS - 60,434
PSP - 58,501
Wii - 38,506
Xbox 360 - 24,962
PlayStation 3 - 9,673
PlayStation 2 - 8,503
The difference between Xbox 360 and PS3 this week in Japan almost fully negates the one month lead PS3 earned in America. With Microsoft aggressively pursuing other RPG franchises, like Star Ocean and Final Fantasy, it'll be interesting to see how fierce the console wars can get in Sony's home territory.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
black_ryuk @ Aug 15th 2008 9:36AM
wow...that is seriously amazing...
adolson @ Aug 15th 2008 9:37AM
Sony should take this as a sign to start getting RPGs out there. And not just SRPGs, but JRPGs too.
freelbue @ Aug 15th 2008 12:15PM
it's about time. maybe this will wake Sony up and get some JRPGs out.
MakaiOokami @ Aug 16th 2008 9:53AM
What the hell do you think that Sony is supposed to do? They can't just magically start pulling games out their ass and they have some 30 billion less than Microsoft to throw at game companies. Seriously don't just say that they need to do something, look at what they can do, and come up with a solution rather than just blame Sony for something they don't have control over.
The PS3 doesn't have as many RPGs as it should have because the PS2 IS STILL ALIVE AND KICKING. Sony can't just magically pull games out their ass ya know.
adolson @ Aug 16th 2008 3:56PM
Sony COULD have kept some of their exclusives had they not been too arrogant to pay for them. Did you forget that part of Sony's history? That was their choice. You have to spend money to make money, and if Sony's console isn't moving as well as it should be, that's their fault for not locking down anything, other than MGS4, which really has limited appeal.
WTangoFoxtrot @ Aug 15th 2008 9:38AM
this is getting to be an interesting fight.......
JaseH @ Aug 15th 2008 9:40AM
Lol, it's on.
But seriously, it's probably just a spark of the moment sort of thing.
_____________________________
JaseH.
MexicanTerrorist @ Aug 15th 2008 9:42AM
Well, at least we all know that Japan will again be locked down in August.
But hopefully this gives some kind of message to Sony to get their RPGs in gear.
SolidOtacon @ Aug 15th 2008 9:43AM
I remember the times when Sony had the best RPGs.
Ahhh that were the good times.
Simstim @ Aug 15th 2008 5:36PM
Sony still has the best JRPGs... on the PSP and PS2.
Nerdkiller @ Aug 15th 2008 9:45AM
Just wait until FF XIII comes out in Japan (PS3 only for that region as we all know), then we'll see something intresting.
reson8er @ Aug 15th 2008 9:55AM
If, by shifting ~25k units, after a major RPG release (for Japan) is considered good, then they are in serious trouble.
ryan @ Aug 16th 2008 2:51PM
it actually is pretty good considering they weren't selling crap in Japan in the first place. i wouldn't call it "dominance" tho, nor would i call it a bad thing.
you'll see a similar spike in sales with Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean and future Mistwalker titles as well.
but Japan is a portable/arcade friendly nation so consoles aren't as popular as they used to be anyway.
Metal_Gear @ Aug 15th 2008 10:17AM
Microsoft are kidding themselfs if they think they can make any impact at all on Japan, Sony have made some weird decisions with the PS3 but the Japanese will never lose the Japanese market.
edhc44 @ Aug 15th 2008 11:47AM
Of course the "Japanese will never lose the Japanese market", they're both in... surprise, Japan!
/sarcasm
Popfrogs @ Aug 15th 2008 10:18AM
This is what happens when Sony completely ignores the JRPG market. I still can't believe that a console launched Nov of 06 still doesn't have a single decent RPG on it. There's no excuse for this.
It's their home market and they seem to be ignoring it completely. I guess in the grand scheme of things (percentage-wise) Japan is a small market compared to the rest of the planet so it makes sense. Not only that but Japanese devs appear to be incredibly slow and lazy compared to Insomniac, Incognito and other Sony studios. Look at Team Ico for example; they made so much money from SotC that they don't feel rushed to create anything for years. YEARS. That's decades in gaming time.
Jerses @ Aug 15th 2008 10:22AM
This is why xbox360 got final fantasy.. that and money
ComicShaman @ Aug 15th 2008 11:45AM
I think you're mixing up cause and effect here. The X360 is selling better in Japan now because they got Final Fantasy (and other JRPGs) -- they didn't get Final Fantasy and the other JRPGs because it was already selling well.
This is the result of Microsoft's recent Let's Pay Buckets O' Cash for JRPGs strategy. Will it pay long-term dividends? This bump is impressive in historical context, but as for creating a long-term customer base in Japan... it's a small start. I think Sony has already gotten the wake-up call here, but the results are still playing out while they scramble to catch up with Microsoft's gains.
leiwei @ Aug 15th 2008 1:38PM
^ You forget though that FF will not be released on the 360 in Japan. Well, accordingly.
Trusty Bell (Eternal Sonata) will be releasing sometime soon on the PS3 over there and I wonder if it'll be push any hardware.
drdre74 @ Aug 15th 2008 10:25AM
WOW! people really care about how many systems were sold in a month? Why does this matter to the average fanboy? Unless you own stock in the company or something it doesn't put money in your pocket one bit. Fanboys take this system war stuff a little too far.
Chuckles @ Aug 15th 2008 12:40PM
WOW, someone can copy and paste posts that really add nothing to the topic on hand. (Post #1)
http://xbox.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/july-npd-one-of-those-not-so-good-months-for-ms/#comments
The best part is that you don't even understand the numbers or just can't read because this is for weekly sales in Japan. Did you really think that only that many consoles were sold in a full month in the land of the rising sun.
To answer your question, yes it matters to fanboys because this HIGHLY inspires developers to bring games to one system or another. Now I'm pretty sure that I bought a gaming system to be able to play lots of good games on. The only way this can happen is if developers actually make games for said system, hence sales numbers matter to every gamer even if they don't know it themselves.
halebound00 @ Aug 15th 2008 10:25AM
Hmmmmmmm. Well............... wow. Well played 360, well played. I guess I underestimated the RPG crew out there. Sony....r u paying attention? This should never have happened.
BLee @ Aug 15th 2008 10:26AM
Oh look, Microsoft tried and got some exclusive games and rpgs away from Sony, and now Sony is losing to MS in JAPAN?.. right.. Sony's MGS4 has historically been bigger success in the west, Japan needs the rpgs and Sony isnt delivering.. Its like N64-PSX all over again.. except Sony's on the wrong side this time..
AnimaOnline @ Aug 15th 2008 10:31AM
I've got and Xbox 360 and had it since launch. I've loved it.
I've also had a Playstation 3 since launch and love it too.
Ever since Summer '08 my Playstation 3 has won me over. I've lost my lust for Xbox 360.
OfficialBlue @ Aug 15th 2008 10:34AM
People need to clam down I mean it sold 24K units thats no where near as big as MGS4 sold and thats not even a RPG!
grimlock26 @ Aug 15th 2008 11:53AM
i find a great amount of humor in 24k not being a big deal but when ps3 outsells by 20k its another nail in the coffin.
Devin @ Aug 15th 2008 12:03PM
in the US it is, especially when people are saying PS3 will lose due to price drops.
Eggy @ Aug 15th 2008 12:35PM
The fact that the xbox 360 had a price cut and it didn't have any effect on US Sales is pretty painful you have to admit.
Big deal if the xbox 360 beats the ps3 for one or two weeks in Japan. MS didn't pay wads of cash for the small number of extra xbox 360s sold, they bought them because Sony would sell probaly hundreds of thousands of consoles would these games come out on the PS3. It's not really about making your own product stronger but the competition weaker. A strategy MS has perfected in the software market.
reson8er @ Aug 15th 2008 1:50PM
@ Eggy
100% agree.
sgt barone @ Aug 15th 2008 3:26PM
but wat u guys dont realize is that price cut MS jus had was hardly official. it was very temporary. it was scarcely advertised and was only for one model. the point of that cut wasnt to sell boxes. it was to get the 20 GB's out of there to get the new models in. the REAL cuts will be on Sept. 7, when everything gets slashed, bigtime.
Devin @ Aug 15th 2008 4:32PM
@ sgt barone
People knew about the price cuts. It was all over the internet and as you know people use the internet. Either way, there was still a price drop (sure it wasn't advertised everywhere) and PS3 still (at its current price/features) outsold it in the US.
turkeybaster @ Aug 15th 2008 10:50AM
I don't know why people keep saying (like the authors of this article did) that FFXIII will be interesting for the 360 in Japan. It's not coming out for 360 in Japan! It isn't going to move a single MS system in Japan! Geez! It's like they can't keep their facts straight or something.
Aozora @ Aug 15th 2008 11:07AM
What's the big deal? It's not the first time the 360 has managed to outsell the PS3 in weekly Japanese hardware sales. I think it's pathetic that 360 still can't outsell Wii when a very popular JRPG got released on it. PS3 sales will be much better once FFXIII is released in Japan, and lets not forget other high profile RPGs like White Knight Story and Versus XIII.
David @ Aug 15th 2008 10:56AM
I'm surprised no one saw this coming. The gap between the ps3 and 360 hasn't been that big as of late. Knowing that Vesperia was going to be released this week was all that was needed to predict that MS would win this week. If Ace Combat 6 was enough to propel the 360 over the ps3 it was obvious that Vesperia would have a much bigger impact. Still this exclusive didn't have as much as an impact as the big name exclusives have done for Sony in Japan (at least in launch week).
Nonetheless Sony should get it's act together and bring a good rpg catalog to the ps3. After all the ps2 was (and really still is) the console to own when it came to rpgs (and lots of other genres too) and it's really disappointing to see how the ps3 is nowhere near to what the ps2 was for rpg gamers.
vask @ Aug 15th 2008 11:21AM
This'll only be temporary, besides that, microsoft caught up in only one months worth of sales? lol, how about the last 2 years worth? Star Ocean isnt even confirmed as an exclusive and FFXIII is PS3 exclusive in jp.
koehler83 @ Aug 15th 2008 11:22AM
Those poor Japanese.. spending a lot of money to play one game. One terrible terrible game. (They didnt even have a chance to play the demo for their prior lack of hardware.)
Seriously my Nippon friends, if Mystwalker isnt a good enough reason to have already grabbed an Xbox, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! Vesperia is HORRIBLE!
required @ Aug 15th 2008 11:29AM
At least Sony has three consoles meaning it sold 51,715 more than Microsoft. It sold 22,263 less than Nintendo though. Still second place.
bambino @ Aug 15th 2008 11:33AM
What on earth is the appeal of RPGs? I find the genre dire and bland. oooh kill more bunnies to level up to buy a fancy new dress.. seriously?!
I want to see more Exclusive Action/Adventure games on the PS3!
ComicShaman @ Aug 15th 2008 11:51AM
Aaaand... so? You have your own taste in games. Congratulations.
Personally, I have no love for mainstream sports games. That's my own preference.
If I was in the industry, however, I would be incredibly stupid if I started wondering why anyone cares about the new Madden game, or turning up my nose at the whole genre of sports games because I don't happen to like them. Obviously, many people do. Obviously, they make a difference.
Same with RPGs. So you may ask why anyone cares about RPGs, but in a thread about overall console sales, I rather think the answer is apparent.
crocodile @ Aug 15th 2008 11:45AM
I love it when people bring up future titles... Just wait until FFXIII comes out! It's gonna' change everything! In Japan. Just like GT5.
Wait a second, do you even know when FF will come out? Did you notice that MS has been moving the pieces around the board making a killing on XB Live games. They are to the point of finding the sweet spot on pricing for digital content and Sony is still trying to sell us the idea of BD media.
I share the concern others have on Sony's lack of focus and overall loss of creative energy and everything that made them great. I just blew the dust off my PS3 (finally) to play MGS4. I have one Blu-Ray movie. Yes - Spiderman 3. I can count good Sony exclusive off the shelf titles on one hand. Things are changing quickly and I'm afraid they are going to do something else really stupid in the near future.
I want some more PS3 titles out there and I want them now! I want to be charged a little for the PSN network so it doesn't suck. I want to be a true fanboy again! YeeaaAARRrgh!
Eggy @ Aug 15th 2008 12:38PM
Keep telling yourself that. The fact of the matter is that for months now Sony has been selling more consoles than MS on every market. Of course this makes sense because they have sold more PS3s in their first two years than MS have sold 360s. And the xbox 360 didn't even have any competition for nearly a year or so.
crocodile @ Aug 15th 2008 12:57PM
Keep telling myself what exactly? That Sony is finally selling some PS3 consoles (still at a loss.) That they're selling behind everyone else in next gen software sales when we are closer to the end of the PS3's life cycle than the beginning???
Wake up. They need to make some big changes. Bigger than Blu-Ray. I just hope that the new PSN starts paying off more for them in the near future. I like the idea of partial game downloads, but MS has them beat on all other parts of their online future. I want more change!
Devin @ Aug 15th 2008 1:04PM
crododile,
Why do you care about Sony making money on each PS3 sold? As long as they sell and they sell games that's all that matters. Also, I'm sorry to hear you only have one BR movie because there are so many others that are great to own. Lastly, you make no claims as to why PSN sucks, so please state your cause.
Fane @ Aug 16th 2008 9:53AM
Dude,
you must have a shitload of fingers on that hand.
MGOSW @ Aug 15th 2008 11:48AM
All Sony has to do is remake Legend of The Dragoon for PS3 and Japan will belong to them.
Oh yeah and Kingdom Hearts 3 which could come to the 360, like it or not, I don't like the thought but this is the age of multi-platform.
I also think if the 360 suddenly dominantes Japan FFXIII will come to Japan on a 360 also. Then 360 owners will get delayed like PS3 owners.
GiShipwreck @ Aug 15th 2008 11:49AM
Why is it you kids are always worring about what the 360 is doing ?
John Mason @ Aug 15th 2008 12:06PM
Aahhh... Because Sony is. Because Sony has lost many of their exclusive titles in the process of making marketing choices that have currently given us too little. Because the word "Microsoft" or "360" is in every sentence of this PS3 fanboy site and I think that in itself is interesting.
Popfrogs @ Aug 16th 2008 9:57PM
@John: The fact that the 360 is mentioned here constantly is more due to the sad basement-dwelling 360 fans defending their console than PS3 owners caring about "who will win this generation". I regularly check people's comment history and that usually supports my case.
Anyway, any head of steam Microsoft had built up seems to be running out. Most of their upcoming titles have mystery dates on them (Alan Wake, faq on their site not updated since January) or they're also available for the PC, which doesn't really give anybody a reason to get the 360 version unless they're just a fan of paying for online play.
I'm gonna go ahead and put on the brakes before I start going all fanboy in this thread. ;)
Nick @ Aug 15th 2008 12:03PM
People, it's one month. Don't forget about the 20 other months when the PS3 dominated the 360 in sales in Japan. It is very strange to see a 360 exclusive of such a Japanese game, but hopefully 360 fans will enjoy it. Sony has nothing to worry about back home with Final Fantasy XIII still remaining an exclusive.
j.howlett @ Aug 15th 2008 2:37PM
i think it's just a week