Posted: January 14 2005 at 9:36pm | IP Logged

Media Create has released the Japanese sales data for the first week of 2005. Here's the list:

PlayStation 2: 124,401 (Annual: 124,401)
Nintendo DS: 108,561 (Annual: 108,561)
Game Boy Advance SP: 70,851 (Annual: 70,851)
PlayStation Portable: 62,052 (Annual: 62,052)
GameCube: 19,703 (Annual: 19,703)
Game Boy Advance: 1,719 (Annual: 1,719)
Xbox: 1,179 (Annual: 1,179)

Interesting to see the PS2 outsell the Nintendo DS and that the PSP is 4th on the list.

Posted: January 15 2005 at 8:01pm | IP Logged

I was thinking the same thing about the PSP, there may have been limited units available for the launch which accounted for the low sales.

I don't get the whole Nintendo DS thing - it just comes off as gimmicky to me. The graphics don't seem to be that much better than the GBA's and are far behind the PSP's graphics. There may be some new revolutionary way to play games in the future, but a stylus pen and touch screen is NOT it.

Posted: January 15 2005 at 9:35pm | IP Logged

Jason wrote: I don't get the whole Nintendo DS thing - it just comes off as gimmicky to me. The graphics don't seem to be that much better than the GBA's and are far behind the PSP's graphics. There may be some new revolutionary way to play games in the future, but a stylus pen and touch screen is NOT it.

I am with you 100%.  I have a fairly large GameBoy library, but I see nothing out of the DS to make me want one.  Animal Crossing could be cool on a long flight, but not enough to make me purchase a DS.

I keep reading that the PSP is having various issues (poor manufactoring) in Japan, which will not go over well in the US.

Posted: January 15 2005 at 9:39pm | IP Logged

Yeah, I've heard some horror stories about the early PSP units. Sony does have a reputation for releasing poor launch hardware. I'm hoping they learned a lesson from Japan's launch before the US release, but I doubt it.