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[BrodiemanTTR]

DS needs something to spark sales. When was the last time it got something big? The DQ/FF remakes?

 

[Sharp]

one week at 60,000 and we're calling for a saturation point/decline? The DS has plenty of steam left.

MY GOD what are they doing with those PSPs!?!

Judging by this week's sales, they're buying games for them?

And to be honest, I don't think Nintendo cares at this point if the DS sells less than the PSP on a week-by-week basis. Maybe they'll drop the price a bit down the line, but at this point they have such a huge userbase to sell games to in Japan that I doubt they're as concerned about it. It's clear that they're focusing all their efforts on the Wii at this point.

 

[sphinx]

There seems to be this sentiment going around that the DS is failing now that the PSP is beating it in weekly hardware sales, despite its hardware base.

Read the : "this is the year the PSP takes over for games" comments popping up.

DS sales show a trend that has nothing to do with other consoles, be it PSP, PS2 or Wii.

When I say the DS is dying, I am NOT implying that the PSP is beating it. PSP is doing o.k but it will never ever reach the success of the DS, it is too late for that.

.- it's reaching a saturation point.
.- the newer consoles are releasing very interesting offerings, making people pay more attention to them and making them forget about other things ( DS in this case )
.- As software developer, Nintendo is done with the DS. I can't really think of any worthy announcement regarding the DS in months.

thats my definition of " beginnig to die ". For me, these are clear indicators of the beginning of the end ( a little hyperbole there but yeah, you know what I mean ).

 

[Chris Michael]

Nintendo needs either to make some more DSlite colors, or to make some more DS games. I'm really surprised how little we know about upcoming DS games. Third parties have been making it on this system for the past half a year.

yessss

Nintendo literally has like 5 game-games in their upcoming DS line up right now. They need to get their shit together.

 

[Jiggy]

Nintendo needs either to make some more DSlite colors, or to make some more DS games. I'm really surprised how little we know about upcoming DS games. Third parties have been making it on this system for the past half a year.

There we go. Unfortunately.
And with that recent news about decreasing the size of their DS development teams, I'm not terribly optimistic. :/

 

[dude]

DS sales show a trend that has nothing to do with other consoles, be it PSP, PS2 or Wii.

When I say the DS is dying, I am NOT implying that the PSP is beating it. PSP is doing o.k but it will never ever reach the success of the DS, it is too late for that.

.- it's reaching a saturation point.
.- the newer consoles are releasing very interesting offerings, making people pay more attention to them and making them forget about other things ( DS in this case )
.- As software developer, Nintendo is done with the DS. I can't really think of any worthy announcement regarding the DS in months.

thats my definition of " beginnig to die ". For me, these are clear indicators of the beginning of the end ( a little hyperbole there but yeah, you know what I mean ).

It's not dying, it's still got a lot of future a head of it. DQIX will spark sales, and don't forget the DS is still without any price drops. And games are still coming, a lot of them.
The DS has got a long way a head of it.

 

[D.Lo]

PSP remains a mystery. 72k hardware, and based on the charts almost certainly less then 40k software total. Considering most of the WE buyers probably already had the machine, around 50k new PSP owners this week are pirating something, be it games or movies.

Has there ever been such a piracy promoting mainstream device

Spoiler

iPod PC

?

 

[xaosslug]

Seems that the new hardware numbers are up:

Wii 94,473
PSP 72,528
DS Lite 67,472
PS3 41,796
PS2 12,115
Xbox 360 6,060


Abit different from Famitsu, atleast on PS3 and Wii.

oh mah gawd. :lol

 

[Innotech]

DS sales show a trend that has nothing to do with other consoles, be it PSP, PS2 or Wii.

When I say the DS is dying, I am NOT implying that the PSP is beating it. PSP is doing o.k but it will never ever reach the success of the DS, it is too late for that.

.- it's reaching a saturation point.
.- the newer consoles are releasing very interesting offerings, making people pay more attention to them and making them forget about other things ( DS in this case )
.- As software developer, Nintendo is done with the DS. I can't really think of any worthy announcement regarding the DS in months.

thats my definition of " beginnig to die ". For me, these are clear indicators of the beginning of the end ( a little hyperbole there but yeah, you know what I mean ).

dont forget that Dragon Quest IX has yet to drop in Japan. that will definitely spark interest in DS again for a while.

 

[Kiriku]

There seems to be this sentiment going around that the DS is failing now that the PSP is beating it in weekly hardware sales, despite its hardware base.

Read the : "this is the year the PSP takes over for games" comments popping up.

Even if these PSP hardware sales keep up I think it will take a long time for devs to give PSP another shot. They've already made the switch to DS and the home consoles for this gen have been out for a while now. Not to mention most of the devs probably got burned back when PSP was supposed to take over the handheld market and all that, with low software sales all around.
But I still think PSP deserves some kind of second chance eventually (or perhaps with "PSP2"). It has certainly been proven that games can sell (and sometimes sell like crazy, ie Monster Hunter) on the platform. And I think software sales in general will go up for PSP as the userbase expands at this rate, even if the software sales in general aren't as grand as on DS, for example.

 

[reilo]

RIP DS. We hardly knew ya.

 

[NomarTyme]

DS is starting to reach saturation.

I think so too.

 

[Chris Michael]

Since when do market-leading systems stop selling because of "saturation"? :lol I'm pretty sure the PS2 or GBA never reached "saturation" and only stopped selling when a new leader/new system game out.

The DS is fine. DQIX isn't even out yet. Was there a new PSP color this week?

 

[OliveJuice]

THE KING IS DEAD

More like taking a nap.

 

[Threi]

More like taking a nap.

a nap in HELL

 

[Zombie James]

So the PS3 got a bigger boost than Famitsu predicted. Still lower than what I thought i'd be, but still a nice increase from this point last year (below 20K).

 

[Innotech]

So the PS3 got a bigger boost than Famitsu predicted. Still lower than what I thought i'd be, but still a nice increase from this point last year (below 20K).

when you hit rock bottom and start to dig, there really isnt any way but up.

 

[MechaX]

Eh. The DS still has three more DQs to drop (V, VI, and IX).

But I just wonder where this PSP boost is coming from.

 

[nextgeneration]

Both Wii and PS3 are performing better in the same time frame, compared to last year. Excluding launch week, Wii sales are up 10.92%. PS3 sales are up 4.84%.

PS3 year 1 (12 weeks) = 531,222
PS3 year 2 (12 weeks) = 556,916

Wii year 1 (9 weeks) = 1,094,213
Wii year 2 (9 weeks) = 1,213,713

 

[Spiegel]

PSP remains a mystery. 72k hardware, and based on the charts almost certainly less then 40k software total. Considering most of the WE buyers probably already had the machine, around 50k new PSP owners this week are pirating something, be it games or movies.

Every single week the same story

 

[Zombie James]

when you hit rock bottom and start to dig, there really isnt any way but up.

Rock bottom? The 360 in Japan is what i'd call rock bottom.

 

[Zeni]

Why wasn't Diddy Kong Racing ever released in Japan?

 

[Elios83]

The DS situation will be interesting to analyze in the upcoming months. I think it's clear that the japanese market saturates past 20million units. So Nintendo has two possibilities, the first one is to release a redesigned DS, many people will buy the product again, hardware sales will stay healthy but saturation on software sales won't be avoided in the long run.The other solution is to introduce a new platform by the end of next year but that won't happen because DS is far from saturation in US and Europe so... they'll make a redesign with a couple of new features.

 

[AniHawk]

Wasn't DMC4 supposed to save the PS3 in Japan? And it couldn't even beat the Wii for the week. LOL sony is doomed.

 

[Innotech]

Rock bottom? The 360 in Japan is what i'd call rock bottom.

yes rock bottom. the fact that another console did it too doesnt change the fact.

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

Wow the PSP beat the DS w/o releasing a new color or even a big new release. Pretty cool

The software numbers all around are impressive. Since Smash Brothers was the top GC game in japan (if i heard it correctly) i knew the Wii version would do good, but not THAT good. Its also good to see DMC4 do so well

 

[OliveJuice]

Eh. The DS still has three more DQs to drop (V, VI, and IX).

But I just wonder where this PSP boost is coming from.

I'm guessing, like a lot of other people are, that the PSP is being seen as more of a multimedia device. That really does explain the software sales too.

 

[Elios83]

Both Wii and PS3 are performing better in the same time frame, compared to last year. Excluding launch week, Wii sales are up 10.92%. PS3 sales are up 4.84%.

PS3 year 1 (12 weeks) = 531,222
PS3 year 2 (12 weeks) = 556,916

Wii year 1 (9 weeks) = 1,094,213
Wii year 2 (9 weeks) = 1,213,713

Could you post a comparison 2007 to 2008 so far (January-February)?It's more interesting to see how sales outside the holyday season and the launch period compare year to year.

 

[Cheesemeister]

31./24. [NDS] New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
32./23. [NDS] Kanji Brain Test 2.5M (IE Institute)
33./18. [NDS] Prof. Layton and the Curious Village (Level 5)
34./09. [PSP] Yggdra Union (Sting)
35./21. [NDS] Powerful Pro-kun Pocket 10 (Konami)
36./22. [PS3] Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)
37./00. [NDS] Entomologist: Heavenly Countryside (Marvelous Entertainment)
38./27. [PS2] Yakuza 2 (Sega)
39./31. [NDS] More Brain Age (Nintendo)
40./29. [NDS] DS Literature Collection (Nintendo)
41./30. [NDS] My Housekeeping Diary (Nintendo)
42./33. [WII] Mario Strikers Charged (Nintendo)
43./28. [PS2] World Soccer Winning Eleven 2008 (Konami)
44./26. [NDS] Rune Factory 2 (Marvelous Entertainment)
45./39. [NDS] Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day (Nintendo)
46./40. [NDS] Kanji Test 2 (Rocket Co.)
47./35. [NDS] More English Training (Nintendo)
48./47. [PS2] Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Capcom)
49./44. [PSP] Haruhi Suzumiya's Promise (Bandai-Namco)
50./00. [NDS] Brain Age (Nintendo)

NDS - 24
WII - 9
PS2 - 7
PS3 - 5
PSP - 4
360 - 1

Hardware - This Week | Last Week |       YTD |        LTD
1. WII   -    94,473 |    74,544 |   542,982 |  5,159,142
2. PSP   -    72,528 |    77,933 |   544,777 |  8,146,371
3. NDS   -    67,472 |    79,370 |   599,354 | 21,772,405
4. PS3   -    41,796 |    34,363 |   217,366 |  1,859,042
5. PS2   -    12,115 |    11,364 |    83,527 | 21,010,564
6. 360   -     6,060 |     4,296 |    29,361 |    536,702

 

[Lightning]

Seems that the new hardware numbers are up:

Wii 94,473
PSP 72,528
DS Lite 67,472
PS3 41,796
PS2 12,115
Xbox 360 6,060


Abit different from Famitsu, atleast on PS3 and Wii.

DS is reaching the point where every gamer in Japan already owns one. It can't keep out selling everything forever, there is a limit.

Nice PS3 numbers and the PSP just keeps going up. That slim really done the trick and now Sony need a slim PS3 so we can get a similar reaction and they need it perferrably before FFXIII hits the market.

 

[Zombie James]

Could you post a comparison 2007 to 2008 so far (January-February)?It's more interesting to see how sales outside the holyday season and the launch period compare year to year.

Thanks to JoshuaJSlone's excellent site:

Wii

PS3

 

[AniHawk]

So at this rate, how many more months will it take the PSP to catch the DS?

 

[Dead Prince]

DS is reaching the point where every gamer in Japan already owns one. It can't keep out selling everything forever, there is a limit.

Nice PS3 numbers and the PSP just keeps going up. That slim really done the trick and now Sony need a slim PS3 so we can get a similar reaction and they need it perferrably before FFXIII hits the market.

new color always help. [it always does]

RAINBOW DS LITE Please nintendo!

 

[Tiktaalik]

Looks like it's about time for Nintendo to release a new DS colour.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Nintendo literally has like 5 game-games in their upcoming DS line up right now. They need to get their shit together.

Upcoming DS Games:
- Soma Bringer (March 6)
- Eternal Chronicle
- Pokemon Ranger 2 (March 20)
- Kirby Superstar Deluxe
- Fire Emblem DS
- Nintendo Crossword
- Wander Donkey

Speculated:
- Pokemon Diamond Pearl 3rd version

Upcoming Wii Games:
- Mario Superstar Baseball Stadium
- Disaster: Day of Crisis
- Mario Kart Wii (April 10)
- Wii Music
- Fatal Frame IV
- WiiWare: Dr. Mario & Virus Buster
- WiiWare: Pokemon Ranch

Speculated:
- Kirby
- Animal Crossing

Not released in Japan yet:
- Metroid Prime 3 (March 6)

It's not a matter of "Nintendo has nothing in the DS pipeline", it's a matter of "Nintendo has nothing in the pipeline that we know of, PERIOD" and the DS happens to be one half of this equation.

On the plus side, neither of these lineups are all of 2008 and the DS lineup in particular should dry out around June, so the back half of the year will be all new announcements. Also on the plus side, there's some pretty heavy hitters left on both platforms that are out in Japan but not here yet.

 

[xaosslug]

yes rock bottom. the fact that another console did it too doesnt change the fact.

actually, no. If PS3 is the definition of 'rock bottom' that would put 360 somewhere near the center of the Earth, or beyond.

 

[Deku]

Wasn't DMC4 supposed to save the PS3 in Japan? And it couldn't even beat the Wii for the week. LOL sony is doomed.

it's a 300k franchise, wait till the next big game <tbd>

 

[Galactic Fork]

Looks like it's about time for Nintendo to release a new DS colour.

Or drop the price to what the old DS was before the Lite came out.

 

[dolemite]

DS is reaching the point where every gamer in Japan already owns one. It can't keep out selling everything forever, there is a limit.

Nice PS3 numbers and the PSP just keeps going up. That slim really done the trick and now Sony need a slim PS3 so we can get a similar reaction and they need it perferrably before FFXIII hits the market.

Another DS revision should save the day.

 

[Arde5643]

So at this rate, how many more months will it take the PSP to catch the DS?

You're really not above hitting below the belt, are you? :lol



Let them have their fun - it's rare for PSP to beat DS in anything, y'know.

 

[Kiriku]

DS is reaching the point where every gamer in Japan already owns one. It can't keep out selling everything forever, there is a limit.

Well, I suppose that depends on how you define "gamer".
But didn't DS only recently pass PS2 in hardware sold? If DS really is expanding the market and getting lots of new users into gaming, surely the DS hardware numbers should reach well beyond what the PS2 managed, not to mention that it's pretty reasonable to assume that one household may have more than one ds unit, but only one PS2 (although there's this thing about PS2 DREs, but perhaps I shouldn't go there ). DS may be reaching a point where it's slowing down (or rather, "not moving as fast") but isn't it reasonable to assume it's going to keep selling, and that the limit is far from reached (unless Nintendo pulls it from the market in the near future)?

 

[Innotech]

You're really not above hitting below the belt, are you? :lol



Let them have their fun - it's rare for PSP to beat DS in anything, y'know.

PSP beat DS for quite a few weeks after launch in Japan.

 

[nextgeneration]

Could you post a comparison 2007 to 2008 so far (January-February)?It's more interesting to see how sales outside the holyday season and the launch period compare year to year.

Sure and done.

PS3 (1/1/07 - 2/4/07) = 155,303
PS3 (12/31/07 - 2/3/08) = 217,366

39.96% increase year over year

Wii (1/1/07 - 2/4/07) = 524,928
Wii (12/31/07 - 2/3/08) = 542,982

3.44% increase year over year

 

[AlternativeUlster]

So at this rate, how many more months will it take the PSP to catch the DS?

If the PSP forever sells 20,000 more per week than the DS, it would take about 2400 weeks to hit where the DS is at now in Japan. So that is about 46 years. But since the DS is only 5,000 away it is making approx another 65,000 per week so that is in 46 years about another 15,548,000 more DSes out there. So in order to meet that would be another 3,111 weeks which is about another 60 years. I am pretty sure by that point that there would be a new DS with Gamecube graphics.

I am doing the math wrong, I think.

 

[AniHawk]

PSP beat DS for quite a few weeks after launch in Japan.

Yeah, JoshuaSlone used to do those things quite often. Still does, I think.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

Nintendo always scales back development when their systems have been out for a while. The DS is no different.

 

[BishopLamont]

actually, no. If PS3 is the definition of 'rock bottom' that would put 360 somewhere near the center of the Earth, or beyond.

Nah the 360's rock bottom is so bad that it passes right through the centre of the Earth and goes to the other side of rock bottom.

 

[Grecco]

Seems time for DS Slim folks

 

[iidesuyo]

It's just funny how the DS was once the saviour of gaming, the handheld that would bring innovation.

Now everyone is like "where's Brain Training 3!! where's NSMB 2!! where are the new coulors, where is the next revision!!!"

The whole spirit of innovation is lost. Asking for the next Brain Training is like asking for the next Tekken or Gran Turismo.

 

[Pachael]

DS and Wii are saviours of gaming! When the casuals are tired of training games that's when we hook them with another mario game!