The PlayStation Vita sold just 11k units in Japan last week, despite a minor resurgence the period prior. The release of the crystal white hardware variation had catapulted the relatively new system beyond recent disappointment, but with no new notable titles on the horizon, the portable plummeted back towards below-par pastures. To be fair to the console, hardware was down across the board.
It was a similarly disappointing week for Platinum Games, who saw Anarchy Reigns release to a fairly tepid response. The title managed to sell just 21k units on PlayStation 3, and was handily beaten by Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.
Elsewhere, Sony's unusual Tokyo Jungle continued to stay relevant in the middle of the software chart, selling a further 7k units. Feel free to peruse the full set of figures below.
Hardware
1. 3DS - 51,930 (65,267)
2. PS3 - 14,297 (16,399)
3. PSV - 11,544 (22,638)
4. PSP - 10,627 (11,461)
5. Wii - 6,654 (6,880)
6. 360 - 711 (861)
7. PS2 - 474 (490)
8. DSi - 455 (657)
Software
1. [NDS] Pokemon Black 2 / Pokemon White 2 (Nintendo, 06/23/12) - 181,756 (2,217,227)
2. [3DS] Etrian Odyssey IV (Atlus, 07/05/12) - 97,142 (New)
3. [3DS] Little Battler eXperience: Baku Boost (Level-5, 07/05/12) - 55,614 (New)
4. [PSP] Toriko Gourmet Survival 2 (Namco Bandai, 07/05/12) - 43,790 (New)
5. [3DS] Run For Money: Flee From the Strongest Hunters in History (Namco Bandai, 07/05/12) - (New)
6. [3DS] Dragon Quest Monsters; Terry’s Wonderland 3D (Square Enix, 05/31/12) - 25,027 (812,642)
7. [PS3] Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (Ubisoft, 07/05/12) - 23,021 (New)
8. [PS3] Anarchy Reigns (Sega, 07/05/12) - 21,199 (New)
9. [3DS] Culdcept (Nintendo, 06/28/12) - 11,657 (65,743)
10. [Wii] Mario Party 9 (Nintendo, 04/26/12) - 10,396 (468,430)
11. [PS3] Atelier Ayesha: Alchemist of the Ground of Dusk (Gust, 06/28/12) - 9,813 (85,687)
12. [3DS] Mario Tennis Open (Nintendo, 05/24/12) - 9,323 (249,844)
13. [PS3] Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection (Capcom, 06/28/12) - 8,354 (36,396)
14. [PS3] Tokyo Jungle (SCEJ, 06/07/12) - 7,116 (185,744)
15. [PS3] Robotics;Notes (5pb., 06/28/12) - 6,757 (64,554)
16. [PSV] Persona 4 Golden (Atlus, 06/14/12) - 5,953 (188,782)
17. [PSP] Kenka Banchou Bros. Tokyo Battle Royale (Spike Chunsoft, 06/21/12) - 5,503 (34,787)
18. [3DS] Monster Hunter Tri G (Capcom, 12/10/11) - 5,430 (1,485,630)
19. [Wii] Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo, 06/25/09) - 5,145 (2,914,529)
20. [3DS] Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo, 11/03/11) - 5,055 (1,650,058)
[source andriasang.com]
Comments 11
Shigeru Matsuzaki is not happy
@Mahary I see what you did there!
In all seriousness, sometimes I think the console market is REALLY saturated and that the future is not at all bright for traditional console gaming. I mean, I know there's a lot of people defending this thesis, but lately I can't help but wonder if we're not watching the last decade of videogames as we know them. I don't know, people seem less and less interested in new gaming consoles now that they can play games virtually anywhere. Anyway, sorry for the gloomy (and rather obvious) out of topic comment.
@Mahary
@get2sammyb was referencing a PS Vita advert from Japan that sounded very much like your comment. I posted the video below. ARE YOU READY FOR AWESOME??[youtube:VqY5havRV_8]
@fchinaski It's not off-topic at all — it's definitely a concern. I think we're going to have to wait for the true new consoles before we see the true impact of mobile/tablet gaming on the industry as a whole though.
I think other countries must post their charts as well, not just Japan! I even predict that Europe and US charts will show better results, even better than 3DS.
One of the reasons 3DS and before it, the DS and DSi are so popular in Japan is their portability and their games which are more, well, quick than those of the Vita or PSP. I know that because I have both 3DS and Vita and I struggle taking my Vita around. But we cannot deny the fact that the Vita's games are much superior than those of the 3DS. Who cares Vita doesn't sell well in Japan, in my country, Vita sells more than 3DS. I like everything on my Vita!
Keep on the good work Sony! Can't wait for PS4!
Vita will hardly sell more units than 3DS because it is the most expensive. Remember that vast majority of 3DS users have it as a gift from another person (parents, familiars, etc) and that if the target is to buy a console for the kid (or for the granpa), the cheapest always wins, and the same applies for teenagers with low income even when they save to buy a console (the 3DS is 110€ cheaper than 3G Vita).
@fchinaski
Can't say I disagree with you, I think the problem though is that the game industry is becoming a lot like the movie industry. Lots of sequels and reboots of old franchises and not much originality. Then you have the economic problems not just in the states but pretty much elsewhere and the rising cost of hardware... just doesn't make it worth it to a lot of people. I would like to see the Vita perform a lot better though because for me it's the system I've always wanted. It provides a home console like experience and I can play it pretty much anywhere. Unfortunately the market doesn't seem to be buying in but I still have some hope that Sony can turn things around.
vita needs atlus,square enix,capcom and level 5 to support them more
Vita is expensive, new realeses are very rare on Vita, too. It's obvious why people don't buy Vita. It is obvious what Sony needs to do to boost sales.
I personally think that the next generation of consoles could be the bust that's been expected for a longtime now. The cost to develop games for next generation consoles is going to stupidly expensive and if it doesn't sell... the end, game over for the studio. It's entirely too risky and completely unnecessary.
If and when this happens, it'll be the small budget games that thrive, and portable gaming could potentially see an explosion because of this.
Tap here to load 11 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...