Support NeoGAF

[Afro Thunder]

From Next Generation. Sorry if old...

Thursday, 07 July 2005
Famitsu has released market-data on first-half-2005 hardware and software sales in Japan. The stats show a 1.8 tie-ratio for Sony's PSP and a 1.9 tie-ratio for Nintendo's DS, with both machines selling similar numbers.

Since launch, the report says, 1.5 million PSPs and 2.65 million software units have been shipped to stores. The top-selling PSP game is Minna no Golf, with sales of 232,000 copies. Nintendo has sold through to customers 2.3 million DS units, and 440,000 DS games. Its top seller is Nintendogs, with sales of 495,000 copies.

Over the last six months, though, PSP numbers closed in on the DS, with 1.1 to the DS's 1.2 million units.

In the market overall, the magazine's 100 top-selling titles for the first half of 2005 include 17 from Nintendo, 12 from Namco, and 10 each from Sony and Konami. Square Enix and Bandai each have 7.

A chart of game publishers, ranked by copies sold, features Nintendo at the top, with 3.1 million copies; Sony second, with 2 million; and Namco and Square Enix tied for third, with around 1.5 million each.

In the first half of the year, a total of 24.4 million game software units were sold, down from 28.3 million over the same period last year.

49 PlayStation 2 titles are listed (down from 50 last year) with 14 million copies sold. Gran Turismo 4 performed best, with around 1.1 million units. Gamecube placed 7 titles; Game Boy Advance took 16. The PSP and DS each had 14.

Sony sold 1.2 million units of PlayStation 2 hardware; Nintendo managed 160,000 Gamecubes. Microsoft is still hanging on, with about 10,000 Xbox units sold through.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=368&Itemid=2

 

[belgurdo]

B-b-but...one portable future!

 

[fugimax]

Wait wait wait...more than one handheld can exist and succeed!?!?

GAF 2 IMPLODE

 

[VerTiGo]

I thought both Wario Ware and Super Mario 64 sold about 700,000 units each?

 

[Pimpwerx]

PSP would be fine if it looked like its situation was improving. But honestly, it looks like it's only getting worse. The PSP was outselling the DS YTD for a while this year, but has since been passed, and that gap will probably only widen. Sony doesn't seem as committed to it anymore. But that might just be my perception. Good job on Nintendo holding off a machine some of us figured would steamroll. But even I can't justify the expense, and I actually wanted one. Not sure how they expect to draw in more casual gamers at this rate. The one handheld future may well feature the DS. PEACE.

 

[fugimax]

This is first half 2005, thus no Mario and Wario Ware....include Nov-Dec and DS is not "tied", it's ahead overall.

 

[radioheadrule83]

Before anyone brings up the recent DS dominance, bare in mind that up until now it's been 10 weeks apiece in the lead since January. I think that's how Next Gen have come to the conclusion of "tied" so far for the year.

Last week represents Nintendo's 11th week outpacing PSP for the year (it's not on the following chart).

 

[Culex]

Nintendo has sold through to customers 2.3 million DS units, and 440,000 DS games

Am I reading this wrong or does that look awefully inaccurate?

 

[nubbe]

Am I reading this wrong or does that look awefully inaccurate?

They are probably excluding Nintendo software

 

[Rushmore]

"Since launch, the report says, 1.5 million PSPs and 2.65 million software units have been shipped to stores. The top-selling PSP game is Minna no Golf, with sales of 232,000 copies. Nintendo has sold through to customers 2.3 million DS units, and 440,000 DS games. Its top seller is Nintendogs, with sales of 495,000 copies."

Why are they comparing PSP shipped numbers to DS sold-through numbers?

 

[GaimeGuy]

"Since launch, the report says, 1.5 million PSPs and 2.65 million software units have been shipped to stores. The top-selling PSP game is Minna no Golf, with sales of 232,000 copies. Nintendo has sold through to customers 2.3 million DS units, and 440,000 DS games. Its top seller is Nintendogs, with sales of 495,000 copies."

Why are they comparing PSP shipped numbers to DS sold-through numbers?

Because they love you.

 

[radioheadrule83]

Yeah, the tie ratio would be half a game or something? That won't be right, there's numbers mixed up here generally... messy

 

[silver]

"Since launch, the report says, 1.5 million PSPs and 2.65 million software units have been shipped to stores. The top-selling PSP game is Minna no Golf, with sales of 232,000 copies. Nintendo has sold through to customers 2.3 million DS units, and 440,000 DS games. Its top seller is Nintendogs, with sales of 495,000 copies."

Why are they comparing PSP shipped numbers to DS sold-through numbers?

Sony only provides shipped numbers.

 

[GDJustin]

Am I reading this wrong or does that look awefully inaccurate?

A next-gen.biz article with a glaring factual error that would have been caught with simple proofreading? Surprise surprise. Its only about the 10th time its happened since the they launched

Sorry guys, but this is not the Next Gen we all knew and loved

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Am I reading this wrong or does that look awefully inaccurate?

I think the number listed is 1/10 what it should be, considering the listed tie ratio and total number of hardware units sold.

 

[Flakster99]

A next-gen.biz article with a glaring factual error that would have been caught with simple proofreading? Surprise surprise. Its only about the 10th time its happened since the they launched

Sorry guys, but this is not the Next Gen we all knew and loved

Aye, Next Generation is but a name.

 

[ToastyFrog]

Nintendo has sold through to customers 2.3 million DS units, and 440,000 DS games. Its top seller is Nintendogs, with sales of 495,000 copies.

Wow, Nintendogs really is popular over there if it accounts for more than 110% of all DS games sold. Er, wait...

 

[Zaptruder]

Insipid frogs. stop croaking on about a misplaced decimal in a writeup.

 

[Dalthien]

This report, while essentially correct, is misleading in representing the current state of the two handhelds in Japan.

For the first half of the year (26 weeks) (Jan 3 - July 3, 2005), according to Media Create, the PSP has won 11 weeks, and the DS has won 15 weeks. But it has been two completely different three month periods, with the PSP dominating the first three months, and the DS dominating the last three months.

Jan 3 - Mar 20, 2005 = PSP by 150,575
Mar 21 - July 3, 2005 = DS by 221,954

The PSP had a strong first three months as it was still riding the launch period and was able to finally satisfy some of the launch demand that existed due to the small launch numbers in December/04.

But once the new colours and Nintendogs came out for the DS, the DS has owned the PSP in Japan.

The DS has won the last 11 weeks, and has now won 14 of the last 15 weeks in Japan. And there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for this trend. And the DS has dominated the software even moreso than the hardware domination in the past three months, with the PSP even having several weeks with the software totals actually at or below the weak hardware numbers for the week.

So yes - the PSP and DS are close for the entire first six months of 2005, but the first three months of 2005, and the last three months of 2005 have been two completely different stories. I'd much rather be in the DS position in Japan right now.

2004: DS = 1,495,596 PSP = 482,252
Jan 3/05 - Mar 20/05 DS = 429,545 PSP = 580,120
Mar 21/05 - Jlly 3/05 DS = 641,905 PSP = 419,951

Totals LTD DS = 2,567,046 PSP = 1,482,323

 

[Mupepe]

I really don't care what they say because it takes a lack of common sense think that the PSP hasn't been getting it's ass whooped.

 

[GDJustin]

Insipid frogs. stop croaking on about a misplaced decimal in a writeup.

Its not a decimal. The number reported is just straight-up wrong. They can't fix it without adding a digit or two

 

[Zeo]

That's.. uh.. a really bad article.

This isn't Next-Gen. :\

 

[kaching]

Sony doesn't seem as committed to it anymore. But that might just be my perception.

Considering you've been calling the PSP situation wrong from the beginning, I'd say it sure as hell is just your perception