PS3 Outstrips Wii In Japanese Sales

Sony’s flagship games console, the PlayStation 3 has today outsold its leading rival the Nintendo Wii in Japanese sales for the last month, in a move that it is thought could spark a turn in fortunes of the world’s largest consumer electronics pioneer.

The games console, the result of tens of millions of dollars in development and marketing spend across the globe has been trailing in the battle for market share amongst fierce competition from Microsoft and Nintendo models.

However the results today are thought to be indicative of a transformation in fortunes for the console, showing a marked increase in sales compared to other models as a result of drastic price reductions and the introduction of a new, basic (and cheaper) model.

The figures, published by industry magazine Enterbrain reflected sales in the Japanese console market over the course of November, which saw Sony shift 183,000 units compared to Nintendo’s 159,000 - the first time since the release of both consoles the PlayStation has led the way in any territory.

Having been launched at similar times the Nintendo Wii has far outstripped sales of the PlayStation, as a result of a number of factors including its lower unit price, novelty user interaction method and wider range of games availability.

However it is thought that the price reductions will do little to help boost the console’s sales in the long term, primarily given the fact that it is still more expensive than other consoles and has less software titles currently released in a compatible format.

It remains to be seen whether the PlayStation can benefit from a Christmas ‘bounce’, despite the fact that analysts are expecting the company to notice a downturn once the market settles from the recent spate of price cuts.

Story link: PS3 Outstrips Wii In Japanese Sales