Nintendo's DS overtakes PlayStation 2 in lifetime Japanese sales

We already knew Nintendo's DS was quite the popular handheld, and while the PSP recently overtook it in Japanese hardware sales, the most recent numbers show that the Big N's famed DS has actually rocketed above the mighty PlayStation 2 in lifetime sales (in Japan). Notably, the numbers do combine DS and DS Lite units, but there's no mention of how the systems stack up worldwide. Nevertheless, the feat is a fairly impressive one when you consider how much longer the PS2 has been available compared to the DS, and unless Sony somehow lightens the PS2 load even further and starts bundling them in with cereals, we doubt it will reclaim the top spot anytime soon.

[Via DSFanboy, thanks J]

[Aaron Lee @ Dec 29th 2007 3:50PM]

Not surprised.

[tekdroid @ Dec 29th 2007 7:45PM]

I wonder how much of it has to do with the fact that DS is dirt easy to get your homebrew action on.

[Bobs @ Dec 30th 2007 5:49AM]

i agree, the DS is extremly easy to run homebrew (colors by collecting smiles anyone?). not only that, its portable, cheep, and it has a lot of good fun games.

[umm....hello??? @ Dec 29th 2007 3:51PM]

ahh....more good news for my NTDOY stock going into the new year!!!!

[paperless @ Dec 29th 2007 3:51PM]

Nintendo DS - Handheld Console - First price tag: 150$
Playstation 2 - Console - First Price tag: 500$

So..yeah why compare two completely different consoles?

[Big Ed @ Dec 29th 2007 4:01PM]

But you forget that the PS2 is the top selling console in the world with approximately 120 million consoles sold. So yeah, it is a rather impressive accomplishment.

[paperless @ Dec 29th 2007 4:03PM]

But it was even more impressive for PS2 than it is for NDS..

Different levels of impressiveness.

[Big Ed @ Dec 29th 2007 4:09PM]

True, but I think a large part of the success of the PS2 was that it was a inexpensive DVD player. The DS success can be credited to the relatively revolutionary touchscreen used to play games in a new way. So, I think the reason for the huge success of the DS is more impressive. But that's just me :D

[paperless @ Dec 29th 2007 4:14PM]

i agree

*offers a great pie*

[Fank @ Dec 29th 2007 4:43PM]

I guess it wasn't priced 500 dollar because of the DVD player.

[Vanillacide @ Dec 29th 2007 5:05PM]

@Fank

When PS2 was released in 2000 (apparently half a lifetime ago for some of the posters on this board) that $500 was dirt cheap for a DVD player because dedicated players cost far more, and many commentators thought Sony idiots because they would canabilize sales of their own dedicated players (which from memory were $750+ at the time). Back in those early days the DVD format was far from being mass-market, VHS was king of the home video format and would be for a couple more years, even though some of us bought players back in 1997/98 when the format launched. :-)

[Static @ Dec 29th 2007 5:40PM]

Big Ed, It is just natural progression. While the other systems were stuck on cartridge sony's PS1 ushered in games that took advantage of CD. The same can be said for the PS2 and now the PS3. I am not going to one of those people that ignore what great titles came about just because devs were able to take advantage of the new mediums.

You can write them off as cheap cd/dvd/blu ray player but there is always games that make Sony's media decisions make sense. For some reason this generation of gamers are just seeking to be overly critical and turn positives into negatives.

[Fank @ Dec 29th 2007 6:27PM]

@ Vanillacide
That has nothing to do with what I said. Nothing at all.

[...Jan... @ Dec 29th 2007 3:54PM]

That's nice. But it's not like anyone didn't expect this to happen. I'm think it'll pass PS2's worldwide numbers around 2010.

[martin @ Dec 29th 2007 4:20PM]

impossible! theres aproxametly 7.5 billion ps2's in the world. yup, thats definetly what i heard.

[Kr4t05 @ Dec 29th 2007 4:21PM]

You know, if the PS2 sees another price drop, I may put in for a piece of console gaming. I've been a fairly PC-only gamer for awhile, now, but I do want to play God of War and such. A $99.99 PS2 would be right up my alley.

[Miles @ Dec 29th 2007 4:37PM]

Hahahaha
Proof the Sony is just another big company who is being beaten by the little guy.
Apple and Nintendo should team up.
They make all the revolutions, while others take them.
Apple: Mouse, USB, Scrolling Wheel/Ball, multi-touch
Nintendo: Analog Stick, D-Pad, Multiple Face Buttons, Motion Sensing, Touchscreen for gaming.

[uagent @ Dec 29th 2007 4:57PM]

Hate to burst your bubble there, but none of the things you listed were Apple innovations:

Mouse: *patented* in 1970, before Apple was even a company (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_%28computing%29)

USB: Intel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB)

Scroll ball: ever play Centipede?

Multi-touch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-touch (as old as 1982)

About the only thing I'd give Apple innovator cred for is the Apple IIe, proving that personal computers are viable. (It is funny to see HP's campaign about the computer being personal again, considering they were the ones who blew off the PC) OS X is a sweet deal, and I suppose I'll give them cred on making UNIX n00b-friendly, but lately they've only been implementing that which *NIX has had for years.

[Richard @ Dec 29th 2007 5:15PM]

@ Frank, time to change your diaper's.

[Miles @ Dec 29th 2007 8:12PM]

Like wikipedia is a valid source.
Give me some GOOD sources and I'll believe you.

[Kurt @ Dec 30th 2007 12:19AM]

I apologize in advance for derailing the topic train, but in the defense of public information:

Miles:
"Nature.com decided to conduct a small test to see how Wikipedia
would fare against the Encyclopedia Britannica. Working from a
statistically small sample of 42 randomly chosen science articles,
the results show that the two are closer than many would assume. On
average, Wikipedia had 33 percent more errors, with 162 "factual
errors, omissions or misleading statements, " as compared to 123 for
Britannica. In terms of egregious errors involving inaccurately
explained concepts or misinterpretations of data, the experts found
four instances in each of the two encyclopedias. Of course, what
constitutes a major error is often in the eye of the beholder."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051214-5768.html

In this case, Wikipedia did have more errors, but it is not to the extreme as stating Wikipedia is a bad source. By your definition Encyclopedia Britannica would not fall under a GOOD source because it still has errors. To me, it seems like there are two types of editors on Wikipedia:
Retards that sit in their garage and mess up the pages most likely to be
viewed just for the sake of destroying something, and people who know
a certain fact on a certain issue/event/invention/thing that take the
time to make sure they get the info right. USB, Scroll ball, and
Multi-touch are not controversial subjects and are less likely to be
vandalized.

P.S. "...non-experts are more cynical about information outside of
their field and the difference comes from a natural reaction to rate
unfamiliar articles as being less credible...."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061127-8296.html

[Scott @ Dec 30th 2007 10:57AM]

@Miles

The sources are listed on each Wikipedia page under "References." Or haven't you ever used an encyclopedia?

[Static @ Dec 29th 2007 5:30PM]

Normally you would have one PS2 per household while the DS is one per person.

How is this comparable and why even bother?

[Uejji @ Dec 29th 2007 5:52PM]

Not attempting to argue or anything... just kind of a funny bit of trivia. Here where I live, we have three PS2s (we had four, but one of my housemates gave his away when he bought a PS3 for the house) and two DSes.

[BigD145 @ Dec 29th 2007 6:47PM]

I have 2 PS2's. The older one has lens problems that I didn't feel like dealing with at the time, but does ok with hdLoader. I own 1 fat DS.

[capitan @ Dec 29th 2007 6:30PM]

bah

[w @ Dec 29th 2007 6:58PM]

junk sells!

yay

[Miles @ Dec 29th 2007 7:00PM]

What's junk about the DS?
That is is more revolutionary and has more good games than the PS2?
Owned.

[w @ Dec 29th 2007 7:13PM]

"owned"
what is this?

get a life shithead.

[Jamesology @ Dec 29th 2007 10:19PM]

LMAO

Miles is taking this fanboyism a little too far. Just like majority of the Nintendo Fanboys. They all think it's a game.

Anyways, now-a-days everyone owns a DS. I own one and I don't really play with it. Bought it in Japan the Yellow pika edition and an R4; my GF got a pink one. I use to play with it a lot at work until I got a PS3 and made my PSP more interesting. Remote Play got me hooked.

[Miles @ Dec 30th 2007 3:33AM]

Remote play is better than the DS?
Pfft

[Jamesology @ Dec 30th 2007 5:10AM]

@ miles

WOW miles can you pls. find in my profile where/when I have ever, like I mean ever, typed that:

"Remote play is better than the DS?"

- you make a good concrete support to the claims of Nintendo Fanboys are idiots. You probably don't even own a DS.

Also, the reason why Remote Play is interesting, for now, is b/c I like variety. 47 different games with the R4 on the DS gets boring when I know that I can watch downloaded movies, TV Shows, Anime, play FFVII(until I have to change discs then I'm screwed) all through Remote Play; or just play MHF2 or Juiced 2 for the PSP. This sense of variety helps me get through the day at work. All the good games on the DS I have for the Wii anyways.

47 games on the DS and the only games I play is Simcity DS, Mario Party DS, and Jump:TUS.

[N30 G30 @ Dec 30th 2007 10:32AM]

blind fanboy is blind

the DS is more revolutionary than the PS2?! Are you kidding me?!

Compare the game list. The PS2 has a huge library and it's probably my third favorite system of all time next to Turbo Duo and the Super Nintendo.

Gran Turismo, remake of Grand Theft Auto, remake of Metal Gear. You cannot ignore that these games destroyed the "best games" list in one year.

[Jamesology @ Dec 30th 2007 9:56PM]

Ooooh I remember the Turbo Duo, I had the Turbo Grafx 16; I loved that gloriously beast to death. I never knew they made a new one.

My, my,.. those long nights when I played Keith Courage over and over trying to beat it faster and faster. I remember I asked my parents for a NES but instead they came with a Turbo Grafx16 and fell in love.

[B.C. @ Dec 29th 2007 8:38PM]

I just bought another PS2. My ex smashed my 3yr old PS2 Slim...
Also my buddy at work who's in his 60's just bought a DS and said he can use it to surf the web with. Is this true??

[Will @ Dec 29th 2007 9:53PM]

Is your ex your ex because of the smashed PS2 or the PS2 smashed because of the ex? =P

[B.C. @ Dec 29th 2007 10:35PM]

Hmmm, a Freudian karate-chop!... no, nothing that dramatic.
I guess it was my fault, I put in 'We Love Katamari' and she ripped the controller from my hand so quickly the PS2 slim went sailing sideways across the room; smashing.
Maybe I should sue NAMCO for their addictive game?! =P

[Bobs @ Dec 30th 2007 5:56AM]

Yes, this is true, they sell an opera browser for it, but it needs a WiFi access point. you can have a favorites list and your history is deleted after you visit too many sites or shut it off. its really quite neat, but it wont replace your laptop, unless you wanna check your mail and light stuff like that

[AboveUnrefined @ Dec 29th 2007 11:15PM]

Not reading the responses, why compare a console to a hand held? The skew is almost belligerent...

[jitty @ Dec 29th 2007 11:38PM]

So what if it surpassed the ps2 in japan? DS worldwide sales are still less than half of the ps2's worldwide sales. Plus there is already a DS lite, so unless they come out with a DS lite lite, it's not going to get a boost in sales like the ps2 slim did (which came 4 years after the ps2 launch)

[Blooper @ Dec 30th 2007 12:08AM]

Can someone please explain to me why the DS is doing good? I have one, got it at launch and the last game I bought was wario ware which came out in February right after launch.I understand there has been a couple more good games like New Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart and Metroid but thats it. All of those games came out last year-2 years ago and all of those are still $34. I just don't see why there selling so much! Same with the Wii, has 3 good games all Nintendo made and it's $250. I mean it doesn't even play DVDs. All of you guys say the PSP, PS3, and Xbox 360 are overpriced. If you ask me the Wii and DS is overpriced. So if anyone can fill me in on why there selling so well i would appreciate it!

[Ehster @ Dec 30th 2007 2:45AM]

Because my niece (eight or something) got a pink one for her birthday but decided she didn't like the color two months later so got a black one for Christmas. Not that I live in japan, or that it matters, or that I know the statistics, or that I care, but I think most people would see this as a more reasonable gift than a counsel. I'd also imagine that handhelds are more easily lost/stolen/broken/blended/used-in-a-pinch-for-a-game-of-ultimate-frisbee and/or hackisac.
So if anyone can tell me if economists have a word for demand being artificially inflated by such scenarios I'd appreciate it.

[tekdroid @ Dec 30th 2007 8:40AM]

Don't forget it plays Game Boy Advance games, too.

Many many great games built up over years there. Rumour has it the next DS revision will get rid of this slot and be even smaller and lighter (and less capable, much like the Game Boy Micro got rid of Game Boy compatibility). It was a sales disaster for Nintendo but I digress :)

For now, the ability to play Game Boy Advance content in the bottom slot is a huuuuuge advantage for those who have Game Boy Advance games (or those discovering new Advance games); they can play it on the DS.

[cduran01 @ Dec 30th 2007 9:29AM]

It's really simple why the DS has overtaken the PS2 in JAPAN. The Japanese us a lot of public transportation (subways), and because of this many prefer a portable system they could use during their commute. On top of that living space is at a minimum, there simply isn't much room in a typical home/apartment to have multiple TVs and therefore multiple consoles. It would make complete sense that a typical home would have only one PS2 and 4 DS's.

[Jon Acheson @ Dec 30th 2007 1:10PM]

For a real comparison, though, the original Game Boy has sold over 118 million units worldwide, according to Wikipedia.

[Eric @ Dec 31st 2007 12:58PM]

"Notably, the numbers do combine DS and DS Lite units", Okay, so the PS2 also had a major redesign during its lifecycle, I'm assuming they're counting both PS2s?