Japanese game market saw overall declines in 2011, 3DS was top seller
The Japanese game market saw a significant dip in 2011, according to Enterbrain, as reported by Famitsu. The year saw a 2.4 percent increase in hardware sales -– up to ¥179,740 million ($2.3 billion) –- spurred by the 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The hardware bump, however wasn't enough to prevent a 14 percent drop in software sales, representing a total of ¥274,640 million ($3.5 billion). On the whole, the game market saw a sales decrease of eight percent.
The 3DS was the best selling console in 2011, with sales topping four million units. The PlayStation Vita, available in Japan since mid-December, managed to move over 400,000 units before the end of the year.
