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Billboard tweaks album sales chart to include streams, digital track sales
Until now, the Billboard 200 chart has been ranked based on albums sales, but that's about to change. On November 30th, that list will expand its criteria to include sales of a record's individual tracks and streaming plays for the chart that'll post on December 4th. Ten tracks sold will equal one album, while 1,500 spins via the likes of Spotify, Rdio or Beats Music from the same title will count as one sale, too. "Now we have the ability to look at that engagement and gauge the popularity of an album over time," Billboard's director of charts Silvio Pietroluongo told The New York Times. As you might expect, pop stars stand to benefit most.
Acer poised to beat Dell, become number two PC maker
Interesting piece in the New York Times today about Acer -- the company is about to ride the tidal wave of netbooks and other el-cheapo computers straight to the number two spot on the PC sales chart. That's a big deal -- no non-US company has ever made it so high -- and it's interesting that the strategies Acer took to get there are the same things Dell's been trying to do lately: it's heavy on low-cost, stylish laptops and netbooks, it keeps inventory extremely lean, and it relies on an extensive set of retail partnerships in Europe. What's more, the Aspire One has been the best-selling netbook for a while now, and we'd say Acer's way out in front of the CULV thin-and-light race with the Timeline -- in fact, we'd say the only open question here is whether the company can take all this computing success and translate it to something worthwhile in the smartphone space. Based on what we've seen so far, we've got our doubts, but we'll see what those super-secret Android sets look like before we place our bets.
November NPD: big franchises, new consoles drive industry sales up 34% [update 1]
The above headline shouldn't come as a great surprise to many gamers, what with November having been a deadly obstacle course of top-tier franchises and console debuts. Surviving the month with wallet unscathed was quite impossible, a fact clearly reflected in the NPD's sales data for the period which typically sees manufacturers clash in full force, guns blazing. Consumers caught in the cash crossfire spent an impressive $1.7 billion in total, with console, software and accessory sales all seeing notable increases. The NPD's Anita Frazier told GameDaily BIZ that she expects this to be a record-breaking year for the industry, with total sales expected to come in at $14 billion. In the interest of having you maintain consciousness, we've put the most pertinent information into those convenient bullet-point things (it also ties in nicely with our earlier gun metaphor):Console Sales (units) DS: 918k PS2: 664k Game Boy Advance: 661k Xbox 360: 511k Wii: 476k PSP: 412k PS3: 197k Software Sales (units and sales grossed) Gears of War: 1 million -- $61.5 million Final Fantasy XII: 896k -- $49 million The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: 412k -- $20.2 million Guitar Hero II: 356k -- $20.2 million Check out the full report for even more numbers and commentary -- mind you don't go cross-eyed.[Update 1: PSP information added.]
PS3 launch jumpstarts PSP sales in North America
It looks like Sony's newest Playstation family member, the PS3, has come to the aide of its siblings, the PSP and PS2. Sony has announced the PSP's sales jumped by almost 30 percent in North America last week, during the PS3's launch.David Karraker, SCEA communications director, said the PS3 hype created "a halo effect on other Playstation products."I've said before this holiday season is going to be huge for the PSP's future success. If Sony can keep bringing great franchises to the PSP, get the PS1 emulator mess fixed and launch the GPS and camera peripherals soon, I think they will put themselves in a good spot for the coming year. [Via DCEmu]
Japanese hardware sales, Oct. 30 - Nov. 5: PSP overtakes its big brother
For the last few months, the PSP has not only been outsold by the Nintendo DS, but also the PS2. However, it seems like those days could be over as the PSP has begun outselling the PS2 for the last two weeks.- DS Lite: 113,097 45,584 (28.73%) - PSP: 23,725 2,183 (8.43%) - PS2: 20,982 850 (3.89%) - Xbox 360: 6,580 5,015 (320.45%) - GBA SP: 1,443415 (22.34%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,299 52 (3.85%) - Gamecube: 647 3 (0.47%) - DS Phat: 373 259 (227.19%) - GBA: 20 5 (33.33%) - Xbox: 0 7 (100.00%)It will be interesting to see how well the PSP does in the coming weeks with the launch of the Wii and PS3. The PSP has a strong lineup of games this winter, but Sony is going to have its work cut out for it to keep the PSP at the forefront of gamer's minds. Maybe Sony should start by adopting a new advertising campaign.[Source: Media Create]
Japanese hardware sales, Oct. 9-15: The gap closes
If there's one thing I can say about the PSP's sales, is they've been holding steady at right around 20,000-25,000 each week for a good while now. However, the DS Lite couldn't maintain its massive sales numbers it accumulated a few weeks ago when it sold nearly 275,000 units, which had more to do with Pokemon than anything else.- DS Lite: 104,487 19,650 (15.83%) - PS2: 24,727 3,537 (12.51%) - PSP: 21,603 553 (2.63%) - GBA SP: 2,299767 (50.07%) - Xbox 360: 1,743 358 (17.04%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,714 441 (34.64%) - Gamecube: 653 165 (33.81%) - DS Phat: 273 13 (5.00%) - GBA: 37 25 (208.33%) - Xbox: 3 5 (62.5%)The PSP doesn't have too many more releases this month with only Shinobido, Hot Shots Golf for GPS, Lost Regnum and Heaven's Will. It will be interesting to see if any of those games, especially Hot Shots, helps raise PSP sales the next couple weeks. [Source: Media Create]
Australian software chart, Sept. 25 - Oct. 1: BMX Bandit edition
Australia has given the world some really great things like Steve Irwin, kangaroos, Nicole Kidman and her first film - BMX Bandits, which just so happens to be one of my favorite childhood movies. So in honor of Steve, Nicole, BMX Bandits and kangaroos the world over, I bring you the Australian software chart.Top 10 games 1. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (DS) 2. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (GBA) 3. Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2) 4. FIFA 2007 (PS2) 5. Lego Star Wars II (PS2) 6. AFL Premiership 2006 (PS2) 7. Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360) 8. SingStar Anthems bundle (PS2) 9. Tekken Dark Resurrection (PSP) 10. Saints Row (Xbox 360)It's nice to see a Tekken in the top 10 since PSP games haven't necessarily been tearing things up in Japan. However, it's clear that even the mighty Aussies have fallen victim to the disease that is Pokemon. Is no one safe?
Japanese hardware sales, Sept. 25 - Oct. 1: The Pokemon are back
The recent news of Sony getting a new ad agency couldn't have come sooner because things are getting worse by the week for the PSP in Japan. Maybe this new agency can somehow spin this mess into something positive. However, this ridiculously huge increase in DS Lite sales most likely is due to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, which sold about 1.5 million copies combined. And I thought that whole Pokemon craze was over years ago.- DS Lite: 274,389 134,554 (96.22%) - PS2: 31,992 681 (2.08%) - PSP: 25,319 2,201 (9.52%) - Xbox 360: 2,195 1,086 (97.93%) - GBA SP: 1,811334 (15.57%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,103 83 (7.00%) - Gamecube: 523 240 (31.45%) - DS Phat: 253 63 (19.94%) - GBA: 10 10 (50.00%) - Xbox: 3 5 (62.5%)The DS Lite outsold the PSP by nearly 250,000 units. Seriously, that's not a typo. Apparently, Sony seems to think a price drop is not what it needs at this point, but thinks we need more than 100 games shoved down our throats by the end of the year. However, at this point, I believe Sony should focus on quality over quantity. If they can give us a dozen worthwhile games by year's end, I'll be a happy camper. [Source: Media Create]
Sony rep: No PSP price drop this year
If you were waiting for a PSP price drop to come in the near future, you should stop now because it doesn't look like one will come in time for Christmas this year. "We don't necessarily see the need to cut the price," John Koller, a product manager at Sony Computer Entertainment, told Reuters. "We need to offer broader value and introduce new consumers to what the PSP can do."He went on to say there will be near 110 new games by the end of the year and that since the PSP is a diverse system, with the ability to play games, download video and enjoy media, its does not compare directly to the other handheld systems.Wow, it sounds as if Mr. Koller is trying to distance the PSP from competing with the DS, which might not be a bad idea considering the current situation in Japan. Also, Sony better get cracking if they plan on shipping that many games because there are only about 85 days until the end of the year. Sony has promised us some pretty incredible things over the years that never came to fruition, and I'm afraid this may be another broken promise.[Via DCEmu]
Japanese hardware sales, Sept. 18-24: The bleeding still hasn't stopped
For the second week in a row, the PSP dropped in sales has dropped in sales. And to make matters worse, last week the DS Lite outsold the PSP by 107,000 units, but this week it increased its lead by outselling the PSP by 116,000.1. DSL - 139,8352. PS2 - 32,673 3. PSP - 23,118 4. GBASP - 2,145 5. GBM - 1,186 6. 360 - 1,109 7. NGC - 763 8. NDS - 316 9. GBA - 20 10. XBOX - 8So far this year, the PSP has sold about 1.3 million units against the DS Lite's 4.5 million units. Couple that with the fact the PSP can't outsell the PS2, which has been on the market since Reagan was in office, and the future seems pretty bleak for our favorite handheld in the Land of the Rising Sun.[Via Games Are Fun][Update 1: I've magically come and corrected the word "Japanese." Strange how no one caught that. - Andrew]
Japanese software sales chart - Aug. 28 - Sept. 3, Sega does what Sony can't
Isn't it great when the king of the hill is dethroned? Well, if you agree, then you may be happy to know Sega has done what Sony hasn't been able to by outselling all Nintendo games with its new online RPG Phantasy Star Universe.1. Phantasy Star Universe (PS2) - 120,202 / *NEW2. New Super Mario Bros. - (DS) 72,763 (2,974,0273. Brain Age 2 - (DS) 46,662 / 3,119,8574. Final Fantasy III - (DS) 45,949 / 549,0015. Tingle RPG - (DS) 45,496 / *NEW6. Cooking Navi - (DS) 35,689 / 419,7337. Mario Hoops 3 on 3 - (DS) 34,001 / 267,7638. Animal Crossing: Wild World - (DS) 32,605 / 3,181,7359. Rythm Tengoku - (DS) 28,361 / 123,43210. Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 - (DS) 27,540 / 458,474Aside from PSU, there has been some shuffling of Nintendo DS titles, but there are still no PSP games that have made it in the top 10 for the second week straight. Hopefully, this isn't a trend that continues, but it's always nice to see my beloved Sega doing something right every once and awhile.(Via Games Are Fun)
Japanese hardware sales, 14 August - 20 August: supreme bias edition
Much like a used car purchased from a licentious and overbearing salesman, people often come with their own set of inherent, sometimes unpredictable quirks and predilections. It's part of being human and, in most cases, can be kept under control. Unfortunately, that's not how things regularly work in the realms of video games, internet communication and poorly constructed vehicle metaphors. Some people are driven mad by the desire to travel down the road of their favorite console manufacturer, logic chicanes and reality potholes blissfully ignored in pursuit of victory over those driving in the opposite direction (or in the case of the Wii, avoiding the road entirely and taking to the sky in a Da Vincian flying contraption). This week, we ponder what it would be like if such a person wrote Joystiq's weekly Japanese sales recap.The ranking, according to number of units sold:- DS Lite: 74,495 122,224 (62.13%)- PSP: 41,535 246 (0.60%)- PS2: 26,833 286 (1.08%)- GBA SP: 3,823 772 (25.30%)- Game Boy Micro: 2,266 235 (11.57%)- Xbox 360: 1,493 289 (24.00%)- Gamecube: 922 18 (1.91%)- DS Phat: 712 222 (23.77%)- GBA: 20 3 (13.04%)- Xbox: 7 1 (16.67%)
Japanese hardware sales, 7 August - 13 August: fake comments edition
The ranking, according to number of units sold:- DS Lite: 196,719 33,147 (20.26%)- PSP: 41,289 8,063 (16.34%)- PS2: 26,547 560 (2.15%)- GBA SP: 3,051 267 (9.59%)- Game Boy Micro: 2,031 103 (5.34%)- Xbox 360: 1,204 185 (13.32%)- Gamecube: 940 36 (3.98%)- DS Phat: 934 225 (19.41%)- GBA: 23 11 (32.35%)- Xbox: 6 8 (57.14%)[Source: Media Create]1. first post!!! lol Posted at 10:01PM on Aug 18th 2006 by tention0 STARS2. I see the DS Lite had a pretty notable increase this week, whereas the DS Phat continues its downward spiral. The PSP also took a bit of a dive. I wonder why? Posted at 10:03PM on Aug 18th 2006 by fun_read3 STARS3. Joystiq I don't live in JAPAN! Why do you keep posting these numbers?! Why don't you post American sales, please? Posted at 10:06PM on Aug 18th 2006 by grogme0 STARS4. Grogme, the Japanese sales numbers are tracked much more meticulously than the American ones. These charts become available each week, whereas the NPD only published data once a month. Joystiq usually posts NPD information whenever it becomes available. Posted at 10:11PM on Aug 18th 2006 by heap o' beers8741 STARS5. Wow. <_< People still buy the Xbox? Posted at 10:12PM on Aug 18th 2006 by sixpoundsplusgravity1 STAR6. Gawd, Joystiq is so biased. They put the DS Lite at the top of the list EVERY TIME. Posted at 10:14PM on Aug 18th 2006 by wiicked0 STARS7. Ludwig, I know you like to make your posts "wacky" and "sarcastic" or whatever, but this is *ridiculous*. I'm afraid we're gonna have to let you go. Posted at 10:15PM on Aug 18th 2006 by C. Grant0 STARS
Japanese hardware sales, 17 July - 23 July: bad comparison week
The most interesting parts of this week's chart reside at the very top and at the very bottom, much like a decapitated body with Lamborghinis for feet. Nintendo's magical, dual-screened device continues to dominate Japan, raking in the cash like a pickpocket with eight magnetic arms. The ranking, according to number of units sold:- DS Lite: 262,453 121,595 (86.32%)- PSP: 35,938 655 (1.86%)- PS2: 22,288 1,639 (6.85%)- DS Phat: 6,344 5,477 (46.33%)- GBA SP: 2,953 334 (12.75%)- Xbox 360: 1,472 367 (33.21%)- Game Boy Micro: 1,410 171 (10.82%)- Gamecube: 1,076 148 (15.95%)- GBA: 20 8 (28.57%)- Xbox: 0 10 (100.00%)It's as clear as Daniel Day-Lewis' acting ability -- while the DS Lite enjoys brisk sales that trump the rest of the chart combined more than three times over, the Xbox finally languishes in the lowest point possible. Its performance in this part of the world may not have been entirely deserved, but it still turned out to be more embarassing than a discus-throwing competition where each disc has been replaced by a custard pie.(Worst. Comparisons. Ever.)[Source: Media Create]
Japanese hardware sales, 26 June - 2 July: You've got red on you
Oh, the horror. Be sure to keep angry fanboys and dubiously trained pet bulls away from the monitor this week, as it displays an awful lot of red. Even the mighty DS Lite experiences the strange sensation of slipping, possibly caused by the tight grip of an overweight sibling. The ranking, according to number of units sold:- DS Lite: 153,566 3,456 (2.20%)- PSP: 25,935 1,198 (4.84%)- PS2: 23,133 2,334 (9.16%)- DS Phat: 3,504 6,628 (65.42%)- GBA SP: 2,919 829 (21.91%)- Xbox 360: 1,897 728 (62.28%)- Game Boy Micro: 1,443 59 (3.93%)- Gamecube: 1,002 195 (16.29%)- GBA: 17 8 (32.00%)- Xbox: 8 2 (20.00%)As a commenter jokingly suggested last week, it's awfully difficult to resist the temptation of traveling to Japan and purchasing 10,000 Xbox consoles, just to ... exacerbate things. [Source: Media Create]
Japanese hardware sales, 19 June - 25 June: the bigger they are
... the harder they fall. The Japanese population's brief rekindling of their romance with the DS Phat, showing a massive 1559% increase in sales last week, seems to have died out for now. Our obese friend takes the sharpest fall this week, with slimmer, trimmer machines like the Game Boy Micro and DS Lite faring better. The ranking, according to number of units sold:- DS Lite: 157,022 15,535 (10.98%)- PS2: 25,467 4,730 (22.81%)- PSP: 24,737 84 (0.34%)- DS Phat: 10,132 12,616 (55.46%)- GBA SP: 3,784 858 (18.48%)- Game Boy Micro: 1,502 208 (16.07%)- Gamecube: 1,197 195 (19.46%)- Xbox 360: 1,169 238 (16.92%)- GBA: 25 5 (25.00%)- Xbox: 10 5 (33.33%)The rest of the chart seems intentionally unremarkable, with the Lite reigning on top and the spinless Xbox sweeping the ground floor. Very soon, it will be expected to clean up the explosion of confetti and glitter accompanying the launch of the Noble Pink DS Lite.[Source: Media Create]
May NPD sales: Plumber popularity soars
According to the NPD group's thorough and unusually keen sales analysis, Mario's latest block-bashing, Koopa-kicking, shell-sliding adventure was the bestselling game in the US for the merry month of May. Following closely on the portly plumber's hopping heels was Brain Age, nestled snugly in third place. It seems that New Super Mario Bros. was just the thing to wean gamers off that nasty heroine addiction.The Top 20 best-selling titles for May according to NPD: New Super Mario Bros. (DS) Kingdom Hearts II (PS2) Brain Age: Train Your Brain In Minutes a Day (DS) God of War (PS2) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360) MLB '06: The Show (PS2) Guitar Hero (with Guitar) (PS2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2) Kingdom Hearts (PS2) X-Men: The Official Game (PS2) Over the Hedge (PS2) Fight Night Round 3 (Xbox 360) FIFA World Cup 2006 (PS2) The Godfather: The Game (PS2) Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (Xbox 360) Midnight Club 3: Dub Ed Remix (PS2) Major League Baseball 2K6 (PS2) Major League Baseball 2K6 (Xbox 360)
Japanese software chart, 22-28 May: Mario madness
Giving his competitors a veritable butt-stomp, Mario finds himself at the very top of the Japanese software sales chart this week -- nearly 900,000 people donned their rose-colored glasses and marched out of a store with a copy of the portly plumber's retro adventure. [DS] New Super Mario Bros. [DS] Brain Training 2 [DS] Brain Training for Adults [PSP] Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable [DS] Tetris DS [PS2] Kimikiss [PS2] World Soccer Winning Eleven 10 [DS] English Training [DS] Animal Crossing: Wild World [PS2] Jikkyou Powerful Major League
Japanese hardware sales: 22-28 May
We just received the Japanese hardware sales charts for the week ranging from 22 May to 28 May via singing telegram. It took several hours for the song to run its informative course, and yet we still can't manage to get the tune out of our heads. The ranking, according to number of units sold: DS Lite: 285,025 124,843 (77,94%) PSP: 27,227 2,770 (11,33%) PS2: 19,798 835 (4,05%) GBA SP: 6,652 478 (7,74%) Phat DS: 4,126 12,741 (75,54%) Game Boy Micro: 2,013 232 (10,33%) Xbox 360: 1,242 161 (11,48%) Gamecube: 1,116 65 (6,18%) GBA: 44 19 (76%) Xbox: 8 12 (60%) As you can see, the DS Lite outsold the PSP more than ten times over, no doubt a fact that will be brought up in countless fanboy arguments in the coming week. The Phat DS continues its sad slide down the charts, content in the fact that it has paved the way for its younger brother's colossal success. There's some sort of profound image in there, but we can't be bothered.[Source: Media Create]
Japanese sales charts, April 9-16: Brains, brains, brains
The sales figures are in for Japan, ranking games of all formats for the week ending April 16. It's a very different picture to charts elsewhere, with brain-training games dominating the top spots (as they have done for weeks), two baseball games at 9 and 10, and the PS2 and DS running rampant. In fact, for anyone out there hoping, there are no Xbox or Xbox 360 titles in the top 50 at all.The ten bestselling games in Japan for the week ending April 16:1. Brain Age 2 (Kahashima Ryuuta Kyouju Kanshuu: Motto Nouo Kitaeru Otona DS) [DS]2. Brain Age: Train your Brain in Minutes a Day (Kahashima Ryuuta Kyouju no Nouo Kitaeru Otona DS Training) [DS]3. Animal Crossing: Wild World [DS]4. Legend of Starfy 4 [DS]5. Guilty Gear XX Slash [PS2]6. DS English Training [DS]7. Pokémon Ranger [DS]8. Final Fantasy XII [PS2]9. Pro Yakyu Netsu Star 2006 [PS2]10. Pro Yakyu Spirit 3 [PS2]
