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Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/14-4/20
The Wii had a good week in Japan, as far as sales are concerned. With Mario Kart Wii continuing to champion the cause, the little white console almost nabbed second place in hardware: PSP: 85,421 Nintendo DS: 44,551 Wii: 44,241 PlayStation 3: 7,438 PlayStation 2: 6,545 Xbox 360: 1,076 Even in software, five of the top ten games were Wii titles. Wii Sports found its way back into the coveted ten once again, managing to coexist peacefully with Hudson's Deca Sports. Wii Play, meanwhile, performed the worst in relation to the rest of the Wii games in the top thirty, but still ended up in spot twelve.Check after the break to see just how well Mario Kart Wii did last week in Japan.
Straps and stands: More preorder bonuses in Korea
Koreans really love free stuff! Then again, who doesn't? This latest round of preorder incentives rewards gamers who've reserved Wii Sports with branded towels and Wii Remote cell phone straps. Unlike in the states, Wiis will not come bundled with Wii Sports when the console launches in South Korea on April 26th. EA is also throwing in what looks like Brando's Crystal Cooler with every preorder for FIFA 08. The replacement base features a cooling fan and electric blue LEDs -- not too useful, but it's free, which automatically makes it a hundred times more awesome. Bring five bucks past the post break to get a look at the stand offer.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/7-4/13
It looks like just the same old stuff for Wii sales in Japan last week. Wait a minute -- what's that, you say? Mario Kart Wii dominated Japan? Sure enough, sitting pretty at the top of the charts is Nintendo's famous kart racer, with almost half a million copies sold in its first week.Despite the Mario Kart bump, the Wii only took third place in hardware. Considering that Japanese gamers love them some handhelds, though, that's not too much of a surprise. One little observation that may floor you, on the other hand, is that Brawl was already overtaken by Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G in total sales.See it to believe it after the break.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/31-4/6
Last week was once again all about Sony. Although Nintendo still had a good showing in the top thirty, there were only five Wii games in the software chart. Wii Fit continues to be the system's best-seller, but Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Deca Sports also made appearances in the top ten.As for hardware, the Wii once again trails behind the handhelds, but leads the pack in home consoles.Hardware: PSP: 120,964 Nintendo DS: 55,190 Wii: 44,618 PlayStation 3: 11,303 PlayStation 2: 10,423 Xbox 360: 1,452 More numbers can be seen after the break!
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/24-3/30
For the first time in a long time, the Wii is down to having only five games in Japan's top thirty. As House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return fell of the charts in its second week and Everyone's General Knowledge Training TV disappeared after having a good run, only the regulars remain.Deca Sports is the exception, being the only Wii title on the charts without either "Wii" or "Smash Bros." in its name, but even that is showing early signs of fatigue. While the game managed to nab the eighth spot and sell 29,000 copies, its Nintendo counterpart, Wii Sports, is nipping at its heels in spot twelve. This may seem insignificant, but keep in mind that Wii Sports has been out for around seventeen months, wheras Deca Sports has only been out for two weeks.In the hardware department, the Wii got a beat down from the handhelds (especially the PSP), but still continues to do better than any other console in Japan. This week, for example, the Wii sold over four times the amount of PS3s, its closest console competitor.Of course, you can just take a look at all the numbers for yourself by clicking past the break.
Big in Japan: DS coasts to fiscal 2007 victory
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_dominates_fiscal_year_2007_in_Japan'; Been keeping up with sales figures from Japan recently? If so, you'll have noticed something unusual: for the first time in years, the DS isn't absolutely creaming the competition. Whether the PSP's resurgence will last is another debate for another post, but it hasn't been able to prevent Nintendo's handheld from taking top spot in fiscal year 2007.The DS won in style as well, selling 6.34 million units (that's one DS sold every five seconds, FYI) and comfortably beating the Wii (3.74m sales) into second place. In case you're wondering, that sound you can hear is Iwata, Reggie, and Shiggy clinking champagne glasses on board their yacht of solid gold.The gap between the Wii and PSP is considerably smaller, while the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 occupy fourth and fifth place respectively (mystifyingly, the PlayStation 2 wasn't counted). And it wasn't only hardware sales that Nintendo dominated -- the five best-selling games were all from the Nintendo stable, with Wii Fit, Mario Party DS, Wii Sports, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon doing the business. Make like Godzilla and stomp past the break for the charts.
April Fools' Alert #10: Wii Sports on iPhone and utter obsolescence
ThinkGeek is certainly on a roll today with the April Fools hijinks. Not only do we have Super Pii Pii Brothers (and its bizarre peripheral), but now we have Wii Sports on the iPhone, as well as a conduit for shuffling between dead video formats.The Wii Sports on iPhone gag is nothing more than an unclickable banner ad, making us wish the joke was taken a bit further. The Betamax to HD-DVD converter, on the other hand, is quite the stroke of genius. The idea alone is brilliant, made even more so by the "promotional" video, viewable after the break.
Wii Fanboy Interview: Hudson's Mike Samachisa on Deca Sports
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Wii_Fanboy_interviews_Hudson_console_division_head'; As you all know, we've had our eye on Deca Sports for quite some time. It really looks like a fun compilation of sports. But, to sway any doubt about the game's excellence that we may have had lingering around in our mind, Mike Samachisa, the head of Hudson Entertainment's console division, answered some of our questions regarding the game.Why wasn't Wi-Fi support added? What made them go with this collection of sports? What sports did they have to cut? Which is better: Wii Sports or Deca Sports? Head on past the break to get a better idea for what the present and future holds for Hudson's Deca Sports game.%Gallery-7109%
Hotels offering Wii Sports, Guitar Hero, Xbox Live to guests
Video games in hotels are certainly nothing new -- we remember playing Nintendo 64 in Best Westerns for a hefty per-minute price. Fancier hotels, however, are looking to introduce more contemporary offerings through special partnerships with Nintendo and Microsoft, bringing titles like Wii Sports and Guitar Hero to more playful guests.USA Today reports on a handful of hotels across the US which have begun incorporating more physical games into their services and offerings. Some offer hand-delivered consoles to rooms, while others like Hotel Monaco in Seattle host Guitar Hero nights at the bar, giving the title a social feel which can only draw further comparisons to karaoke. Perhaps most interesting is Hotel Sax, which is working with Microsoft to create a special Xbox Live network, which will allow guests to play games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero with guests in other rooms, free of charge. Sounds pretty good to us. LAN party at the Hilton, anyone?
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/17-3/23
Goodbye, Family Ski and Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 -- we hardly knew ye. While Family Ski enjoyed a seven-week run in the top thirty, Wining Eleven (aka Pro Evolution Soccer) only lasted for four. It's no coincidence that they fell off this week, though, as fifteen spots were taken up by new releases.The big Wii dog in town was not Brawl (which ended up 7th), and not even Wii Fit (which ended up 5th), but new release Deca Sports. We can't help but wonder if the appearance of Deca Sports will have an effect on that other sports game for the Wii. Is there room for both on the charts? (We think so.) And will Deca Sports have the same longevity as Wii Sports? (Probably not, but we're sure the game will do well for itself.) It's also worth noting that Deca Sports had the third highest third-party sales debut for the Wiil, following only Dragon Quest: Swords and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/10-3/16
Japanophiles and sales chart nerds, it's that time of week again to take a look at last week's sales in the Land of the Rising Sun. Those of you who've been keeping up won't find much excitement in this week's chart, though. All the same software from the week before showed up, but it might not be long before Family Ski and Winning Eleven fall out of the top thirty.It was also nice to see Metroid Prime 3: Corruption stick around, as the Nintendo FPS nabbed the number eleven spot for this week. Other than that, the only noticeable difference is that Smash Bros. dropped to fourth. What's interesting is that Brawl is no longer the best selling Wii game, either, as Wii Fit reclaimed that honor. We also learned that you can't keep the big three (Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and Wii Play) out of the top ten for long.In hardware sales, the Wii fell a smidge behind the PSP, and did only slightly better than the DS. Hardware: PSP: 57,651 Wii: 55,845 Nintendo DS: 53,266 PlayStation 3: 14,934 PlayStation 2: 9,930 Xbox 360: 1,744 To see the software numbers and rankings for last week, make sure to click past the break.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/3-3/9
To most of us, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is old news. The U.S. has had it since last summer, and even Europe has been enjoying the game for a few months now. It only debuted in Japan last week, though, and we were happily surprised to see it make the top five. It only sold 32,000 copies in its first week, but that's still not too shabby for a Metroid game in Japan. Hopefully, the game will have some legs and not plunge off the charts after its first week, like many other first-person shooters tend to do.As for other software, the Wii didn't have too many games in the top thirty -- only eight, in fact -- yet it was still the second most represented gaming system on the charts. With the exception of the aforementioned Metroid and Everyone's General Knowledge Training TV, all the Wiis top games have consistently stuck around for (at least) a few weeks. In other news, Smash Bros. once again failed to take the first place spot. The game beat out last week's chart champ, the new Gundam for the PS2, but fell behind the newly released Yakuza 3.In hardware, the Wii claimed the top spot once again as Japan is clearly so over the Mint Green PSP (that was so five minutes ago). You can check out the hardware and software numbers for last week in Japan after the break -- we recommend that you do so.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 2/25-3/2
People interested in Japanese game sales probably have one question on their minds: Did Super Smash Bros. Brawl hold onto the top spot last week? Well, the answer is, no. The new Gundam game for the PS2 managed to end Brawl's reign, and end it convincingly. In fact, Smash barely stayed in second, with Wii Fit being right up the fighter's grill.The Wii itself also lost the top spot last week, overtaken by the PSP in hardware for the first time since Brawl's release. Aside from those major changes, though, everything looks to be what we'd expect, with Winning Eleven and Family Ski continuing to champion the cause for third parties.Go on and take a look at the numbers after the break ... or else.
The Joystiq Weekend: March 1 - 2, 2008
After such a favorable response to last week's lolcat inclusion, we decided to make this weekend a Caturday special with the other video game-related I Can Has Cheezburger post of the week. Check out the highlights for today:JoystiqueryWeekly Webcomic Wrapup is back for the long haulNewsGod of War III confirmed on Chains of Olympus manualFFCC: My Life as a King to be WiiWare launch title, price revealedReturn to Dark Castle demo returnsGamecock's WWII stealth shooter 'Sabotage' becomes 'Velvet Assassin'Lego Batman's villain-packed trailer looks promisingFamily of slain suspected PS3 thief to receive $2.45 million settlementTeam Fortress 2 PC update balances classes, introduces tournament modeJack Thompson offers to help EA with Take-Two takeoverEpic's Mark Rein and CliffyB explain PC gaming 'disarray'Kojima: MGS4 too big for 50 GB Blu-ray discCulture & CommunityCall of Duty 4 and Halo 3 get celebrity love on Conan O' BrienApril issue of EGM reveals Bungie's next project: Lego HaloHow to ruin Christmas using only a 360 box and some clothes
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 2/18-2/24
Super Smash Bros. Brawl hung onto the top spot last week, but not by much. For the first time, the king of Nintendo fighters was actually close to the game behind it, with a lead of less than 10,000 units. Considering that Brawl has dominated for a month and is already over the million mark, though, we're not surprised to see a little less dominance from the title.A lot of new software was released last week, which finally caused Super Mario Galaxy to fall out of the top thirty. Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 was the Wii's new game, debuting at the number six spot. Family Ski also managed to jump up five spots, despite the plethora of new titles.On the hardware side, the Wii continues to reign in first place. The PSP and DS aren't too far behind, but the Wii is outselling the PS3 4:1 with the help of Brawl.You can check out the listings and sales numbers -- they're posted after the break.
Wii goes to the Oscars
A lot of things happen at the Oscars, many predictable, and some unexpected, but there's one thing we don't usually expect to see: video games. It's a measure of just how out-of-control the Wii movement is that the console turned up at this year's awards as a joke unto itself that featured host Jon Stewart losing his dignity in a game of Wii Sports tennis to young songstress Jamia Simone Nash of nominated film August Rush.It's not the first time the Comedy Central "anchors" have exploited the Wii for humorous effect, but the Daily Show's host seemed to need a little more practice with the sports simulation. Either that, or he just wasn't used to the enormous screen the game graced during the awards show. See for yourself in the video after the break.
Wii Tennis makes surprise appearance at the Oscars
There was no saucy saunter down the red carpet, but Nintendo's casual darling Wii Sports did manage to surprise gamers with a guest-spot at the 2008 Academy Awards. In one of the night's many gags, host Jon Stewart gets caught off guard when the show returns from commercial break, to find him using one of the event's gigantic projection screens to play a quick round of Wii Tennis.The entire segment lasts only thirty seconds, but it's chuckle-worthy, to be sure. Check out the video after the break.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 2/11-2/17
The Wii extended its hardware lead over the PSP this week (which dropped to third), as Smash Bros. continued to dominate in software. Family Ski fell out of the top ten, but still shows some legs at spot sixteen.Predictably, Nintendo's big games (i.e., games with "Wii" in their titles) are still doing well on the charts. Super Mario Galaxy, which has been in danger of falling out of the top thirty, managed to hang in tough despite the big load of new releases littering the chart. The Wii also had the second best showing of games this week, with six in the top thirty (the DS was first with fifteen). With the exception of Namco Bandai's Family Ski, though, they were all first party titles.The hardware and software numbers are listed for your perusal after the break.
Another Week In Japan: Hardware and software numbers 2/4-2/10
We had a nice little surprise on the Japanese sales charts this week, as Family Ski showed that it has some legs. Debuting at spot twelve last week, Namco Bandai's title inched its way up while other new titles fell, claiming eighth place. As for Brawl, the game was predictably unable to maintain its outrageous first week sales, but still sold well and took the first spot convincingly. Some regulars made their return to the top, like Wii Fit and Wii Sports, while others fell off the chart completely, like Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.The Wii also continues to reign as the top seller in hardware, selling more than triple the amount of PS3s. The PSP, however, is trailing closely at its heels. All in all, we think it was a good week for the Wii, but take a look for yourself after the break.
Brawl tops one million sales, has already passed Galaxy
Super Smash Bros. Brawl unleashed the mother of all Final Smashes on the Japanese charts last week by selling 820,000 copies in four days. Now, Famitsu publisher Enterbrain says Nintendo's scrapper (released eleven days ago) has topped the one million sales mark, and passed another Wii flagship title in the process: Super Mario Galaxy (released almost three and a half months ago). That's crazy.To be fair to Galaxy, it's far from the only game to be left spluttering in Brawl's dust. Next-gen notes that Wii Fit took seven weeks to pass a million sales, that Wii Sports passed the landmark after eleven weeks, and that Wii Play and Mario Party 8 are the only other Wii titles to top a million units in Japan.
