New PS3 low in Japan - How next-gen is failing in home of gaming

Another week goes by, and Sony sees the PS3, supposedly its flagship console, dropping even lower in terms of sales in Japan. While the Xbox 360 is doing surprisingly well in the country, both true next-gen consoles are massively behind lesser machines such as the Wii, the DS, and the PSP. So why is the spiritual home of gaming seemingly rejecting next-gen gaming?

The latest weekly sales figures to come out of Japan, those for the week ending October 26th, show that the PSP is massively out in front, selling over 60,000 units in the space of a week. The Wii is still sitting pretty on 24,000, while the DS has dropped back a little (no doubt due to the imminent release of the DSi), but still managed sales of 22,000.

Then, there is a massive drop to the Xbox 360 on 7,844, with the PS2 just behind on 6,962. The Playstation 3, supposedly the most powerful games console ever made, and a console developed and manufactured by a home-grown Japanese company, only managed to sell 3,931 units - a new low for the machine.

Xbox 360 owners will rightly call this a victory, and the seven weeks in a row that the Microsoft console has beaten out the PS3 is impressive to say the least. It’s also proof that the Xbox seems to have turned a corner in Japan, with a combination of new games and a lower price point making the Xbox a more worthy purchase for gamers.

PSP - 60,467
Wii - 24,292
DS - 22,965
Xbox 360 - 7,844 ( its 7 weeks in a row now!!!! )
PS2 - 6,962
PS3 - 3,931 ( What happen???? )