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Quantifying the DS Lite's Japanese Dominance
kukyfrope writes "According to the data trackers at Media Create, for the week of May 29th through June 4th the DS Lite sold 135,614 units in Japan, easily beating out the PSP (24,595 units), PS2 (18,513 units) and Xbox 360 (just 1,245 units). New Super Mario Bros. for DS also sold 334,208 units, putting total sales at about 1.2 million, in just 2 weeks. 'From the end of last year up until right now the sales of DS and DS Lite in Japan have been simply explosive. It was unprecedented in the Japanese game [industry] history for there to be that kind of incredible demand for one platform,' said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata."
It'd be appreciated if you didn't pretend the amazing improvements to the screens and battery life didn't exist. These, Ifeel, are much more important than the size change. Your comment is misleading if you mention a not-as-important (in my opinion) feature and ignore the best feature- the screens.
Here are the figures. Seem fairly official.
http://www.gamegossip.com/comment.php?id=17452
Okay, I'm not going to be able to mod this discussion now, but...I'm compelled to respond.
I've worked in distribution centers and I can tell you this much: Wal-Mart makes it a condition of buying that they can return items for credit. If you don't agree, you don't get your product on Wal-Mart's shelves. Since they're the single largest retailer in the world, they drive the market. They set the standards, so to speak.
I would expect (because it's just common practice in the industry) most retailers are able to return unsold units for credit. That's just the way it works.
Which is why companies who always report shipped units are being a bit disengenuous at best. Units sold to consumers are the real indicator of a product's success...if they people aren't buying, the retailers aren't re-ordering.
Only in the us it is close, in Europe the DS sells twice as much average than the PSP, there is a reason for that, the US is the only market where the DS and the Playstation portable is close pricewise. In Europe the PSP is 200-250 Euros (one euro resembling a little more than one 1.20 USD afair) and the DS between 100-140 Euros depending whether you want a game with it or not. It is a wonder that we do not get numbers like in japan with the DS outselling the PSP 10:1 yet ;-)
The best part about the DS Lite 'upgrade' is that suddenly people have two DS-es they don't need. So they give their old hardware away or sell it cheap. The old DS is given to someone else who first finds they're really fun to own and play on, and then realise that they'd rather a DS Lite for the additional benefits. So then they get a lite and pass on the DS to someone else yet again.
My old DS was given away to a college-age girl who never was really interested in games. Now I hear she's pretty addicted. Similarly my parents actually want to purchase one (helps I'm giving Brain Age for fathers day, and loaning them my imported lite)
Yes, early adopters of the original brick got burned and have probably paid out twice. But I suspect they're not bitter (I know I'm not) and meanwhile the system just spreads on.
Very very clever Nintendo.
Baka Drew