Topic: Official DS Sales Thread

[couchmonkey]

The pricing of games is exactly what I'm talking about.  Nintendo hasn't dropped the price of any of its GBA games at all since launch!  The hardware prices are fair, but with console games constantly dropping in price, I feel like it's a rip-off that Super Mario Advance still costs $40 CDN.  Granted, cartridges are more expensive than discs, but some third-party publishers release brand-new GBA games for $25-$30, so why is Nintendo still charging full price for games that have long since made a profit?  The answer is because it has no competition!  Other than third-party developers, and Nintendo doesn't need to compete with them, its games are already popular and taking away third party sales wouldn't be good for business.

[KDR_11k]

If competition forced price drops I'd imagine we'd see some more of them on the Cube but instead Cube games remain high priced almost forever.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

Media Create Hardware Sales: 28 Mar - 3 Apr

platform this week last week 2005 total
1 PlayStation 2  44,117  40,398  686,831  
2 Nintendo DS  42,023  55,825  527,393  
3 PSP  33,911  43,043  667,074  
4 GameBoy Advance SP  17,710  14,904  230,470  
5 GameCube  3,754  4,568  78,338  
6 Gameboy Advance  1,074  653  7,980  
7 Xbox  335  406  5,347  


Media Create Software Sales: 28 Mar - 3 Apr

platform title publisher this week total
1 PS2  Tekken 5  Namco  174,064  new  
2 PS2  World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 Liveware Evolution  Konami  66,953  305,264  
3 DS  Touch! Kirby  Nintendo  32,766  108,131  
4 PS2  Wild Arms: The 4th Detonator  SCE  26,998  158,378  
5 PS2  Shining Force Neo  Sega  18,352  81,127  
6 PS2  Memories Off After Rain Vol. 3  Kid  17,845  new  
7 PS2  Shin Sangoku Musou 4  Koei  16,853  841,657  
8 GBA  Rockman EXE 5 Team of Colonel  Capcom  12,028  142,000  
9 DS  Egg Monster HERO  Square Enix  11,647  42,866  
10 PSP  BLEACH ~Heat The Soul~  SCE  10,457  47,135  

DS on top of PSP again this week...the tide is shifting  

[Bill Aurion]

And this is just with some new colors and Kirby of all games...Can't wait till Mario Kart, Jump Super Stars, and Pokemon come out (we'll also see what Nintendogs can do)

[MaleficentOgre]

I think nintendogs is a potential million seller.  no joke.  
I find if funny that psp software sales have no staying power at all.  Even Tales didn't stay on the charts long.

[PaLaDiN]

Nintendogs could seriously be as big as Tamagotchi, Pokemon and the Sims used to be if marketed right.

And therein lies the tragedy.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

Well the low game sales proves the PSP is selling in Japan not as a gaming machine but as a multimedia gadget.

[Artimus]

I agree about Nintendogs (said the same thing a few days ago). Especially in Japan. It just has the potential.

[Renny]

It isn't just a Kirby game, of course. This is the DS's first game that is as innovative as it is familiar, and it's well polished and fleshed out. This is what the DS should have launched with. Software sells systems. Well, besides early adoption of Sony's consoles.

Very positive impressions at NTSC-UK.

I know you weren't trying to downplay Kirby's importance, just wanted to point out why I think it's helping the system.

[Noble~Feather]

PSP games aren't selling well most likely because people are only buying the system for it's multimedia capabilites.  And this is why I believe it's a little bit unfair (as of now) to say PSP and DS are competing, because it's sort of like saying iPod and GameBoy are competing. Maybe if Nitnendo could bundle Play-yan and V-pocket in every DS package it would be more fair to say DS and PSP are competing.

Also - word has gone out that PSP sold 600,000 units in its first week, which outperfomred DS's American launch. Now before people spat off "OMFG Nintedno is doomed!1", keep in mind DS had a 500,000 shortage, so it simply couldn't outsell 500,000 units, as opposed to PSP, which could.

I'm sure if Nintendo had a million stock of DS's, then they could outsell PSP's American launch! But PSP's US launch is still outstanding, especially considering it's not even the holiday season.  

Also keep in mind, launch sales don't determine the future of a system AT ALL. To me, personally, this seems very much like the GameCube vs. PS2 battle. PS2 = DS and GameCube = PSP. PS2 launched with mediocre games, but then later gave birth to fantastic games, which is the same case with the DS. Then GameCube came along and outperformed PS2's launch in terms of both software and sales.  

But back to the subject of Japan, I am wondering how long DS can outsell PSP. I'm hoping it can outsell PSP for at least 4-6 weeks.  

[MaleficentOgre]

I think with new colors and the New Pokemon blue DS the psp is going to be behind the DS for a while.

[Artimus]

Don't forget Electroplankton is out this week. Never underestimate the power of a surprise pop culture phoenominon in Japan.

[nickmitch]

The DS will definately win on the Japanese front, however, the US front will be a tough battle only because Nintendo loves Japan more than they love America.

[Noble~Feather]

Since PSP outsold DS 10 weeks in a row, I do NOT think it's safe to say "DS definately has the Japanese front".

[Renny]

Sony dominates in Japan more than any other region. Somehow people always overlook it, but NA has the greatest diversity in terms of hardware sales. It's a good indicator of worldwide sales for this generation.

[Blackknight131]

Quote
Originally posted by: TVman
The DS will definately win on the Japanese front, however, the US front will be a tough battle only because Nintendo loves Japan more than they love America.

Heck, judging by this last month, they now love Europe more than the US =p

The japanese situation is interesting tho...over there, unlike everywhere else, they have quality DS games, and a decent number of them at that.
I would hope the DS sales would pick up there on the strength of a few awesome new releases...would be depressing otherwise that the PSp with its band of ports (Im referring to games like the literally ported RPGs folks, I know the PSP has some cool new games as well) would worm their way closer to those people's hearts.

[Darc Requiem]

Well the DS has actually outsold the PSP for the last two weeks in Japan. So it looks like its starting to build momentum again. Only time will tell. The PSP is playing catch up in the US, Japan, and Europe. So Sony has an uphill battle. They experience what Sega did with Dreamcast. They have the better lineup right now but the DS is selling anyway. Karma....I love it.

[BlackNMild2k1]

1. PS2 - Mobile Suit Gundam: 1 Year War - Bandai - 159,000 (NEW)
2. PS2 - Saint Seiya - Bandai - 89,000 (NEW)
3. PS2 - Pro Baseball Spirits - Konami - 55,000 (NEW)
4. PS2 - Tekken 5 - Namco - 44,000 (218,000)
5. PS2 - Winning Eleven 8: Liveware Evolution - Konami - 24,000 (330,000)
6. NDS - Touch! Kirby (Kirby Canvas Curse) - Nintendo - 20,000 (128,000)
7. PS2 - Baldrforce Exe - Alchemist - 12,000 (NEW)
8. PS2 - Wild Arms: The 4th Detonator - SCEI - 10,000 (169,000)
9. PS2 - Yamato - Bandai - 9,000 (NEW)
10. PS2 - World Rally Championship 4 - Spike - 9,000 (NEW)

Media Create

PS2 = 9
DS = 1
(NEW) = 6

GC & PSP make no appearance
but when was the last GC game released?

[Chris1]

WOW, thats crazy, the whole list is all ps2!  Japan really is sony land

[clevelandst124]

If those are real, Electroplankton must have bombed pretty hard to not sell at least 9k in it's first week.

[Artimus]

Kirby is going well. Yeah...I'm actuall surprised Plankton bombed. I can't see that happening. But I guess if they're true it is. Sadly

Where are system numbers? I bet DS outsold PSP again.

Is this the week of Nintendogs coming out? And is it true they're doing it as a DS/Dogs pack? If so expect numbers to skyrocket. I expect this to be huge...

[Mario]

Quote
If those are real, Electroplankton must have bombed pretty hard to not sell at least 9k in it's first week.

I'm pretty sure that was number 11 or around that, but yeah, not an amazing start. It might have long legs though.

DS did outsell the PSP again, hardware sales:

PS2 - 37,870
DS - 30,028
PSP - 28,848
GBASP - 13,693
GC - 3,406
GBA - 347
Xbox - 315

Nintendogs is coming...

[Noble~Feather]

Well, Another Code didn't boost DS sales, and neither did ElectroPlankton, but when Kirby is released, suddenly DS sales boost. DS has confirmed a sad truth. People won't buy new, original products, they'll only buy the "big" franchises. Awsome games like Ico, Viewtiful Joe, or Beyond Good & Evil never sold well, even thought they were great games. But then Halo 2 and Resident Evil 4 come along and sell like hotcakes.

It's sad.  

[Bill Aurion]

Quote
Originally posted by: clevelandst124
If those are real, Electroplankton must have bombed pretty hard to not sell at least 9k in it's first week.

Who the hell cares?  The game probably had a 4-figure budget...

[Mario]

Quote
Originally posted by: Noble~Feather
Well, Another Code didn't boost DS sales, and neither did ElectroPlankton, but when Kirby is released, suddenly DS sales boost. DS has confirmed a sad truth. People won't buy new, original products, they'll only buy the "big" franchises. Awsome games like Ico, Viewtiful Joe, or Beyond Good & Evil never sold well, even thought they were great games. But then Halo 2 and Resident Evil 4 come along and sell like hotcakes.

It's sad.

Uh... Kirby DS is VERY new and original. Oh, and it wasn't Kirby that caused the hardware sales spike, it was the new colours. More colours combined with Nintendogs coming out next week should make it a huge week for DS.