The PSP is still leading the pack this week in Japan with sales figures of 277 794 according to Media Create. This is up by roughly 182 000 units from last week which saw a boost in sales thanks mainly to the launch of the anticipated PSP game Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

PSP moving on up

The huge sales hike can be attributed to the launch of the new slim PSP in Japan. Last week EL33TONLINE reported Famitsu’s findings that the slim PSP had sold over 300 000 units in Japan. It seems the numbers are slightly lower than the estimate but still impressive. Limited quantities of the new PSP (77 777 to be exact) launched as part of a Square Enix promotion on the 13th of September in Japan while the full launch of the new model followed on the 20th of September. You have to think that Sony must be pleased with how well its handheld is selling so far.

The Nintendo DS has to be content with second place again, selling a dismal 70 523 units in comparison to last week’s 79 974. The Nintendo Wii sticks it out at third place again, selling 24 992 units, also lower than last week’s 26 181. The PS2 also experiences a drop in sales from last week’s 13 128 to 11 373 this week while the PS3 plummets further with 10 732 units sold in comparison to 13 101 last week. The Xbox 360 surprisingly rises from 1 243 units to 1687 units. With Halo 3 launching on the 26th of September, this week should also see a slight boost in the hardware sales of the 360. The GBA drops from 836 to 382 this week while the GameCube barely hangs on with 15 units sold, down from last week’s 97.

Hardware Chart

Crisis Core still tops

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is still top of the Japanese software charts, despite experiencing a marked drop from last week’s 487 000 units to 109 000 units this week. Konami’s Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus for the PSP debuts at number 2 with 93 000 units.

The two Pokémon titles for the Nintendo DS experience a significant drop in sales but remain in the third and fourth spot on the chart. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2: Time Exploration Team sold 85 000 units, down from 300 000 last week while Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2: Darkness Exploration Team sold 75 000 units, down from last week’s 269 000.

Katekyoo Hitman Reborn!! DS Flame Rumble Gaikyoushuu! for the Nintendo DS enters the charts at number 5 with 31 000 units while Super Mario Strikers for the Wii debuts just behind with 28 000 units. Koei’s Kiniro no Corda 2 Anchor for the PS2 sells 24 000 in its first week to earn it seventh place and Mario Party 8 for the Wii drops one spot to eighth place with 22 000 units. Koei’s Samurai Warriors: Katana for the Wii debuts at number 9 selling 17 000 units and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Ring of Fates drops two places to round off the top ten, selling 16 000 units.

The Nintendo DS again dominated the software charts with fourteen titles in the top thirty while the Wii, PS2 and PSP trailed with five titles each and the PS3 earned just one. Taiko Drum Master DS and My Housekeeping Diary both dropped out of the top ten this week, from last week’s number 6 and 10 to this week’s number 12 and 13 respectively. Another Century’s Episode 3: The Final for the PS2 also dropped quite a few places from five to seventeen this week while Fate/Tiger Colosseum dropped from last week’s number 4 to number 26 this week.

Software Chart

Source: Media Create