The PS4′s second-week sales numbers are in, with Media Create reporting Sony’s fourth console to have sold 65,685 units in its second week. You’ll probably see a lot of people online claiming supply constraints, but from my own experience here in Japan, that does not seem very true. I’m just one guy, but every game shop I see seems to have PS4s readily available, and it’s been that way
since day 1. But again, take that for what you will. Here are the Japanese console sales numbers for February 24th – March 2nd:
PS4 – 65,685
3DS – 38,013
Vita – 23,124
PS3 – 13,155
Wii U – 8,204
PSP – 3,652
Xbox 360 – 257
People had the same supply constraints theory about the Wii-U and the Vita as well, neither of which sold very well in their first year on the Japanese market. I think we can all look back and say that those low sales were not due to supply problems. Similarly, the PS4 does not appear to actually be sold out here. There are internet posts declaring sellouts, but those all seem to be taken from the uber-huge, #1, most popular game shops in the whole country.
What’s most likely happening is that the new-system honeymoon is over, and the PS4 must get new appealing software drops to earn its sales spikes. We see this happen with practically every new system, especially in this new generation.
For comparison, the week #2 sales of the PS Vita were 72,479 (after having a debut weekend of 324,859 in December of 2011). The second week performance of the Wii-U had it selling 130,653 (meaning Ps4′s second week is about half of Wii-U’s, though it should be noted that the Wii-U launched in December). The 3DS put up a second week of 209,623 units sold (its debut was 374,764 in February of 2011).
Harvest Moon: Linking the New World was the nation’s best-selling game. The best PS4 seller was technically
Knack, but only because it’s bundled with the system.
Yakuza: Ishin is the most popular standalone PS4 title, followed by
Infinite Stratos 2: Ignition Hearts and
Killzone Shadowfall.
Is the PS4 going to become Sony’s biggest seller? Is it
d00med? It’s far too early to predict either one, but the truth will most likely fall, as it always does, somewhere in the middle. Let’s not be foolish. Keep your heads level and take things one week at a time; don’t go forecasting a console’s whole life this early into the generation.
