r4i-3ds

Can't touch this

Wii U slips just behind PlayStation 3

The latest round of sales results from Japan, covering the period from 7th to 13th January, give us an early indication of sales levels in the region after the boosted business of the Holiday season. They tell a mixed tale, with 3DS still ruling the roost and Wii U scrapping it out within the main pack.

In terms of hardware sales, there's a substantial drop for all platforms with the two 3DS models still outselling all others combined, something that we've been in a position to write many, many times in recent months. The figures are below, with last week's sales in parenthesis.

1. 3DS LL – 56,377 (156,184)
2. 3DS – 36,284 (123,075)
3. PlayStation 3 – 22,991 (64,352)
4. Wii U – 20,715 (67,083)
5. PSP – 17,069 (54,873)
6. PlayStation Vita – 11,088 (33,309)
7. Wii – 1,873 (5,632)
8. Xbox 360 – 921 (1,893)

While last week brought substantial dominance for Nintendo hardware in the software sales, this week sees a fightback for some games on Sony systems. Nevetheless, R4 Nintendo 3ds Dual Core still locks out the top five: lifetime sales are in the final parenthesis for each entry.

1. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo, 11/08/12) – 83,220 (2,186,309)
2. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo, 07/28/12) – 21,784 (1,855,840)
3. [3DS] Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Best Price!) (Capcom, 11/15/12) – 14,809 (170,410)
4. [3DS] Run For Money: Flee From the Strongest Hunters in History (Namco Bandai, 07/05/12) – 14,602 (387,698)
5. [3DS] Paper Mario: Sticker Star (Nintendo, 12/06/12) – 14,472 (484,867)
6. [3DS] Inazuma Eleven Go 2: Chrono Stone Reimei / Neppuu (Level-5, 12/13/12) – 13,834 (379,369)
7. [PS3] Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 (Tecmo Koei, 12/20/12) – 13,289 (207,446)
8. [Wii U] New Super Mario Bros. U (Nintendo, 12/08/12) – 12,400 (432,110)
9. [Wii U] Nintendo Land (Nintendo, 12/08/12) – 11,703 (262,176)
10. [3DS] Taiko Drum Master: Chibi Dragon and the Mysterious Orb (Namco Bandai, 07/12/12) – 10,014 (385,076)
11. [PS3] Yakuza 5 (Sega, 12/06/12) – 9,725 (554,579)
12. [PSP] One Piece: Romance Dawn (Namco Bandai, 12/20/12) – 9,046 (273,785)
13. [PS3] Call of Duty: Black Ops II Stand-In Edition (Square Enix, 12/20/12) – 8,788 (99,474)
14. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo, 12/01/11) – 8,147 (1,947,404)
15. [3DS] Tongari Boushi to Mahou no Machi (Konami, 12/20/12) – 8,065 (127,801)
16. [PSP] AKB1/149 Renai Sousenkyo (Namco Badai, 12/20/12) – 7,278 (187,714)
17. [3DS] Pokemon Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (Pokemon, 12/20/12) – 7,119 (416,008)
18. [PS3] Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational (SCEJ, 11/22/12) – 6,951 (247,322)
19. [NDS] Pokemon Black 2 / White 2 (Pokemon, 06/23/12) – 6,619 (2,943,072)
20. [3DS] Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney (Level-5, 11/29/12) – 5,907 (255,596)

Nintendo may be disappointed to see Wii U fall behind PS3, though it can happen that young systems with limited software libraries struggle against established competitors. With heartening festive sales also reported in the U.S. these are good times for 3DS, and we expect Nintendo's management will be plotting steps to try and ensure that Wii U gains momentum in the coming months.

Out this week across Europe

Working on an action game

In a recent interview with Official Nintendo Magazine, developer Team Ninja said that it is considering developing more games for the Wii U after Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is released in Europe this month.

When asked about what was next on the team's agenda, Yosuke Hayashi - director behind the upcoming action/adventure title - replied:

We are working on an action game, and we are looking into other titles for Wii U.

Hayashi was pretty tight-lipped about what game the team are working on, but when asked if the Wii U provided new opportunities for developers like themselves he responded:

Absolutely. That's clear from the launch titles and other games that are currently being developed.