The people of Japan must be using DS Lites to construct new buildings, because they’ve bought up more than 500,000 a month, every month, since April 2006. Are there really that many people?! The software scene troubles me however, because that’s where the real meat of the industry is.
IGN:
According to Enterbrain’s Famitsu Marketing Data Service, in March 2007 Nintendo had the best-selling consoles and games in its homeland of Japan. The Nintendo DS has sold over half a million units each month since April of last year, and last month was no different as the handheld came out on top with 504,000 sold. Japanese gamers picked up another 263,000 Wiis, making the grand total 1,954,000 and virtually guaranteeing the console will pass the two million mark this month. Overall, console sales were up 61.7 percent over March 2006.
Software was a different story, though. Without a huge release like last year’s Final Fantasy XII, software sales were down 29.8 percent. Nintendo’s Yoshi’s Island DS was the best-selling title of the month, and the publisher had 19 titles in the top 50 — four times as many as any other publisher. Overall sales for the big N were 1,441,721 units, which was about three times as many as the next best-selling publisher, Namce Bandai.
All in all, Nintendo is firing on all most of its cylinders. Will the Honda beat the Ferrari? Who cares, I’m going back to Paper Mario.