Has the tide turned? Is this the start of the end of the almighty Nintendo Wii’s reign in Japan? Some folks (especially fanboys in Sony’s camp) will probably read too much into this, while Nintendo supporters will probably dismiss this as a blimp - an anomaly in the sales charts for just a week, so to speak. Statistics don’t lie though - and for the first time last month, the Sony PS3 actually outpaced the Wii in Japan. This is partly due to the introduction of the way cheaper 40GB PS3 console (which incidentally, was the SKU that outsold the Wii).

Enterbrain claims that the PS3 moved 183,217 units in November in Japan, whereas the Wii mustered 159,193 console sales. This is a milestone for Sony and could prove to be a lifesaver for them as well as the crucial holiday season begins. Consumers have long touted that the high price of the PS3 is the main reason preventing them from picking up the console, and after going through a year of growing pains, it looks as though Sony has finally learnt their lesson by releasing the 40GB model.

While this sounds like good news to Sony (as well as the videogame scene in general, since a higher level of competition would mean both console makers would want to push their software developers to churn out better titles), it remains to be seen whether the PS3 will continue to gain momentum where sales figures are concerned, or is this just a blip for Nintendo? Perhaps Nintendo will hit back with its release of Wii Fit in Japan this week.

Source: Financial Times

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