Vita’s Japanese dominance short-lived

Well, that didn't last long. Just one week after being dethroned by the Vita, the Nintendo 3DS is back on top in the Japanese sales charts. The latest Japanese hardware sales from Media Create indicate 69,439 3DS units (standard and LL models combined) were sold; in comparison, last week's number one, the PlayStation Vita, managed to muster just 36,028 units sold — good enough for second overall.

The change in results weren't necessarily an improvement by the 3DS, but rather a faltering by the Vita. Perhaps for steady Vita sales week-in and week-out were just too much to ask for. While the Vita's 36,000 units are still an improvement over the numbers we've seen in the past, it's a noticeable and jarring drop from last week's 63,000 units sold.

Perhaps the recent price cut in Japan is beginning to lose steam? It's worth noting, though, that some of this week's struggles could be attributed to the fact that no new Vita games were released, something the console benefitted from greatly last week. Still, it's hard to deny that the price cut hasn't played a major role in the system's revitalization in Japan. Hopefully the Vita's success overseas encourages Sony to rethink their strategy here in America and maybe offer a similar price reduction.

Other console sales include 20,676 PS3 units, 12,721 PSPs, and just 9,539 Wii Us.

[Gematsu]