Game Boy Advance (GBA) and PS2 again dominated videogame hardware...
Game Boy Advance (GBA) and PS2 again dominated videogame hardware sales in Japan, Media Create (MC, www.m-create.com) said data for the week ended May 23 showed. MC said GBA was the week’s winner with a 47.15% market share, up…
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from 38.91% a week ago (CED May 24 p8). It said 43.22% went to the front-lit GBA SP and 3.93% to the standard system. PS2 followed with a 44.69% share, down from 52.07%. GameCube once again trailed far behind, this time with a 7.37% share, down from 7.84%. But Nintendo’s console still far outpaced Microsoft’s Xbox, which had only a 0.35% share (down from 0.41%). Sony’s legacy PS one console and Bandai’s handheld SwanCrystal again barely registered -- with 0.32% and 0.10%, respectively, down from 0.63% and 0.15%. MC said sales of the top 100-selling games totaled about 770,000 units in the week -- 72.82% better than last week. After a week in which new and older releases sold weakly, MC said Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for PS2 -- the week’s #1-selling game, which Capcom is publishing for Take-Two Interactive in Japan -- and various other new releases helped boost sales this time. It said 61.81% of the top 100 games were new releases and almost all the top 10 were newcomers. Other strong performers in the week included Nintendo’s #2-selling Famicom Mini: Gambare Goemon! Karakuri Douchu for GBA. MC said Nintendo’s 2nd series of Famicom Mini games “sold about 168,000 units” in total and dominated the top 10. Other Famicom titles in the top 10 were Dr. Mario at #8, Adventure Island at #9 and Wrecking Crew at #10. One other GBA title was in the top 10: Banpresto’s Crayon Shin- chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land no Dai Boken at #7. Only one GameCube title made the top 10: Nintendo’s Pikmin 2 at #3 again. Rounding out the top 10 were Bandai’s Ultraman at #4 and Success’s Pachinko Slot Tokondensho: Inoki Festival at #5 (down 4 from last week) -- both for PS2.