Japanese hardware sales: PS3 passes Wii in 2010

PlayStation 3 has now sold more than Wii in Japan this year, with the Sony console having moved 1,017,094 units compared to Wii's 1,015,513.

The figures are taken between Media Create's first recorded week of 2010, which started January 4, and the service's last recorded audit date of September 12.

The news signifies both PS3's Japanese ascension and Wii's global decline. Wii is also about to lose its year-to-date crown in the US, with Xbox 360 looking likely to pass the Nintendo console in the next two months.

With both Move and Kinect certain to push both PS3 and 360 hardware in the Christmas build-up and no known similar initiative for Wii, it now seems clear Nintendo's hardware will finish 2010 as a runner-up in both the US and Japan.

PlayStation 3 looks as though it will be the real winner this year, though. The last round of financial information from Sony and Microsoft showed that the current reported gap between 360 and PS3 on a global level is now only 3.6 million units and that PlayStation 3 outsold Xbox 360 by 4 million units in the 12 months ending June 30.

DS is still leading in Japan this year. Nintendo will announce a release date and pricing for 3DS at a Japanese event on September 29.

Japanese hardware, January 4-September 12, 2010 (combined SKUs):

1. DS - 1,637,461
2. PSP - 1,453,248
3. PS3 - 1,017,094
4. Wii - 1,015,513
5. 360 - 153,564
6. PS2 - 60,012

Japanese hardware, year-to-date (click for bigger image):

And here's everything from Media Create's latest reported week.

Japanese hardware, September 6-12 (combined SKUs):

1. DS - 39,749
2. PSP - 31,570
3. PS3 - 19,907
4. Wii - 15,031
5. 360 - 2,915
6. PS2 - 1,363

Japanese hardware, September 6-12 (separate SKUs):

1. PSP - 30,761
2. PS3 - 19,907
3. DSi LL - 19,076
4. DSi - 16,345
5. Wii - 15,031
6. DS Lite - 4,328
7. Xbox 360 - 2,915
8. PS2 - 1,363
9. PSP go - 809

Here's the previous week's data.