Nintendo Dominates Festive Sales in Japan as 3DS and Wii U Lead the Way

I just needed that kid to whip out a piggy bank to pay for the system and then it would have been instant diabetes. Even still, and this is coming from a person that loathes children: D'awwwww....

EDIT: Why does MS release a system in Japan? (granted I'm grateful for all the cave shooters on the 360)

Congratulations Splatoon on 1 million sales in Japan!

If the Wii U had been selling this well since launch, everything would've been fine.

Strange to see it suddenly doing well after all these years. Good news though.

Monster Hunter X

Man, that's too bad about Genei Ibun Roku. I really expected it to shift more copies, especially in Japan (and especially with those Wii U numbers).

@ricklongo Persona is pretty big in the west so I expect so long as they make it obvious by the tile that its a persona game with FE elements (just like the Japanese title does) then it should sell ok westward...I doubt it will break any sales records, but it shouldn't die.

Dang. That's quite an improvement. I sure hope 2016 will be a better case for the Wii U and 3DS.

Go Splatoon! Another milestone for you!

still i think Nintendo should ve encouraged or supported physical copies of Fatal frame and Fast neo racing, shovel knight its a meh title that could easily be downloaded all to the contrary of the 19 gb Fatal frame version and they should hve included more snes and N 64 alongside Gamecube titles , Harvest moon a wonderful life, Castlevania 64, Maximum Carnage or Xmen mutant apocalypse, glad the Wii u is gaining more success but they do have a good way if by march releasing twilight princess HD instantly should be followed by Zelda wii u like Lightspeed velocity and at least 2 or 3 more new titles Physical. a good Street fighter V and the RE revelations 2 might get some more!!

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
/S/

Anyway, I hope this goes to show you all, handhelds are still a dominant tour de force, especially for Nintendo. We still don't know what the NX is(!!!!!), but the 3DS's success in Japan can't be over looked, when looking at the NX. Also I hope we'll see a new Splatoon game in the future, the success of that game can't be over looked either!!!!!!!

Nice to see Wii U finally selling well in Japan. A little sad that Vita got passed up by it though, but it's still doing pretty well considering how stable the sales numbers are nowadays.

#FE sales are kinda expected since JRPG releases have similar sales number on Vita. There's a certain niche for these types of games, and it's sadly kinda dwindling
A REAL Fire Emblem probably would've sold better since it doesn't seem like JP FE fans are buying this game. Also, a CASUAL Fire Emblem like Awakening and Fates would've sold even more since casuals wouldn't be buying this nor a REAL Fire Emblem game. I mean, a pre-reboot FE game.

EDIT: Then again, it might just be RPG fans and FE fans who are buying the game. It's different, but these sales are sort of a throwback to FE back when it used to be a niche series.

Do the games bundled with the Wii U count as sales and if so are the 2 Wii U games in the top 10 simply those bundled with all those Wii Us? If not, then Nintendo must be very happy with themselves.

Solid year end numbers for Nintendo.....hopefully they can keep up the momentum during the horribly slow months of January & February

nintendo will always be number 1 in japan.in the west you sometimes get the feeling they are in a undergog position wich is charmig in its own way but in japan nintendo is still god.and thats how it should be.

@Aentik A physical version of Fatal Frame 5 did exist, it just didn't come to NA just like all the other problems with NoA like the VC situation..

@rjejr
So... NX in 2016 or not? Would it be awkward for Japan, or prudent to switch gears on hardware before one dries up. I'm starting to wonder.

It's just such a different picture locally for Nintendo. Wii U sales are still low(ish) numbers (especially installed base), but do you replace a console while its sales are trending up?

How different it must be for Nintendo when thinking of the West. Xbox 1, for instance, exists oversees. lol.

3DS is old enough to replace either way, in my opinion. And portables... they are a bit cheaper and people buy them just for the color. For whatever reason they spend way more money on them than consoles (faceplates and backgrounds anyone?) and a new hardware release in 2016 would probably only excite the portable fans. Oh, they'd complain, some of them, but they get on board much faster than those who prefer consoles... at least it feels that way as a whole.

Maybe it's just that portable gamers are used to being messed with constantly by Nintendo.

Nintendo can't ignore the bigger markets, though, and a Wii U replacement is desperately needed here by the end of the year, in my opinion. Can Nintendo really release NX in West and not Japan in 2016? If only they could turn off the internet for a few months.

yeah i missed that part i know actually kinda gets me more that europe had not even physical only but a special edition and yeah NoA sucks still i wish they do change most good games are really being hold back by them but yeah i know i know!!

@AVahne I've been a Fire Emblem fan since 7, loved all the games(barring RD) up through Awakening, and I'm looking forward to Fates coming to the US.

But I have no hype at all for Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem. Everything I've seen so far just does not click for me as a Fire Emblem fan. Its hard to say, but I barely see any of the elements that I love about Fire Emblem in this game.

Its not even a Strategy RPG, which makes me lose even more interest.

I'm sure it will be a good game, and if it gets cheap, I may try it.

But for right now, I would have rather seen a brand new Fire Emblem game built for the Wii U.

@GrailUK pretty sure bundles are included in sales totals. This is in part why NSMBU has sold 5 million and Nintendo Land is in the millions also.

@Caryslan That game honestly seems to have a lot of Persona elements in it.

@AVahne That just sounds obnoxious with you exclaiming what a REAL SUPER HARDCORE Fire Emblem game is and what a CASUAL Fire Emblem game is.

@aaronsullivan Are you a time lord? Your first reply today was 2 weeks after my comment and this reply was before I even wrote a comment.

After the last Nintendo Direct, when they didn't announce the $279 price of the SSB Spaltoon bundle as $279, and $249 on BF, I thought Nintendo was really going to finally make a go of Wii U on the back of SMM. The 2 game console bundle plus everybody buying SMM on the side was going to shine a light into the darkness. Then BF was over, all those really great looking bundle boxes went away, and all that remains is the $299 MK8 bundle. WTH Nintendo?

So the 100k in Japan is nice, but PS4 and X1 are killing it everywhere else. 840k total Wii U in 2015 means the rest of the year was a trainwreck. Even if they sold 840k every year in Japan how long to get to the 20 million Gamecube number that Iwata said was a failure if Wii couldn't reach?

If it's a home console - which it has to at least be in part - then it has to come out in late 2016, by 2017 the PS4 and X1 will be $200, and NX won't sell any at any price. Of course the new President is a wild card isn't he? How much authority does he have to shake thing sup? Can he sell hardware at a loss? Is he in a rush to get out of home and go all in on 4DS with TV out? Where's the QOL bedside monitor? Not that I was ever any good at predicting Iwata, just that we wouldn't agree, but I don't know anything about how this guy operates. But if NX is a home console it needs to get out in 2016. Unless it is really simply a 1st party machine and they don't care about nay 3rd party games at all, even Just Dance and the toys-to-life tidal wave.

But yes, it can wait until Feb 2017 in Japan, just like Sony did w/ PS4, Japan only cares about handhelds anyway, they are in no rush to by home consoles. But the west needs it this year it it's meant to be a Sony and MS competitor.

Despite the weak lineup in holiday, Nintendo still doing pretty decent. Super Mario Maker and Splatoon did really good so far! Here's to awesome 2016. I can't wait for FE Fates myself.

1 million sales is very impressive for a new unknown IP. And wel deserved, it really is an excellent game.

Awesome,and more amazing system seller games to come!

XboxOne is Doomed but did double its unit sales during Christmas. They should just give it up in Japan with XboxOne. It's obvious Japanese gamers I will never buy it.

I've said it elsewhere, but 3DS has outsold GBA's lifetime sales in Japan, and 2016 has loads of games catering to this market. Wii U selling double what it did the same week last year in Japan is really saying something (Splatoon will definitely be sticking around for NX I'm sure). Shame the Fire Emblem crossover hasn't sold well, I wonder if it just got lost in the mix, I was assuming it was going to be rather big there.

It's a shame a game as special as XCX has seemingly underperformed everywhere (even in Japan). Will be so interesting to see what Zelda will do for the system.

SMT x FE had done crap. Had it been called Persona X FE it probably would've sold by the bucket loads. Hope the poor sales don't affect any localisation plans however

Lol what's a sony. Total domination for Ninty.

I remember late into the SNES era Star Fox, DKCountry, and some other great games including the golden age of Square RPG's hit the system and saved it in the battle with Sega.

I have always felt the Wii U could thrive off the legs of the killer exclusives that have given extra with DLC (like Spat, SSB4, MK8 obviously) while the bundles and hardware have so much room to come down in price and just think how tempting this awesome system can end on... Star Fox Zero, Zelda U, Pokken, and if they were smart (imo) they would release a Wii U Mario Golf and bring on Mario Strikers U..... !! Let;s ride this thing for another solid year or so and make the NX something very modern and special at that point for a Holiday 2017 launch packed with Nintendorks dreams (Galaxy3 or similar, Metroid HD whatever, Retro game) and kick it off right after we have some time to enjoy the current system which is still VERY new to probably half the userbase.

It can, and has been done, and I do not believe they will rush the next system despite what everyone keeps saying -lots of room for changes AND TIME for the Wii U to have a respectable sunset.

I know I said it before but Japan really loves their monsters. Guess they're all inspirited by some powerful Yo-Kai.

It's so odd that Xbox One is selling in the mid-low triple digits when even the PS3 is in four digits. I know it's not popular in Japan but Arceus dam.

@aaronsullivan The reason why people spend hundreds of dollars on handhelds (faceplates, themes, and specific colors as you said) but won't for consoles, necessarily, is because our good friends at Apple have primed them by making iPhones so expensive and then coming out with a new one every year so that they feel like they have to upgrade. Phones have "faceplates" or covers or whatever you want to call them, they come in various colors, and you can purchase background themes for them. And of course phones play games. So people see a handheld as a better version of their phone (for playing games) and shelling out for a new one every time a different color comes along that they prefer or a different size or what have you makes sense to them, because they are already in that mindset. Consoles, on the other hand, are almost like an appliance. They sit under or next to your TV and accumulate dust and you have to consider how they fit in with all the other stuff in your living room or where ever because once you hook them up most likely they aren't going anywhere. You don't buy a new refrigerator every year and you don't buy a new console every year. It's a harder sell and a different mindset.

And that is Lobster's Theory Of Why Handhelds Outsell Consoles... I need a catchier name.

@msvt I say the NX has to be either quick and rival the ps4 or come out later and rival the ps5. They can't bring an ps4 level system in 2017/18 when the new system are 4/5 years old (if current chatter is to believed 4k ready consoles will replace these systems in 5 years) it'll be the same problem as Wii U third party support to start only for it to try up as they start work on next gen games

Am I missing something when I think that FE game will be fine despite the poor sales this week? It only spent two days on store shelves before the sales week ended. Though 24,000 copies could still be abysmal for 2 days, I don't know

@abe_hikura They can't bring out a PS4-comparable system now and expect to get away with it. I've seen some rumors that say NX is dropping Q2 2016 which is patently ridiculous (that's April-June) but even by then PS4 tech is two and a half years old. Old hat. Can easily be topped. The NX's most likely earliest date, Q4 2016, sees a PS4 that is three years old and rapidly aging into, "Been there, seen that," territory. Any later and as you said it's just hopeless. But I think dropping a PS4-level system even today, on the last day of 2015/first day of 2016, would be a failing move.

Microsoft just go 3rd party in japan and make them on the vita and region free too.But until Xbox has a handheld I not buying one.I stick to.my 3ds and vita.

@andrew20 Why would Microsoft make games for the Vita when they are currently locked in a battled with Sony worldwide in the home console market?

Microsoft is better served just walking away from Japan and focusing on the other regions.

As for an Xbox Handheld, I would hope Microsoft is not dumb enough to even try to enter that market. For all of Nintendo's issues, they are the unchallenged leaders of the handheld market and have yet to lose their throne.

Even Sony, who has won two of the last four console generations, and is leading the current gen can do nothing to dethrone Nintendo.

Only two handhelds have ever sold decently in the face of Nintendo's domination in the market. The Game Gear and the PSP. All others have not even come close to giving Nintendo a fight.

An Xbox handheld would only be a money drain on Microsoft and would take away their focus on the home console market.

3DS? They still make those?

@TheLobster
They can release an X1/PS4 powered system and get away with it, and they probably will.

Sony and MS like to milk generations. They spend years building up their install bases, and aren't quick to toss aside 80-100 million customers just to bring a new console to the table. We saw 8 good years out of the PS3/360, and I'm willing to bet we'll see at least 7 this time around.

So, assuming NX releases next holiday season (Nov 2016) that's 3 years after the launch of PS4/X1. And sure, the tech is aging, but that's just how it goes with gaming platforms. They're aging, and will continue to age for 7-8 years.

So that gives NX 4 solid years (maybe even 5 years if this gen matches the last). Which is plenty of time. When we grew up with gaming in the 80's and 90's graphics were improving at an incredible pace. But we've reached a plateau in the HD era. There's no longer a need to rush a new console out so soon. And with each passing generation that's going to become even more true.

To be fair, the 3DS family includes 5 very distinct hardware options that are all being sold in Japan (vs 3 or 4 depending on other regions). No other system, handheld or console, has that level of variety in their options.
It's nice that Nintendo's evergreen options are doing well (million sellers are good for the industry), but the Vita getting a new Gundam and barely outselling the PS4 is disconcerting. All systems need some fresh blood to mix things up. I don't know what would take strongly in Japan right now, but something that isn't an SMTxFE 'crossover'.
Or maybe just something honestly promoted, mature in a sensible fashion and with depth to spare. Maybe that's why I'm still playing the Witcher 3 after 4 months.
Or why Cyberpunk 2077 has been my most anticipated game since those first few hours of gameplay.
Don't get me wrong, I'd get a new Wii U to play Zelda (as long as it's not too Skyward Sword) and DQ / FF on the 3DS is a wonderful change from the usual jRPG fodder of 2015. But 2016 is Star Ocean, Ys, Uncharted, FFXV, FFVII Remake, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Dark Souls 3, the Last Guardian and (for better or worse) VR's time to shine until Nintendo does something to prove me and the millions like me otherwise.

Obviously, there are others, but these are the big ones for me and games I think could sell well in Japan too.
Who knows, with the right marketing, a game like Scalebound could be huge overseas, while a Nier Automata, Deus Ex: HD, or Fable Legends could be the next big killer app. Regardless of the system, things look bright, at least for a bit. My point is simply this: games will determine Nintendo's future. And as good as people claim it to be, Splatoon isn't going to sell this way forever.
Eventually, without the audience behind them and the 3rd parties bridging huge gaps in the calendar, Nintendo needs a new box out there. Even if those evergreen games has it selling a million a month, it's still not going to make games appear out of thin air. 3rd parties have left. But, if sales keep steady, maybe those same parties will be interested in what's next and forget the growing pains of what's now.

8 core, 3 Ghz proc with AMD. Throw in a 4 GB DDR5 GPU, 12-16 GB of RAM, at least a 1TB HDD (maybe a run with SSD for the OS), a more streamlined controller with ANALOG triggers, better media support and a revamped server / online infrastructure.
It all starts with user experience, so today is the day to come up with an account system that works and is fair.
Nintendo isn't even competing with Sony and Microsoft. They've descended to the Ouyu / Apple TV / Kindle Fire level and they are too cheap to compete. They need to invest and get back in the home console game. Because this, for the rest of the world, isn't working.

Great job for Nintendo as always. Looking forward for Fates and Paper Jam as well as hopefully getting a Wii U.

@SahashraLA
It doesn't matter, all 3DS forms play the same games. To be fair, PS4 have PS4 500 GB chassis C, 1TB chassis C, chassis B 500 gb, and chassis B 1TB.

Nintendomination!

Good news, Nintendo is doing good;).

@msvt There are two major differences in the SNES and Wii U though. The first is that it is really hard to put an additional processing chip on a disc based game where the later SNES carts usually had additional tech in them. Second, Nintendo doesn't have great publishers like Square on board anymore to make great games like Final Fantasy.

@Darknyht
That is true, and it is interesting to think about, because when that happened there was so much life left in the GAMES. I feel like we are missing a TON of Nintendo games that they could fill out next year with. As i mentioned, many of us (not me, actually) just barely got this system now that it has these great longer term games and looking at the next year we already know about the massive AAA games, I am a Nintendo fan and have almost ZERO interest in playing on a new expensive hardware update when the one I have is just getting to the party.

I am suggesting; Deliver the games, and god forbid expand the e-Shop/Virtual (what a mess!!) to at least the level we had on Wii - - - and Wii U easily has a great run straight into a 2017 NX launch.

We're all just along for the ride now. Personally, I would hope for a next-next gen (ps5 era) machine, not a 'catch-up' machine -that is piecemeal, and think it will come up short, and lose more interest//money from folks like us too.

Go Monster Hunter!!

Pretty sure Wii U has seen positive momentum this year in the U.S. as well. Good news because I'm going on the assumption that NX is a home console and if it can held off until 2017 that's for the best. Nintendo can't rush that system as much as some people want them to.

It must suck to be a Japanese XB1 owner.

Nice for the 3DS, but I'm waiting still on a new Advanced Wars..
The 3DS is in the case of Games so much less innovative than the DS, pretty sad for me.
Where are the games like Ghost Trick, Hotel Dusk, World Ends..., Pac Pix, etc.

@TheLobster
I hear you but I'm not sure Apple has primed anyone for it. I think the overlap of iPhone owners and 3DS owners is low enough that it can't account for it all. Apple is just playing into a desire that is already there.

I think the more simple explanation is that once you have something you carry with you everywhere it becomes a way to express yourself or at least it says something about you (like clothers, the way you do your hair, etc.) So, customizing it and using it as an accessory in addition to its primary purpose is a natural social tendency and inflates the amount people will pay for it.

Consoles sit in the dark in a corner.

In the end, once somebody matures they realize that surface expressions like customizations of how their accessories look are less important than the deeper social connections that can be made. That is if someone matures to that point. Seems to me that plenty don't, sadly. Social networks and general Internet anonymity relationships seem to keep people in perpetual shallow relationships on top of the traditional surfacy activities that have been around for ages.

@Zelkardaim Errr... what?

@Windy both wii u and xbox ome are good systems. Ps 4 is horrible although wii u is better than both xbox one and ps 4 put together

JT I like your way of thinking I also think the XBoxOne is a good system too. I don't play like I used too when I was a kid so I keep it Narrowed down to just the 3DS and Wii-U. When you get older Nap time becomes real important for some reason lol I only play late at night when I cant sleep which happens 1 or 2 nights a week

The XBoxOne is doomed thing is a running joke I've been doing for a couple years because they never sell hardly any units in Japan. Xbox actually has some darn impressive online services.

@HandheldGuru97 If you are hinting that NX is going to replace the 3DS family, I seriously doubt it.

You only have to go back a few days on this site, where a top Nintendo executive stated, the 3DS is here to stay, for a long time to come. Also, having fairly recently released a new 3DS, they would be alienating thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people who have just purchased one of these new hand helds.

The new 3DS is not just a quick make over either. Brand new head tracking, vastly improved 3D effect, faster processor, faster GPU, nrw storage system. You don't invest time and money into that kind of stuff, just to basically, throw it out of the window just over a year down the line.

Great job Nintendo, keep up the momentum.

Uh....you do realize that SMT x FE was realesed after Xmas right. It didn't even have a week in sales yet espically given that it came out after the holidays? Plus its on lower install bases and a niche title like xenoblade.

@aaronsullivan

"I think the more simple explanation is that once you have something you carry with you everywhere it becomes a way to express yourself or at least it says something about you"

That is true. People have been decorating clothes for instance for 30,000 years so companies are just capitalizing on human instinct at this point. Good point.

"That is if someone matures to that point. Seems to me that plenty don't, sadly. Social networks and general Internet anonymity relationships seem to keep people in perpetual shallow relationships on top of the traditional surfacy activities that have been around for ages."

You can say that again. We may be more connected globally these days, but we know less and less about the people we live beside. It's a disgrace. Meatspace is just as important as cyberspace, if not more so, because in the end it's all you have. All these devices that connect you CAN be used to forge deep, meaningful relationships, I have done it myself, but so many do not.

I think you are right. It is possible to get past the point of caring how things appear to others but most do not even try. Good for sales, though!

@TheLobster Hey, we just connected beyond the surface a bit. So, that's cool.

@aaronsullivan True that!

Wii U did real good!

Wii U did real good!