Sales for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 were far below competitors in Japan in the latest market research data for the region.
Media Create Co. on Fri. reported that the Xbox 360 sold 5,210 units between Feb. 12 and Feb. 18. By comparison, the console sold 4,811 units the week prior.
In addition, the Xbox 360 was unable to rank software in the top 50 game sales for the week.
Current sales represent a significant fall from holiday movement of 16 – 18,000 units a week. The Xbox 360 benefited from the release of new game titles like Blue Dragon and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. But inconsistent software releases, in addition to strong competition from Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3, have kept the system out of consumer radars.
Wii is currently the No. 1 selling console in the U.S. and Japan. This week it outperformed the Xbox 360 by 12-to-1. It also beat the PS3 by 3-to-1 in sales for the week.
Microsoft expects to ship 12 million Xbox 360 units worldwide by fiscal June 2007.