Now that both Sony and Microsoft's next-gen consoles have been launched, we are starting to see reports of unit sales trickling in from Japan.
Launch week sales figures are looking great for Sony but are perhaps a little underwhelming for Microsoft, in comparison.
The PS5 Outsells the Xbox Series X in Japan
Despite recent reports that Sony is concentrating on the US rather than its home territory, the PlayStation 5 appears to have done very well in Japan.
According to Famitsu, the four days post-launch saw the PlayStation 5 selling 118,000 consoles in total. This is likely a combined total of the standard and digital edition consoles.
However, the Xbox Series X, which launched two days prior to the PS5, hasn't fared so well.
In fact, compared to PS5 sales, Famitsu reports pretty woeful figures for the Xbox Series X and S. We're talking about an estimated 20,534 kind of woeful, which means that five PS5 consoles were sold for every one Xbox Series X/Sconsole in Japan.
We saw reports last week that Microsoft plans to muscle in on Sony's Japanese console market. That said, the popularity of Xbox in Japan has always been a little thin on the ground.
It would seem that, given initial impressions and these sales figures, Microsoft is unlikely to be successful in toppling Sony off its homeland perch.
Why Are PS5 and Xbox Sales Figures This Low?
Since before the consoles were launched, gamers have been warned by both Sony and Microsoft that supply won't meet demand.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chains and logistics have both been affected. This has caused considerable production delays for both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X
The knock-on effect here is that, come launch day, both Sony and Microsoft were woefully under-prepared and console shortages followed. Which was bad news for anyone who didn't pre-order a console for launch day.
In fact, Microsoft's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Tim Stewart, confirmed this week that the Xbox Series X will be in short supply until April 2021. That is quite the wait for anyone hoping to secure one of the new consoles.
Is the PS5 the Best-Selling Console in Japan This Month?
It is up to now, but only by a whisker. Nintendo currently reigns supreme in Japan and, in the same week that the PS5 was launched (November 9-15), the Switch and Switch Lite sold a combined total of 116,267 units.
Again, no shock here as the Switch has been the highest-selling console in the United States for the past 23 months. It is no surprise, then, that the Nintendo device is doing so well in Japan, its home country, in spite of two major console launches.
However, now that the PS5 has sold out, Nintendo has plenty of time to grab that extra 1,500 sales to pip Sony to the post this month.