PS2 sales decline by a third in Japan

Sony sold 33 per cent less units of the PS2 in Japan during the first half of 2003 compared with the same period in 2002, according to new figures published last week which also show the GameCube making gains.

According to the figures, which were reported by Bloomberg, the PS2 sold through 1,085,560 units in the first six months of 2003, which compares with 1,620,239 units in the first half of 2002.

This represents a significant decline in sales, suggesting that the installed base of the console is edging closer to the market saturation point — although even at these lower rates of sale, the console is still the biggest selling home console in Japan, just as it is in the USA and Europe.

Nintendo, meanwhile, saw sales of the GameCube rise by 5 per cent over the same period of time, with 319,037 units of the console being sold through during the period. This isnât a huge improvement over last year (only an additional 9,000 units) but it does represent steady performance for the console, and a respectable upwards creep in overall installed base.

Nintendo, which also continues to be Japanâs number one publisher of game software in terms of unit sales, will probably be expecting to see more impressive growth for the Cube in Japan in the second half of 2003, thanks to the launch of key titles such as Tales of Symphonia, Mario Kart Double Dash, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle and Baten Kaitos.