Xbox 360 outsells PlayStation 3 in Japan

Microsoft's Xbox 360 has seen a massive sales boost in Japan, with the system managing to outsell Sony's PlayStation 3, according to data from Media Create.

The Microsoft console sold 17,673 units compared to only 3718 the previous week, fuelled by the uptake of Namco Bandai's Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, which debuted in the Japanese charts at number two this week.

Sony's PlayStation 3 sold 17,434 units, a drop in performance compared to last week's 18,785 units. Sales of the PlayStation 2 also dropped, with 10,209 units sold.

However, the latest handhelds are still the best-selling consoles in the region with the DS shifting 78,597 units and the PSP 59,714 units during the same period.

And Nintendo continues to outperform both Sony and Microsoft by racking up another 37,617 sales of the Wii during the past week, helped in part by the release of first-party title Super Mario Galaxy.