UK PSP Launch Breaks Records

Sony's handheld game and media player experienced the strongest UK launch of any console in history, according to market analysts Chart-Track, selling about 185,000 units in the first week.

In comparison, the Nintendo DS sold roughly 87,000 units during the week following its UK launch. Available in the UK since March, the Nintendo DS still enjoys a substantial lead in combined UK sales.

The success of the UK launch helps bolster confidence in Sony's ability to produced and market the PSP, a system that has consistently been outsold by the Nintendo DS in the Japanese market.

According to the analyst company Media Create, Nintendo DS sales in Japan during the final week of July exceeded the sales of the PSP and the Playstation 2 combined. So while the PSP has enjoyed a solid launch in the UK, early August data suggests that the PSP annual sales in Japan fall behind that of the DS by nearly 130,000 units, year-to-date.

Part of the Nintendo DS's success is attributed to Nintendogs, which is seen as a killer application for the system. Nintendogs entered the U.S. market in late August, and has quickly become one of the most popular titles in the country. It's too early to tell if Nintendogs will be able to invigorate US sales of the Nintendo DS system in the same manner that it's driven sales in Japan.

Nintendogs is scheduled for a UK release October 7th, 2005.

It's also interesting to note that while the Sony PS2 and Nintendo GameCube have both sold an annual total of roughly 1,185,000 units and 133,000 units in Japan, respectively, as of August 1st, 2005, the Microsoft Xbox has sold a grand total of only about 9,000 units.

Story source: gamesfirst.com.