Japanese videogame market down 21 per cent
Hardware sales down 33 per cent, handhelds strongest in region
The Japanese home videogame market has shrunk 21.3 per cent for the six months from April to September, compared to the same period last year, according to research from Enterbrain.
As reported by Reuters, the data shows the first year-to-year decline in four years, following a growth in the market in 2007 with the release of new consoles such as the PS3 and Wii.
Hardware sales dropped 33.5 per cent to JPY 95.23 billion in the first six months of the fiscal year.
Sony's PSP was the strongest selling console during the period, shifting 1.58 million units, while Nintendo's DS sold 1.31 million units.
The Wii lead home console sales, with 1.1 million units, Sony's PS3 shifted 350,000 units and Microsoft's Xbox 360 140,000 units.