PSP sales rocket in Japan

Sales of the PlayStation Portable have increased by over six times on the previous week's figure, according to the latest data available from Media Create.

The handheld sold 95,487 units in the week ending September 16, up from 15,564 the week before. Sales of other consoles remained stable from the previous week, with the Nintendo DS in second place with 79,974, and the Wii in third shifting 26,181 units.

One of the reasons for the PSP's sudden jump in popularity could be the release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII on that format - the title sold 487,000 copies in its debut week.

Full hardware figures:

1. PlayStation Portable: 95,487

2. Nintendo DS: 79,974

3. Nintendo Wii: 26,181

4. PlayStation 2: 13,128

5. PlayStation 3: 13,101

6. Xbox 360: 1243

7. Game Boy Advance: 836

8. Nintendo GameCube: 97