The Microsoft Xbox 360 game console has again outsold the Sony PlayStation 3 console in Japan during the month of September, according to popular games magazine Enterbrain.
Japanese consumers purchased 53,547 Xbox 360 units during September, while only 33,071 PS3 units were sold during the same period. The Nintendo Wii, the most popular video game console, remained on top with 109,548 units.
The Xbox 360 has been popular in the United States, but had trouble cracking into the Japanese market due to high consumer loyalty to domestic companies. A recent price cut of the Xbox 360 Arcade, with no hard drive, was dropped $76, while the higher-end Elite model was also dropped $79.
In addition to the price cut, Square Enix's Infinite Undiscovery and other popular RPG games that are available for the Xbox 360.
Even with the recent troubles outselling the Xbox 360 in Japan, overall global sales of the PS3 have been "ahead of expectations," and will offer the Japanese company a bit of leeway in case the U.S. economy sinks further. Consumer spending is expected to drop, but because the PS3 offers more multimedia features than the Wii and Xbox 360, Sony hopes it will be the most appealing console this season.
It should prove to be interesting if Microsoft is able to continue to outsell Sony on its own turf, especially as manufacturers and retail outlets begin to prepare for the shopping season that is on the horizon.
