Skip to main content

PS3 Outsells Wii in Japan

Sony’s PlayStation 3 may still be playing catch-up to the Nintendo Wii in the United States where a recent price job resulted in a sudden boost of sales, but in Japan the shift has already happened. The PlayStation 3 outsold the Wii by a significant margin in November.

According to an industry survey cited in the Wall Street Journal, Sony seized the lead quite decisively in the four-week period ending Nov. 25. While the Wii still managed to sell an impressive 159,193 units, the PlayStation 3 outsold it by 15 percent with 183,217 units.

Recommended Videos

The sudden jump in sales was preceded by price cuts on the machine. In October, Sony cut the prices of existing PS3s to ¥44,980 and ¥54,980 for the 20GB and 60GB versions, respectively. On Nov. 11, Sony introduced its new, cheaper 40B PS3 in Japan for ¥39,980.

Nick Mokey
As Digital Trends’ Editor in Chief, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team covering every gadget under the sun, along with…
3 new PS Plus games to play this weekend (November 8-10)
Key art for Death Note Killer Within.

Earlier this week, November's batch of three new PlayStation Plus Essential titles dropped. Between now and December 2, PS Plus subscribers of all tiers can redeem these games for free. It's a good batch of titles, too. We not only have a brand new Death Note game launching onto the service, but also an enjoyable all-ages racing game and an exhilarating horror action title. If you're a PS Plus subscriber wondering what to play this weekend, any of these Essential monthly games can offer up a good time.
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Ghostwire: Tokyo - February 2022 Official Showcase | PS5

Ghostwire: Tokyo is the highest-profile PS Plus Essential game of the month. Tango Gameworks released this as a PS5 exclusive shortly after Microsoft acquired it. In the two-and-a-half years since its release, Tango brought Ghostwire: Tokyo to Xbox, released Hi-Fi Rush, got shut down by Microsoft, and was then revived by Krafton. That makes it fascinating to revisit Ghostwire: Tokyo now and see the last horror-infused swing the studio took before all of those wild things happened to it. Ghostwire: Tokyo is an entertaining supernatural action game where players fight Japanese demons with magic, and it's a worthy download for any PS Plus subscriber.

Read more
The PS5 Pro holds the key to the PS6’s success
The hero of Shadow of the Colossus stands in a temple.

When the PlayStation 5 Pro was revealed, the big buzzword to come out of the presentation was PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This was PlayStation's "secret sauce" intended to sell the $700 upgrade to new customers and existing PS5 owners alike. Similar to AI upscaling seen in technology like DLSS, PSSR allows games rendered at a lower resolution to be upscaled using AI to appear more detailed. For the PS5 Pro, this means removing the need to choose between a performance mode that prioritizes frame rate and a resolution mode that sacrifices frame rate for a clearer picture.

PSSR is the first time any kind of AI upscaling has been used on consoles ... and will be key in PlayStation's success for its true next-generation console.
Sidestepping the graphical arms race
With rare exceptions, new game consoles have mainly sold themselves based on providing a graphical leap above its predecessor. This was clear as day going from 8- to 16-bit systems, and perhaps at its peak going from 16-bit to 3D, but has since hit a level of diminishing returns. PS5 games are undeniably better looking than PS4 games of the same scale, but the differences are in the margins.

Read more
How to transfer data from PS5 to PS5 Pro
A PS5 slim, PS5 Pro, and base PS5 all stand next to each other.

As great as the PlayStation 5 Pro is, no one can deny that it is quite expensive. To that end, many PS5 owners are likely planning on selling their current model to help offset some of the cost. However, you don't want to sell your old unit before you ensure that all your data for the best PS5 games is safely transferred over to the Pro. If you're getting ready to upgrade to the Pro, here's how you can transfer your data so you can pick up right where you left off and enjoy the nice graphical boost.

Read more