Xbox 360 Outsells PS3 in Japan

By Geoff Duncan Published August 18, 2008

According to Japanese publisher ASCII Media Works, weekly sales of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 game console beat out sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3 in Japan for the first time in early August, driven by the launch of the much-anticipated Tales of Vesperia title from Namco Bandai.

ASCII Media Works says Sony moved 10,705 PlayStation 3 units in the week ending August, 10th, but Microsoft pushed 28,116 Xbox 360 units into the Japanese market during the same time period. It marks the first time the Xbox 360 has outsold the PS3 in Japan since the PS3 was launched in late 2006. Of course, bth machines lagged behind the Nintendo Wii, which sold 41,044 units the same week.

Recommended Videos

Tales of Vesperia is exclusive to the Xbo 360, and is due to launch in North American markets later this month.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

3 new PS Plus games that you should check out (November 1-3)

Key art for Return to Monkey Island.

We've still got to wait a little longer before November's PlayStation Plus Essential monthly titles become available. For PS Plus subscribers who are looking for something to play but don't want to spend money on new games like Life is Strange: Double Exposure or Dragon Age: The Veilguard, October's list of PS Plus Extra game catalog additions was vast enough that there's still more great stuff there for you to try out. Those are the games I'm recommending you try out this weekend.
Return to Monkey Island
Return to Monkey Island | Gameplay Reveal Trailer

The Monkey Island series of adventure games helped put LucasArts on the map in the 1990s and still stand the test of time as some of the best titles in the genre. In 2022, series creator Ron Gilbert and designer Dave Grossman released a new game in the franchise called Return to Monkey Island. It once again stars pirate Guybrush Threepwood as he clashes with LeChuck while trying to find the secret of Monkey Island. Return to Monkey Island plays well on a controller for a point-and-click adventure game and still sports the classic humor in writing and puzzle design that made the originals iconic.

Gaming

Best gaming console deals: cheapest prices on PS5, Xbox S and X and Switch

father and son playing video games

While gaming PCs are great, if you're the type of person who wants a more plug and play experience and to sit at the TV, then a PS5 or Xbox makes a lot of sense. That said, there aren't a ton of great deals on the consoles themselves right now, although there are still quite a few good bundle deals that are worth grabbing. To that end, we've gone out and collected our favorite Series S and X deals, PlayStation 5 deals, and Nintendo Switch deals, so you can pick whichever one sparks your fancy.
Xbox Series S 1TB + 1TB Storage Expansion Card -- $450 $500 10% off

The Xbox Series S is the less powerful but cheaper option out of the newest generation Xbox line. When comparing the Xbox Series S versus the Xbox Series X, the Series S takes a hit in all the component categories. That means it's not quite as fast. But if you're not hung up on getting the optimal performance out of your system, you'll actually notice very few differences. The two biggest ones are the Series S's inability to play in 8K, and its lack of a disc drive. Most people don't even have 8K TVs, so that shouldn't be an issue. If you're alright with downloading all of your games straight to the console's memory (and you have a separate DVD or Blu-Ray player), the Series S will work fine. It's quite a bit smaller anyway, and easier to fit on a shelf.

Gaming

3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (October 25-27)

A player holds a dead player as a body shield in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

It's Call of Duty week on Xbox Game Pass. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched today, and from day one, it's a part of Game Pass Ultimate's game catalog. It's one of the big payoffs of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Depending on how it performs, it may be one of the most important games to ever come to the subscription service. On top of that, other Call of Duty games finally got Xbox Cloud Gaming support, which required collaboration with Ubisoft because of certain concessions made during the Activision Blizzard acquisition process. If you're an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber wondering what you should play this weekend, the obvious answer is Call of Duty.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Global Launch Gameplay Trailer

After four years, the Call of Duty: Black Ops series has made its grand return. It brings the series' story to the 1990s with a spy-movie-like campaign that sees players investigate a secret, nefarious organization that has infiltrated the American government. While the campaign alone is reason enough to check out the new Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass, Black Ops 6 also features meaty multiplayer and Zombies modes. Multiplayer is as exhilarating as ever, with an emphasis being placed on an "omnimovement" system that allows players to dive, roll, and dodge enemies with a lot more freedom than they could before. Meanwhile, Zombies mode finds a solid balance between old and new mechanics. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available via PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. It's also on PS4 and PS5.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III technically came to the subscription service in July but was restricted to PC and console play. Now, alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare III is playable via Xbox Cloud Gaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. This was a lesser entry in the series with a disappointing campaign, but if you're looking for another premium Call of Duty game to try after playing lots of Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare III is the only other one on the service. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers across PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. It's also on PS4 and PS5.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Finally, Call of Duty: Warzone also comes to Xbox Cloud Gaming today. This free-to-play battle royale title doesn't require any sort of subscription to play normally, but Game Pass subscribers now have the benefit of not needing to be tethered down by specific hardware. So far, there aren't any other additional in-game perks for Game Pass subscribers, but hopefully Warzone will follow Overwatch 2's lead and add some soon enough. If you aren't using Xbox Cloud Gaming, Call of Duty: Warzone is playable on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.