The news that the Wii is outselling the PS3 by nearly three to one in Japan is not a major surprise considering the price difference and the fact that Zelda is just a little bit more enticing than Blu-ray. The figures show that 400,000 Wii's were sold in January, compared to 150,000 PS3's. Perhaps the only consolation for Sony is that 360 sales are as sluggish as ever in Japan.
But are we reading too much into all this? The PS3 has an uninspiring launch lineup, a patchy online service and is very expensive. The Wii is cheap(ish), easy to use and has one or two must play games. But fast forward 18 months and things will be very different. The PS3 will have the big gun franchises available, hopefully with a solid online backup, and will be a lot more affordable. Throw in the continued penetration of hi-def TV and the subsequent interest in Blu Ray/HD-DVD and the sales gap between PS3 and Wii will close. The days of PlayStation dominance are over - the excellent 360 is as important a factor as the Wii - but it is far too early to write off the PS3.
