PS3 Sales in Japan Fall 49 Percent

Sales of the PlayStation 3 in Japan fell by almost half in the first full week of availability, and low shipments are being blamed for the lackluster sales, say gaming company Enterbrain. The site had estimated that 88,400 consoles sold in the first two days of launch, but from November 13 to 18 only 43,378 sold. Sony will not comment on the report, but said it was continuously shipping new consoles.

Data for the US is not yet available, although it is likely that sales will follow a similar pattern. At issue is the Blu-ray disc drive within the console. Sony hasn't been able to procure the blue laser diodes needed, among a host of other manufacturing difficulties. The problems are also affecting game sales; PS3's highest-ranking title in Japan was Ridge Racer 7, coming in at #29.