Kotaku reports the PS3 not selling as fast as expected in Japan. Apparently it sits on the shelf beside the Nintendo Wii's "sold out" sign. The product is readily available in the 20GB and 60GB variety.
Are PS3's selling? Yes! Japanese people are buying the console, no doubt, but not as fast as one would expect for such a crazy launch rush. Sony, apparently, pushed a large volume of systems out at the end of the year and they're selling like "normal."
The launch craze has ended and now we'll watch the systems sell in typical volume like other consoles...well, except the Nintendo Wii. The Wii seems to sell much like the Nintendo DS - fast and furious.
It may be possible to predict how sales trends will proceed in the US based on the Japanese reactions. Unlike the Xbox 360 sales, the Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii are highly loved and respected in Japan so it would not come as a surprise to see Japanese pulling the systems off the shelves as fast as they can arrive. A good example would be the DS rush that has occured numerous times in Japan in which hundreds of adults lined up to get their hands on more than one of these little hand-held systems.
The same trend for the Nintendo DS was seen in the US during the holidays when parents could not find a Nintendo DS in sight at any retail chains. The only difference, in the case of the PS3, is that sales have slowed to normal while the Wii continues to be sought after like its DS hand-held counterpart. Will the Nintendo Wii come out victor in Japan or will the PS3 build up steam when real titles are released?
Note: The PS3 launch in Japan saw less launch titles than the US, so you can imagine the lack of desire for the "hot titles" when so few were released.
