GT3 had a weaker week than GT4 because of userbase probably but had great legs, but you know what? GT3 came out in the early PS2 days, it's as if GT5 came out in late 2007 on PS3. So people bought it because it was one of the must have back then. And I don't want to analyse something as old as 2001, we lack accurate data and context etc. For the time being don't bring what GT5 cheerleaders always say. I care less.

When it's a series that always clears a million and has gone as high as 2 million before?

The lack of mainstream audience is really hurting PS3's wider appeal games in Japan.  Niche stuff or titles directed at specific hardcore audiences does great usually, but the bigger wider appeal games are mostly underperforming (FFXIII, GT5, etc).  It's almost the opposite problem Wii has, where the hardcore's abandoned it but the mainstream always shows up.

Almost perfectly proportional to their respective consoles Jap user bases: a criterion so precise can only be work of überanalyst Pachter, no fanboy could be so fair and unbiased!   

Prologue was essentially a disposable release, that's why it got an extended bundling.  Sony doesn't do the same for the full releases, even when they bomb hard (see: GT PSP).

Besides, GT5 already had a PS3 bundle, with a new color even... didn't seem to do much.

All JP PS3 bundles are limited.  So was the GT5P Spec III bundle, and it only moved about 300k total.

By saying Prologue was disposable, I mean it was a budget priced release, and essentially a (huge) demo rather than a full game.  That's why it was given away after it'd finished selling what it could, it was a value adding freebie and not something Sony was really interested in pushing in and of itself.  Maybe GT5 will get to the same point, but GT PSP never did...

Nope GT5 is doing exactly what I thought it would do.

Big time Christmas present for existing PS3 owners and not moving much additional hardware.

That was Europe, America got a Go bundle with 3 downloads I think?  I don't think Japan saw a similar promotion, but it still wouldn't be like GT5P (which got an actual disc, even though it could've had a DD code).  

I'd forgotten about those Go bundles though, I haven't seen such "desperation bundling" since Sega's epic VF2/Sega Rally/Virtua Cop Saturn deal.

No way to track the bundles, but I personally think that it's still the slim effect and the general affordability of PS3 now in most Europe regions, I mean a few days I've seen several deals for PS3 which were on par with the price for a 360 slim. And some old clearance stocks, the 80GB models for as low as £150, a full £50 less than the 360 official price.. Can't comment on the 360 but I think the best deal was about £145 for 4GB and £235 for the Kinect 4GB bundle. To put in perspective, PS3 was offered for £150 for older models and £199.99 for 160/320GB bundles. So in Europe the prices are dangerously close now, thus making PS3 a better investment overall.

Over and over people said this is when PS3 makes its final push and catches the 360. The fact of the matter is that when consoles have the install base that all 3 consoles have a software title has minimal effect on new hardware sales. The simple fact that the consoles have a good library and more new good software will continue to be released keeps the sales going.

haters? I thought any haters who hate any  Godly exclusive game from PS3 are asking for automatic death sentence here... /hides

On topic, grats to GT5!