I've been wondering if UK PS3 can overtake JP PS3. UK PS3 is only a bit past 1m, maybe 1.1m, and JP PS3 has only just reached 2m, so still a substantial 900k difference, but JP PS3 had an extra holiday period, and sales have now slowed right down, whilst in UK they seem to be doing a lot better than before. I think PS3s 2008 line-up will boost sales in UK a lot more than in JP.

Aligning launches UK PS3 is only about 200k behind for the first year, and should get a nice boost next few weeks from GT5:P bundle. When we look at combined HD Console sales (360 & PS3) UK is bigger than Japan, ~3m for UK, and ~2.5m for Japan

nice PS3. but I wonder why HW sales have slowed sown so much...

So, the PS3 actually does have a chance in Japan?

I'll believe it when I see it.

interesting, I reckon on 3 million by the end of year

So far all big PS3 sequels have performed worse than their predecessors.
Even if MGS4 sells a million (which I doubt), how much consoles do you expect it to sell? Yakuza (fairly big game) sold 170.000 copies first week, which caused a PS3 boost of 7000, and that with 12.000 Yakuza bundles.

I think you shouldn't count on more than 500.000 first week MGS4 Japan, with something like maximum 100.000 PS3 boost.

The only game indeed that can save the PS3 in Japan is FF13, the problem is it probably won't arrive until May 2009, because  SE said it won't come in the same year as DQ9 (which probably means financial year). By then it might be far too late for PS3 to recover.

Awesome job TheSource, thanks for putting a muzzle on some of the haters by stating that it did similiarly to the PS1.

lol @ picking out some of the lesser franchises being an indicator of the future release, especially when they arent THAT big to begin with.

One game will definitely boost the PS3 high, and that game is FFXIII. However the boost wont happen untill the game actually gets released.

Em....Well....Em...

I think you completely missed the point... TheSource was demonstrating that although the early weeks of the Playstation, Gamecube, and PS3 all tracked similarly, the Playstation then exploded upwards in sales and never looked back. The Gamecube certainly never did that, and there's precious little reason to think the PS3 has much of a chance either. You're just drawing the conclusion you want to see, not what's actually there.

'xcuse me while I'll ignore your pessimism.

 Well if you don't see any reason you should look at the releaselist for the PS3 (: There are plenty of 3rd-Party title which ll do very well in Japan and that is the different to the situation of the GC.

I don't think we will see anything like what has happened to the PS1 at that time especially because of the strong Wii but in the long term I see a big market for the PS3 in Japan just because it's so different to the Wii.....or better because the Wii is so different to classic gaming consoles. 

I would not dare to predict when this time will come, MGS4 will help for sure but I don't see such a big, long lasting impact.

FF13 will be big for sure and so will GT5 and many other multiplatt Titles are Xbox& PS3 only and we all know that the Xbox360 is dead in Japan and will stay that way.

I think at latest with a slim Version and a reasonable price +the big lineup the PS3 will see its big boost in Japan.