Xbox Series X/S Outsold PS5 in Japan Last Week Amidst Persisting Stock Shortages

The global semiconductor shortage (alongside other factors) has led to crippling supply shortages for pretty much all hardware on the market the last couple of years, and the PS5 in particular has struggled as a result. That continues to be the case, especially in Japan, where it was outsold by the Xbox Series X/S last week, as per Famitsu’s latest weekly software and hardware sales charts.

This is the first time in nearly a decade (eight years, to be precise) that Xbox has outsold PlayStation in the region. The PS5 fell down from nearly 50,000 units sold last week, while the Xbox Series X/S collectively sold nearly 10,000 units last week, which is clear enough indication that both consoles continue to be affected by supply shortages. Interestingly, this week’s Xbox sales were largely thanks to the Xbox Series S, with the more powerful Xbox Series X only selling a little over 100 units.

The Nintendo Switch, on the other hand, continues to post strong numbers, with over 65,000 units sold in Japan last week. It’s performed predictably well on the software front as well, with all games in this week’s top 10 being Switch titles. Nintendo Switch Sports topped the charts with over 47,000 units sold, Kirby and the Forgotten Land followed behind with nearly 15,000 units sold, while Square Enix’s live action adventure title The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story debuted in seventh place with over 6,400 units sold.

You can check out the full software and hardware charts for the week ending May 15 below.

Software sales (followed by lifetime sales):

1. [NSW] Nintendo Switch Sports – 47,525 (352,113)
2. [NSW] Kirby and the Forgotten Land – 14,903 (710,714)
3. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 11,127 (4,632,554)
4. [NSW] eBASEBALL Powerful Pro Baseball 2022 – 10,372 (164,305)
5. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure  – 6,839 (3,151,727)
6. [NSW] Minecraft – 6,553 (2,641,949)
7. [NSW] The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story – 6,409 (New)
8. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 5,849 (4,879,799)
9. [NSW] Mario Party Superstars – 4,360 (964,133)
10. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 4,245 (2,025,606)

Hardware sales:

• Nintendo Switch – 65,322
• PS5 – 2,693
• Xbox Series X/S – 6,225