Wii U sales fall in Japan as Vita sales creep back up

The PlayStation Vita has crept ahead of Wii U in Japan as the momentum gained from the release of Mario Kart 8 has started to wear off.

The latest Famitsu data shows that Nintendo’s machine sold 10,366 units in the week ending June 15th. That’s down from 12,576 units last week and 19,031 units the week before, when Mario Kart 8 hit the market (shown in red below).

Sales are now below the 13,037 unit peak seen in the week ending April 2nd – that’s the week all hardware saw a jump in sales ahead of a Japanese VAT increase.

Mario Kart 8 remains the best-selling game of the week, but that isn’t enough to stop Vita creeping ahead of Wii U again. Nintendo will be anxious that the decline doesn’t continue, and keen to avoid a slip to mid-April levels.

Here’s a look at the machine’s Japanese sales throughout April and May:

Here’s the hardware top ten for the period between June 9th-June 15th:

1. Nintendo 3DS LL – 24,135
2. PS Vita – 12,850
3. Wii U – 10,366
4. PS4 – 7,351
5. PS3 – 6,832
6. Nintendo 3DS – 5,390
7. PSP – 2,647
8. PS Vita TV – 1,041
9. Xbox 360 – 131

And here’s the software Top 10:

1. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) Nintendo – 41,195
2. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS) Atlus – 31,166
3. Yokai Watch (Level Five) 3DS – 27,884
4. The Legend of Heroes: Ao no Kiseki Evolution (Vita) Kadokawa Games – 26,488 (New)
5. One Piece: Unlimited World R (PS3) Bandai Namco – 18,479 (New)
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 2014: Aoki Samurai no Chosen (PS3) Konami – 16,705
7. Thief (PS4) Square Enix – 9,505 (New)
8. One Piece: Unlimited World R (Vita) Bandai Namco – 9,470 (New)
9. Cardfight Vanguard: Lock on Victory (3DS) FuRyu – 6,753
10. Thief (PS3) Square Enix – 5,474 (New)