Whether they’ve already got all the hardware they want or, more likely, the deafening chatter about global economic meltdown has put them off spending, it’s hard to say, but this week marked one of the worst hardware sale periods in recent memory for Japan.

Although the sales slum came at a bad time for the Xbox 360, which was showing real signs of progress in Japan, where it has always struggled to get a foothold, it’s the PS3 that suffered the most - only shifting 5743 units. Being the most expensive console on the market by a long shot, Sony’s previous machine actually outsold it’s current gen console, with 6982 PS2’s crawling off the shelves.

The Xbox 360 wasn’t far ahead, with a meagre 7763 sales, while the new PSP 3000 helped to keep Sony’s handheld faction alive with 23,901 units. As ever, Nintendo’s massive market lead ensured decent support from its native people, with 22,877 Wii’s and, out in front, 31,914 DS sales.

Even Nintendo’s highest figures don’t compare to what the gaming giants normally expect from the Japanese gaming community, so they’d better get ready for a bleak winter.