Shock and awe. Just simply shock and awe. I’m lost for words..alright, who am I kidding? I’ll spin a good 400 words of this* by complaining a bit about things as usual. But still, this is, from Sony’s point of view, some pretty big news. The PS3 has, for the first time in what feels like forever, outsold the Wii in Japan.

Jaws off the floor? Brilliant. Some info awaits over the jump.

Times Online reports that last month, the PS3 sold 146,948 units in Japan. The Wii notched up 99,335 sales and the 360 43,172. Makes a change in a country where the Wii has sold almost 2 and a half times as many units as Sony’s big black behemoth, doesn’t it?

What’s brought this on then? Times Online suggests that Resi 5 (or Biohazard 5 as it’s known in the Far East) is largely responsible for the boost in console sales since the game has sold 429k copies in Japan alone; this makes sense when you consider Japan’s general attitude to the PS3 when compared to Microsoft’s not-so-stellar 360.

Good news for Sony then, but is it really a trend we can see continuing? We might see a similar spike later in the year when Final Fantasy XIII eventually hits the shelves – since it is a PlayStation 3 exclusive in Japan – but when you consider that Wii Fit is still riding high in the game charts, there’s probably a good chance that this is a one off.

Wii is cheaper to buy, cheaper to develop for and easier to sell. The PS3’s still a long way off from being any of these, even in its native Japan, and so to see sales perk up so fast is a surprise. That said, without many killer apps on the way (save for FFXIII) in the coming months, I’m calling this a one-off.

What d’you think? Is the PS3 on the way up, or have Sony simply had a lucky break? Mouth off in the comments…

*I only got 325 words out of it. Close enough.

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