Granted seventh place is nothing to break out the champagne over (it wouldn't even be worthy of one of those honorable mention ribbons you receive at Field Day in elementary school), but when your Microsoft of Japan, you have to take your victories when you can get them (no matter how insignificant).

Come on Microsoft, you can win the console wars in Japan. We know you can do it! After all, you spend enough money and you're bound to succeed (just shake off that "Hi-Def" campaign).

Ganbare, ganbare X-BOX! Ganbare, ganbare X-BOX!

And the award for most popular game system in Japan goes to...you guessed it, the DS Lite. The DS Lite has been ranked number one in sales since its March launch. Here are the weekly sales figures with year-to-date totals in brackets.

1) DS Lite - 141,487........................[2,329,621]
2) PSP - 24,653 ........................[870,267]
3) NDS - 22,748........................ [915,404]
4) PS2 - 20,737 ........................[711,646]
5) GBA SP - 4,642 ........................[159,492]
6) XBOX 360 - 1,407 ........................[53,895]
7) GB Micro - 1,294........................ [100,435]
8) GameCube - 1,002 ........................[53,337]
9) GBA - 20 ........................[2,803]
10) XBOX - 15 ........................[1,558]

Of interest, the original DS system, which isn't even manufactured anymore, almost outsold both the PSP and the PS2. You better watch your back Sony. The lean, mean Pokemon machine is comin' for you.

As for the tenth ranked XBOX, last week can only be considered a triumph for the console as it managed to stave off both the Wonderswan and the Gameboy Color.