An influx of new software powers the Japanese charts in the week ending April 1st.

Courtesy of Media-Create, we have the most recent sales figures from Japan.

Software sales for the week were largely driven by new releases, with two PS2 and three DS games debuting solidly. Of particular note on the Nintendo side was the release of More English Training, the sequel to one of the DS's platinum sellers. This edition has certainly not sold as strongly out of the gate as the original did - it will be interesting to see if Japanese non-gamers are willing to fork over more cash for follow-ups to breakout titles.

Also, at least one third party publisher is reaping the benefits of finely-honed DS development efforts. Bandai-Namco has been producing a steady stream of solid sellers for the DS, focusing primarily on puzzle and non-game fare to go along with dependable kids offerings. Not any consolation to the hardcore gamer who would rather see the likes of Tekken and Ace Combat, but encouraging nonetheless as proof that third parties can find tangible success on the platform.

In hardware, the market saw a dramatic drop-off in unit sales mostly attributed to reduced DS Lite numbers. The major factor in this sudden fall was likely supply-related. For sure, two major events are coming up in Japan: release of Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings is nearing with the advent of Golden Week right on its heels. Is DS Lite hardware being held back for these major sales points?

The weekly software numbers follow:

The week's console numbers follow: