The year is 2026, and while we're busy debating whether the Nintendo HoloDeck has enough launch titles, sometimes a gamer's mind drifts back to simpler times—like October 2013, when handhelds were king, the Wii U was already a meme, and a plumber still hadn't jumped into smartphones. Thanks to the digital archaeologists at Media Create, we've unearthed a fossilized Japanese sales chart from the week of October 14th to 20th, 2013. Grab a can of melon soda and let's take a stroll down memory lane, because these numbers are like a time capsule full of cartridges and questionable fashion choices.

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The Software Slaughterhouse: Who's Making It Rain Yen?

The software chart reads like a who's who of "franchises that still refuse to die in 2026." Top dog, no surprise, was Pokémon X and Y on the 3DS, shifting another 473,151 copies to reach a lifetime total of over 2.3 million. That's like selling a small city's worth of Pikachu plushies every hour. Right behind it, Monster Hunter 4 showed it was no pushover, clawing back 104,394 sales—proof that fighting giant wyverns on a tiny screen never gets old. Even today, the Monster Hunter formula still works, except now we're playing it on our smart-fridges.

Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto V on the PS3 was living its best life with 88,219 units, inching toward half a million total. For a Western game in Japan, this was the equivalent of a sumo wrestler winning a ballet competition. Fast-forward to 2026, and GTA V has been re-released approximately 47 times, including a version for the PlayStation Tentacle. Some things never change.

Newcomers tried to crash the party but mostly ended up bringing lukewarm potato salad. Sentocho Densetsu No Shinobi to Survival Battle (say that five times fast) debuted on 3DS with 44,565—not bad for a title that sounds like a random anime generator result. Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers and FIFA 14 both kicked off with around 29k and 26k, respectively, proving that soccer and mythological warriors can indeed coexist, peacefully, in the bargain bin a few weeks later. BEYOND: Two Souls managed 22,481 units, which is ironic, because the game itself had about three souls' worth of plot twists.

Other notable performers:

  • Sakatsuku: Let's make a Pro Soccer Club! (PS3) – 11,819 (85,515 total), because managing a fake football team was apparently more appealing than playing FIFA.

  • Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (PS3) – 11,221 (88,450 total), a remaster that had fans dusting off their GameCube memories.

  • Danganronpa 1-2 Reload (PS Vita) – 9,532 (85,704 total). Let's be honest, in 2026 we still haven't stopped arguing about Monokuma's true motives.

Hardware Wars: Where the 3DS Prints Money and the Wii U Cries in the Corner

The hardware chart is the real comedy show. The Nintendo 3DS family (LL + standard) collectively moved 154,578 units. That's not a sales number; that's a factory's entire monthly output during the Pokémon frenzy. The 3DS was basically a cash-printing machine shaped like a clamshell. In 2026, we look back and think, "Ah, that's where Nintendo's hybrid concept was born—just without the TV docking."

The PlayStation Vita, fresh off the PCH-2000 slim model launch, dipped to a still-respectable 25,763. It was the little handheld that could, but wouldn't, mostly because Sony forgot to give it enough memory card blood transfusions. Today, Vita cartridges are collector's items cherished by people who also own a Dreamcast and a broken heart.

The PS3 sat at 11,643, the PSP at 3,651 (still alive, like a cockroach with a UMD drive), and the Wii at a sad 806—probably bought by someone who just discovered Wii Sports bowling.

And then there's the Wii U. Oh, the Wii U. 2,999 units. For the first time in its life, it dipped below 3,000 weekly sales in its home country. That's less than the population of a small bathhouse. By 2026, the Wii U is a cautionary tale taught in business schools, right next to the lesson on how not to name a console. It had great games—Splatoon was still a year away from saving any dignity—but at that moment, it needed a miracle, or at least a price cut and a free puppy.

What's the 2026 Takeaway?

Looking back from our AI-powered, VR-everything present, this snapshot is both nostalgic and prophetic. The 3DS's dominance foreshadowed the Switch's hybrid brilliance, which itself evolved into the Switch 2 and then the HoloDeck Lite (or whatever Nintendo calls it now). Meanwhile, the Wii U's struggle was a necessary dark chapter that taught the Big N that "confusing marketing" is not a feature.

Pokémon still rules the world in 2026—the latest augmented reality entry lets you catch creatures in your neighbor's bathtub. Monster Hunter is still a phenomenon, and GTA V is still selling (we're not joking; Rockstar just announced a version for smart contact lenses). So really, not much has changed. The more things change, the more the Japanese charts remind us that gamers will always love catching monsters, stealing cars, and yelling at a handheld screen on the train.

And somewhere out there, a brand-new Wii U sits in a warehouse, still waiting for its 3,000th weekly buyer.