According to data provided by Media Create, sales of all next-gen hardware (as well as the PS2) reached a combined total of 248,694 for the week ending Jan 11, falling over 58 percent from last week’s total of 600,627.

Despite the turbulent turn in sales, the proportional popularity of each console remains the same this week, with the handhelds ahead of the pack, the Wii ahead of the home consoles, and the PS3 ahead of the Xbox 360.

But some consoles showed more buoyancy than others in Japan’s first full post-holiday week.

The Nintendo Wii fell the furthest, dropping 66 percent in weekly turnover, from 120,000 last week to about 41,243. By comparison, the Xbox 360 – while being the slowest-selling next-gen home console for the week – saw sales fall 46 percent, a notable 12 percent higher than the average drop.

Its closest rival, the PS3, continues to sell healthily despite the weekly downturn. The console moved around 28,144 units this week, down from 60,654 units the week prior. It means the PS3 saw its sales slide 54 percent, though Sony will no doubt be pleased that its sales this week still stand some 450 percent higher than what occurred during those painful few weeks last October.

Handhelds remain ahead of the pack, yet their huge sales volume the week prior means that an average 58 percent sales fall amplifies unit loss. The DSi lost over 100,000 unit sales this week from the last, which is the biggest sting for Nintendo despite the handheld showing more buoyancy than its competitor. The PSP saw sales drop 61 percent, also translating to a drop of around 100,000 units.

Big number losses were certainly not the case for the PS2. Sony’s tough little system continues to sell slowly, yet, without any kind of expectation placed upon it, even this week’s figure of 6628 looks fantastic for an eight year-old console.

Full list for the week ending Jan 11 according to Media Create:

DS- 78,201
PSP- 60,495
Wii- 41,243
PS3- 28,144
DS Lite- 23,429
Xbox 360-10,554
PS2- 6628

Last week in Japan.
2009 Japanese sales history.