With the recent introduction of the PlayStation 3 Slim and upcoming launch of Final Fantasy XIII in Japan before the end of the year, Sony could be looking for a bit of a sales bump in Japan. Reports from several sources are suggesting that the release of Final Fantasy XIII before the end of the year could net Sony as many as a half million extra consoles sold this holiday season in Japan.

If Sony was successful in moving another half million PS3s in Japan, sales numbers like this would represent about 15% of the total number of PS3 consoles sold in Japan total so far. The release date of January 17th has been confirmed for the Final Fantasy XIII release and it would not be the first time that Japanese gamers have flocked to buy a new system based on a new title release.

Most recently, the release of the latest Gundam title contributed to the strong sales of the PS3 slim in Japan when coupled with the new lower price. Various sources suggest that Sony moved over 150,000 consoles in Japan during the first week of sales of the PS3 Slim, so we do think it is possible with the much bigger appeal of Final Fantasy XIII that moving a half million PlayStation 3 consoles is really possible. It will surely help Sony’s holiday numbers if they are successful. After all, who would not like to move an extra half million consoles before the end of the holiday sales war?