Estimates are always good but it’s better to have the official numbers. And not surprisingly, Final Fantasy XIII has caused PlayStation 3 sales in Japan to surge.

Square-Enix shipped nearly 2 million copies of the hotly anticipated RPG in the Land of the Rising Sun and according to early figures, more than half of those shipped units sold in the first 24 hours. Furthermore, because the game is only available for the PS3 in Japan, everyone expected FFXIII to put PS3 sales through the roof. Now, according to Joystiq citing the most recent Media Create statistics, we learn that FFXIII has topped the 1.5 million mark (1,501,964), which is more than double the life-to-date totals of the next-closest PS3 title in terms of sales (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots). It only took four days to top the total of MGS4 sales so far! And as far as PS3 sales go- the week before FFXIII’s release, Sony sold 75,086 units in Japan and after the release, sales leaped to 237,086, which translates to a 216% spike. Remember, you likely won’t be seeing a similar ratio in North America, primarily because FFXIII will be available for both the PS3 and Xbox 360, meaning those who only own the latter console won’t have to purchase the PS3 to play Square-Enix’s latest and greatest. Some don’t like that idea but at least it’s an exclusive in Japan, and Sony should appreciate that.

The idea that at some point around half of all PS3 owners in Japan will own FFXIII is just downright mind-boggling. That kind of widespread popularity is totally insane.