Nintendo Still Rules U.S Game Console Sales

By Geoff Duncan September 14, 2007

New sales figures from the NPD Group covering video game and video game console sales during the month of August show Nintendo continued to dominate video game hardware sales, moving 403,600 Wii consoles and 383.000 DS handheld systems. So far, that brings Nintendo’s sales totals in the United States to over 4 million Wii consoles and nearly 13 million DS handhelds—a position essentially unmatched from any other game maker.

In comparison, Microsoft managed to sell a respectable 276,700 Xbox 360 unit during August 2007, meaning the console has an installed base of about 6.3 million units. However, when comparing that number to the Nintendo Wii, consider that the Xbox 360 has been on the market a full year longer than the Wii: in just nine months, Nintendo has managed to sell nearly two thirds as many consoles. Microsoft will no doubt see a sales boost in the remainder of 2007 as its much-hyped Halo 3 game hits retailers on September 25.

Sony, meanwhile, continues to do very well with the PlayStation 2…and not so well with the PlayStation 3. Consumers took home 202,000 PS2 systems during August, raising the total installed base for the legacy console to some 39.1 million units in the United States. Sony’s PlayStation Portable handheld unit also moved 151,200 units, taking its installed base to 8.3 million units. The PlayStation 3, however, lost sales momentum, moving just 130,600 units during the month, a drop from July’s total of 159,000. The decline comes in the wake of a $100 price drop on the system, which still remains the most expensive of the bunch at $500, and still lacks a strong, exclusive hit game to drive sales momentum. In the United States, Sony has managed to sell about 1.75 million PlayStation 3 systems in nine months.

Comparing console sales for the month, sales for the Nintendo Wii totaled more than sales for the Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3 combined.

Among game titles, EA‘s Madden NLFL 08 for Xbox 360 topped the August sales charts, moving 897,000 units during the month; the version of the game for the PlayStation 2 took the number-two sales slot. Surprise Xbox 360 hit BioShock from Take-Two Interactive was the number three seller for the month, moving 491,000 copies even though it launched late in the month.

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