Nintendo Dominates May Game Hardware Sales

By Geoff Duncan June 15, 2007

Nintendo Dominates May Game Hardware Sales

New market sales figures from the NPD Group for the month of May show that Nintendo continues to dominate both the handheld and console gaming arenas, while Microsoft and Sony struggle to maintain respectable showings.

As with previous months in 2007, NPD found the Nintendo DS was the runaway winner in overall unit sales, moving some 423,000 units during the month. However, the Wii was a close second, selling another 338,000 systems during the month. Both figures are down a bit compared to sales figures for April 2007—when NPD had Nintendo moving 471,000 DS units and 360,000 Wiis—but the numbers still put Nintendo so far ahead of rivals Sony and Microsoft that the battle in the video game hardware market is starting to look like a fight for second place, rather than the lead.

Amongst console systems, NPD says Microsoft managed to sell 154,900 Xbox 360 systems, which also represents a decline from April’s figure of 174,000. Sony’s PlayStation 2 continues to outsell the Xbox 360, moving 187,800 units during May; however, Sony’s PlayStation 3 sold only 81,600 units during the month, holding essentially even with April’s sales of 82,000 units. Sony may finally be realizing that the $600 price tag on its powerful gaming console—combined so far with a lack of must-have exclusive titles—has been hindering consumer adoption: the company let slip today it is considering price cuts on the console.

Sony’s outlook was a little better with its handheld PSP system, which managed to move a surprising 222,120 units during May, fueled by a recent price drop.

So far, 2007 video game hardware sales have been dominated by Nintendo, although it’s too soon to count Microsoft and Sony out of the game. Microsoft’s hardcore gamers are looking forward to the arrival of the third installment in the company’s Halo franchise, and Sony is expecting several PS3-exclusive titles by the end of the year. Exclusive games combined with price cuts could give either company a significant sales increase—but you know Nintendo has to see that coming a mile away.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

April’s most anticipated RPG is coming to Xbox Game Pass

Key art for Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes.

We've learned about the titles that will come to Xbox Game Pass throughout the back half of April, and several of them are games getting added to the catalog the day they launch. Of those, the most notable is Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

While that name is a mouthful, RPG fans will want to pay attention to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes as it is a spiritual successor to the long-dormant Konami RPG series Suikoden. Many of the developers who worked on the original Suikoden games worked together to reimagine the concept for the modern era, creating an RPG with over 100 recruitable party members, engaging combat, and a gorgeous pixelated art style that gives Square Enix's HD-2D games a run for their money. Prequel game Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is already on Xbox Game Pass too, so Microsoft seems all-in on backing this Suikoden successor as we wait for Konami to release remasters of those titles or a new game in the series.

Gaming

Nintendo Indie World 2024: How to watch and what to expect

Hollow Knight Silksong

Nintendo will hold the first indie world presentation of 2024 tomorrow, April 17. The event will shine a spotlight on some of the most exciting independent games coming to the Nintendo Switch in the coming months. Past showcases have revealed highly anticipated indie games like Another Crab's Treasure, as well as long-awaited ports for games like Outer Wilds.

Although this is not a full-fledged Nintendo Direct, it's still a show that fans of independent games will want to tune into. If you're planning on watching the showcase weive, I've rounded up everything you need to know about when to tune in and what to expect from April 2024's Indie World.
When is the April 2024 Indie World Showcase
Nintendo has confirmed that the next Indie World will begin at 7 a.m. PT on April 17. That means it's something most people will be able to tune into first thing in the morning. Nintendo says that the event will run for roughly 20 minutes, which is consistent with past streams.
How to watch the April 2024 Indie World Showcase
Indie World Showcase 4.17.2024 - Nintendo Switch

Gaming

Life Eater is an unnerving horror game about ritualistic sacrifice

Key art for Life Eater.

In 2023, Strange Scaffold released El Paso, Elsewhere, a horror-tinged throwback to the likes of Max Payne that also told a deeply personal and unsettling story about a toxic relationship. Its next game, Life Eater, puts players in the shoes of a serial killer seeking out new targets to kill and sacrifice to a god he's starting to question the existence of. This isn't a Manhunt- or Hitman-style stalk-and-kill game; it offers a feeling of detachment by having players parse through timelines to learn everything they need to abduct and properly sacrifice a target.

Life Eater is a brisk, yet unnerving experience. Even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of El Paso, Elsewhere, it affirms that Strange Scaffold is one of the best studios working in the horror gaming space right now.