The NPD figures are in for June, showing that the Wii now has the biggest installed user-base in the US. An announcement from Nintendo tells us, "Equaling (sic) its status on a worldwide basis, Wii has become the best-selling video game console in the United States... 10.9 million Wii consoles have been sold in the United States in the 20 months following its November 2006 launch."
That's in spite of the fact that the Xbox 360, which now sits in second place, has been available for a year longer than the Wii.
The NPD figures also show that the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 nearly doubled PlayStation 3 sales in comparison to May.
So, the Wii once again dominated home console sales. Nintendo sold 666,700 Wiis. That's slightly down on last month's 675,000, but clearly still a healthy figure. Sony shifted 405,000 PS3s, compared to 209,000 in May. The Xbox 360 also took a little leap, but sat at nearly half the number of sales as the PS3. 220,000 units of Microsoft's console were sold, up on May's total of 187,000. The PS2 had a strong showing with 188,000.
It was the DS that sold the most hardware, notching up 783,000 sales. That's a massive boost when compared to last month's 452,000 sales. The other handheld on the market, the PSP, also saw good numbers with 337,000 units sold. That's another massive jump on May, when 182,300 PSPs were shifted.
Back to the PS3's sales jump, and NPD analyst Anita Frazier tells us, "Platform-exclusive content usually fuels hardware system purchases, and PS3 sales certainly reflect the impact of Metal Gear Solid 4. PS3 unit sales were the highest of any month outside of that recorded during previous November/December holiday timeframes."
On the software front, it was Metal Gear Solid 4 that led the way, with 774,600 copies sold. Guitar Hero On Tour for the DS also did good business, with 422,300 units moved.
Overall, the US games industry saw sales worth $1.69 billion (£848 million), a 50% increase on the $1.1 billion (£552 million) for the same period last year. That compares to $1.12 billion (£575.4 million) last month. According to Anita Frazier, "Even if growth slows over the back half of 2008, the industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues of over $22 billion (£11 billion) for the year."
Hardware and software sales were at $615.1 million (£308.7 million) and $872.6 million (£437.9 million). That adds up to year-on-year gains of 54% and 61% respectively.
You can see the Top 10 software sales in the US for June below.
1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - PS3 – Konami – 774,600
2. Guitar Hero On Tour – DS – Activision – 422,000
3. Ninja Gaiden II – 360 – Microsoft – 372,700
4. Wii Fit - Wii – Nintendo – 372,700
5. Wii Play (w/ remote) – Wii – Nintendo – 359,100
6. Battlefield: Bad Company - 360 – Electronic Arts – 346,800
7. Mario Kart Wii - Wii – Nintendo – 322,400
8. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure - Wii – LucasArts – 294,500
9. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure - DS – LucasArts – 267,800
10. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure - PS2 – LucasArts – 260,300
That's in spite of the fact that the Xbox 360, which now sits in second place, has been available for a year longer than the Wii.
The NPD figures also show that the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 nearly doubled PlayStation 3 sales in comparison to May.
So, the Wii once again dominated home console sales. Nintendo sold 666,700 Wiis. That's slightly down on last month's 675,000, but clearly still a healthy figure. Sony shifted 405,000 PS3s, compared to 209,000 in May. The Xbox 360 also took a little leap, but sat at nearly half the number of sales as the PS3. 220,000 units of Microsoft's console were sold, up on May's total of 187,000. The PS2 had a strong showing with 188,000.
It was the DS that sold the most hardware, notching up 783,000 sales. That's a massive boost when compared to last month's 452,000 sales. The other handheld on the market, the PSP, also saw good numbers with 337,000 units sold. That's another massive jump on May, when 182,300 PSPs were shifted.
Back to the PS3's sales jump, and NPD analyst Anita Frazier tells us, "Platform-exclusive content usually fuels hardware system purchases, and PS3 sales certainly reflect the impact of Metal Gear Solid 4. PS3 unit sales were the highest of any month outside of that recorded during previous November/December holiday timeframes."
On the software front, it was Metal Gear Solid 4 that led the way, with 774,600 copies sold. Guitar Hero On Tour for the DS also did good business, with 422,300 units moved.
Overall, the US games industry saw sales worth $1.69 billion (£848 million), a 50% increase on the $1.1 billion (£552 million) for the same period last year. That compares to $1.12 billion (£575.4 million) last month. According to Anita Frazier, "Even if growth slows over the back half of 2008, the industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues of over $22 billion (£11 billion) for the year."
Hardware and software sales were at $615.1 million (£308.7 million) and $872.6 million (£437.9 million). That adds up to year-on-year gains of 54% and 61% respectively.
You can see the Top 10 software sales in the US for June below.
1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - PS3 – Konami – 774,600
2. Guitar Hero On Tour – DS – Activision – 422,000
3. Ninja Gaiden II – 360 – Microsoft – 372,700
4. Wii Fit - Wii – Nintendo – 372,700
5. Wii Play (w/ remote) – Wii – Nintendo – 359,100
6. Battlefield: Bad Company - 360 – Electronic Arts – 346,800
7. Mario Kart Wii - Wii – Nintendo – 322,400
8. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure - Wii – LucasArts – 294,500
9. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure - DS – LucasArts – 267,800
10. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure - PS2 – LucasArts – 260,300
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