USA Games Hardware Figures: PS3 Up vs Xbox 306 Down

How to write this story without being accused of fanboyism? The fact is that sales of Xbox 360 are down but the console remains number 1 best-selling console in the USA. However, sales of PS3 are up by quite a bit for September.

This is according to stats collated by NPD and popped onto Neogaf. They are as follows:

Xbox 360: 438K (PR) [-9.5%]
Playstation 3: 364K-374K (Calculations deduced from Sony and MS PR percentages) [+16.7-19.8%]
Nintendo 3DS: 260K (PR)
Wii: 240K (PR) [-5.5%]
Nintendo DS: 145K (PR) [-64%]

As NPD doesn't actually have official figures, these are all guestimates or company statements.

Let's look at some. First, Nintendo:

"Nintendo sold more than 260,000 Nintendo 3DS™ portable entertainment systems, an increase of more than 10 percent from the previous month. Nintendo has sold nearly 450,000 units of Nintendo 3DS following a price reduction on Aug. 12.

"Nintendo sold more than 647,000 total hardware units in September, including 240,000 Wii™ systems and more than 145,000 units of the Nintendo DS family."

Now Sony:

"NPD’s September report saw double-digit growth for both PS3 software (52%) and hardware (20%), as increasing brand awareness continues to fuel interest with consumers. First-party software sales remained strong this month, with boosts from blockbuster titles like Resistance 3. The lower PS3 console price point and the upcoming release of exciting titles – Uncharted 3, Everybody Dance and Ratchet and Clank – will continue PlayStation’s momentum into the holiday season."

Now Microsoft, which joyfully quotes NPD in fact:

"Holding 42 percent share of the overall current-generation console market, Xbox 360 sold 438,000 units in September, maintaining the number-one console spot in the U.S. for 2011. This marks the seventh consecutive month Xbox 360 has had more than 40 percent of the current-generation console market share. (Source: NPD Group, September 2011)

"Total retail spend on the Xbox 360 platform in September (hardware, software and accessories) reached $534 million, the most for any console in the U.S. and more than total retail spend from the current-generation console competition combined. (Source: NPD Group, September 2011)

NPD via Neogaf