January NPDs put PS3 in front of the 360
Well, well, well. If it isn't the lowly PS3 finally making a move in January and actually beating the Xbox 360 in terms of number of units sold in North America. Yes sir, you can color us NPD shocked and impressed.
According to the just released January NPD sales numbers, the Xbox 360 has come in a disappointing third place in the console wars, only managing to sell 230,000 consoles while the PS3 moved 269,000 and the Wii sold 274,000. But before you storm the streets in a fit of rage, know that there is some sort of explanation for the third place outing ... there wasn't enough stock. You see, according to Microsoft, they haven't been able to replenish the retail channels quick enough post holidays, resulting in less Xbox 360s on shelves and less 360s available to consumers. So, if that theory makes you sleep better at night, then go with that and know Microsoft is producing 360s as fast as possible and should regain its sales lead over the PS3 come February NPD. Hopefully.
We also wanted to mention that not only has Call of Duty 4 claimed the number one sales spot selling another 330,900 copies in January, but Rock Band made its top ten NPD sales debut too. You can review the rather gloomy NPD ranks and numbers after the break, though we advise keeping one thing in mind. It was lack of stock at retail ... lack of stock at retail ...
January 2008 NPD Hardware Sales
Wii - 274,000
PS3 - 269,000
PS2 - 264,000
DS - 251,000
Xbox 360 - 230,000
PSP - 230,000
January 2008 NPD Software Sales
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360) - 330,900
2. Wii Play with remote (Wii) - 298,100
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock bundle (Wii) - 239,600
4. Rock Band bundle (360) - 183,800
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock bundle (360) - 182,700
6. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 172,000
7. Burnout Paradise (360) - 144,100
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3) - 140,000
9. Mario Party (DS) - 138,500
10. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) - 133,000
