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NPD numbers for March and Microsoft's take
The NPD numbers for March 2007 have been released, and, as usual, everyone has their own spin. First of all, let's look at the raw numbers (politely cribbed from Joystiq): Nintendo DS: 508K Sony PlayStation 2: 280K Nintendo Wii: 259K (2.1 million total) Microsoft Xbox 360: 199K (5.3 million total) Sony PSP: 180k Nintendo Game Boy Advance: 148K Sony PlayStation 3: 130K (1.2 million total) Nintendo Gamecube: 22K Microsoft Xbox: N/A The Nintendo DS sits at the top with over half a million units sold. Meanwhile, the PS2 rests at number 2 with just over a quarter million. So, the top two spots belong to a hand held and Sony's last gen console, but the real fight is for the new gen, right? More important to Microsoft, the real real fight is between the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. In other words, the fact that the Wii sold 60,000 more units than our beloved box is irrelevant. In the 2 man battle for the new gen crown, the Xbox 360 is king, selling nearly 70,000 more units than the Playstation 3.All kidding aside, the Xbox 360 is still performing well, with 4 360 titles in the top 10. These titles are: GRAW 2 (#2, 394K), Guitar Hero II with guitar (#3, 291K), Major League Baseball 2K7 (#8, 165K), and Def Jam: ICON (#10, 148K). Gamerscore Blog gives its take on the numbers, noting that Guitar Hero II sold an average of 2500 copies an hour. Also noted was that the Xbox 360 maintained a record breaking attach rate for the eighth month in a row (5.7 games per console).For the first three months of 2007, the Xbox 360 has sold approximately 721K units in the US. Combined with worldwide sales, Microsoft seems poised to meet its projection of 12 million sold by the end of the fiscal year in June.[Via Joystiq]
DS Daily: Nintendo on top
So, the March NPD numbers prove that Nintendo continues to simply destroy the competition. Every system and company may have its own rabid fanboy contingent, but when it comes to the sales charts, Nintendo is on top. What we want to know is: are you surprised, or did you expect both the Wii and the DS to turn in amazing numbers? We ask because a lot of people had some doubts after the GameCube, at least regarding the Wii. With the DS, playing the prediction game was a little easier. Nintendo plus handheld tends to equal success. But the DS has reached truly epic levels of success. Did you call it, or did you suspect the two gaming systems might be a little gimmicky?[Hilarious shirt found here.]
March NPD sales data shows Nintendo pwning competition (again)
Just for those of you keeping score, the Wii dominated hardware sales in January, did pretty well in that same month with software sales, then performed a repeat performance in February. Nintendo has gotten themselves a hat trick now, as they dominated the competition for a third month in a row with both the DS and Wii. GameDaily.BIZ has the skinny on exact figures from the month, which we've gone ahead and posted past the break.[Via press release]
Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft hop on the NPD merry-go-round
Following yesterday's explosive release of the March NPD video game sales results, both Sony and Nintendo have predictably constructed and delivered finely worded press statements celebrating their astoundingly magnificent results. There's plenty of fun to be had on the merry-go-round, but spinning too much may lead to uncontrollable nausea and projectile vomiting. In the interest of shielding you from an unexpected Technicolor yawn, we've decided to slow things down a bit. "Nintendo stays number one," declares the house of Miyamoto, rightly referring to the unstoppable DS. "Nintendo once again claimed the top two spots among the best-selling new video game systems in America in March, according to independent sales data gathered by the NPD Group." Hang on, weren't the top two spots shared by the DS and the PlayStation 2? Oh, the top two spots among the new video game systems, they say. Sorry PS2 pal, you only claim a spot among the old video game systems. An added bonus: Using this wording, Nintendo could claim the top two spots among new systems even if the the PS2 and original Xbox were to somehow become the best sellers for the month."Innovation is compelling both current gamers and new gamers to experience a new way to play. Nintendo is bringing gaming back to the masses," says Nintendo president and habitual posterior kicker, Reggie Fils-Aime. Ah yes, "the masses," they're the ones to blame for a critical Wii shortage. Remember, Wii systems are selling as fast as Nintendo can possibly crank them out. The 41% drop in sales since January, coupled with the promise here of "increased production" following the end of a successful financial year... isn't suspicious at all.
NPD: March belongs to DS, PS2
The sheer anticipation that builds up around the NPD Group's monthly video game sales data is like an immense fanboy volcano just waiting to erupt. Predictions are made, forum wars are waged and in the end, some worshippers are left in agony as the facts (here represented by hot molten lava) eat away at their pale flesh. But on to cooler topics -- total industry sales are up by 33%! The detailed GameDaily BIZ report reveals that total hardware sales rose by 69% in March to $370 million. Of that, console hardware raked in $257 million, making for an increase of 93%. NPD analyst Anita Frazier calls it an "outstanding month," though some console manufacturers might not share that particular sentiment. The North American console sales for March are as follows: Nintendo DS: 508K Sony PlayStation 2: 280K Nintendo Wii: 259K (2.1 million total) Microsoft Xbox 360: 199K (5.3 million total) Sony PSP: 180k Nintendo Game Boy Advance: 148K Sony PlayStation 3: 130K (1.2 million total) Nintendo Gamecube: 22K Microsoft Xbox: N/A
March NPD reveals improving PSP sales--is it enough?
Sony issued a statement today, reminding gamers that the PlayStation brand continues to get stronger. According to NPD data, "March 2007 showed a 24% increase in retail dollars generated year-over-year for the PlayStation brand in North America with total sales of $447 million." The three-pillar strategy seems to be quite successful for Sony: sales from PS3, PSP, PS2 (and God of War II), are all adding green to Sony's wallet. PSP hardware has gained some momentum in March: up 2% over February with sales of 179,796 units. More importantly, software sales have experienced a 13% jump.With a price drop at the beginning of April, next month's figures should prove even better for Sony. However, one has to question if the price drop will be enough. Nintendo DS sold through over half a million units in the same period--easily more than twice that of PSP. Sony may not be number one, but as long as it maintains steady growth and profitability, does it really matter? And most importantly, does it matter to gamers?
Reuters calling the console fight early?
Reuters has an interesting piece up where they analyze the current state of the console war, taking a look at all three major console's offerings. Most important, however, is the dominance the Wii is enjoying right now, as they take a look at the February NPD sales data, along with other factors including price and extra features of each console. Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research, who was interviewed for this piece we imagine, thinks that Nintendo has everything to lose."Their challenge going forward is to make sure this is not a passing fad by getting a stream of content into the market," he says. Continuing on that same thought, Gartenberg states "The game console purchase driver is still going to be first and foremost games. The secondary stuff is the icing on the cake." We couldn't agree more and, really, this is the reason we think Nintendo will continue to dominate in the long run. What do you guys think?
USA Today calls out Sony: 'from top dog to underdog in record time'
USA Today, who purports to have the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, published a story today discussing Sony's fall from an almost monopolistic first place with the PlayStation 2 to less-than-stellar sales with the PlayStation 3.Drawing from the February NPD figures, writer Mike Snider places Sony in third place with 127,000 in PS3 unit sales, behind home consoles Xbox 360 (228,000) and Nintendo Wii (335,000). This is in addition to anecdotal evidence that the PlayStation 3 is easily available in stores while the Wii is still hard to find. Total Wii sales in the U.S. are estimated to 1.9 million while Sony has 1.1 million.Newsweek's N'Gai Croal chimes in on reasons for Sony's ranking, including price, software lineup and negative press. Of course, early runnings mean nothing long-term, and the PlayStation 3 could easily pick up steam following release of heavy-hitting games, PS Home and a possible price drop. Still, when you got one of the biggest newspapers giving less-than-complimentary status reports it can't be good for business.
Crackdown leads game sales in February [update 1]
GameDaily BIZ posted the just released February NPD sales numbers which show that Xbox 360 software is selling quite nicely. Overall, things are looking bright for video games as the industry is up 66% over last year with hardware and software sales on the rise. Crackdown led the month's sales moving 427K units, with other 360 titles like Gears of War and Lost Planet in the top ten. The Xbox 360 is also moving a fair amount of consoles beating out an under-performing PS3, 295K units to 228K 228K units to 127K. It's great to see our little boy Crackdown succeed in February and four other Xbox 360 games place in the top ten. Though, we wonder, with the Nintendo Wii selling so well (485K 335K units) does Microsoft have to shift its focus away from Sony and watch Nintendo to protect its next gen lead? Only time will tell, but we're confident that our white box can fend for itself simply by the games that will be released for it in 2007. A full list of NPD's February sales rankings for hardware and software is after the break. Update 1: Fixified the comparison numbers between the 360 and PS3 ... and the Wii. Math is hard.
Wii does in fact rock faces in February
So, for once, video game analysts were right and, once again, Wii Fanboy claims bragging rights around the office; this means that PS3 Fanboy and Xbox 360 Fanboy have to do the dishes for the entire month. Awesome.NPD data shows the Wii as the clear console sales winner for the second straight month with 335,000 units sold. The only system able to top the Wii was its cute little sibling, the DS Lite, selling a whopping 485,000 units; Nintendo claimed 54% of all hardware sales last month. As proud as are, we can't help but wonder how many would have been sold with a decent supply chain. It was cool for awhile, but the fact that Nintendo can't produce enough units five months after release is getting a bit disturbing. Get it in gear![Thanks, Terrance!]
February NPD data show DS, Wii on top
Another month, another batch of hardware and software sales data estimates from the NPD Group. The February numbers show Nintendo hitting the competition with a one-two punch of hardware dominance -- nearly half a million DS units and a third of a million Wiis were sold in North America in February. The Playstation 2 continued its impressive afterlife with roughly 300K in sales, while Sony's new system continued its slow start, selling only 127K units for the month -- even less than the somewhat-defunct Game Boy Advance.On the software front, Crackdown was the top seller for the month, giving the Xbox 360 had the top selling game for the fourth month in a row (In January it was Lost Planet. In December and November, Gears of War). A free Wii remote sent Wii Play soaring to the No. 2 spot, while the DS rehash of Diddy Kong Racing premiered at No. 3. In more bad news for Sony, perennial favorite Guitar Hero 2 was the only game for a Sony system to make the top 10 this month.Continue reading for a complete breakdown of the top-selling hardware and software for the month.
NPD sales data: best-selling games of January
The NPD data is in and, as we already knew, the Wii kicked its competition's butt all through the month of January. What you might not have known, however, was that Nintendo had 4 of the top 10 software titles for the month, also. These titles are: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360, Capcom, January 2007) Guitar Hero II (with Guitar Controller) (PS2, Activision, November 2006) Gears of War (Xbox 360, Microsoft, November 2006) WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii, Nintendo, January 2007) Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, Nintendo, November 2006) Madden NFL 07 (PS2, Electronic Arts, Aug. 2006) Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube, Nintendo, November 2006) Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3, SCEA, November 2006) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360, Ubisoft, November 2006) New Super Mario Bros. (DS, Nintendo, May 2006) How many of you picked up Twilight Princess and WarioWare: Smooth Moves in January?
NPD: Lost Planet leads strong January game sales
January's not usually a month for big numbers in the game industry, but the first month of 2007 was a whopper any way you slice it. NPD recently announced $549 million in non-PC software sales for the month, up an impressive 22 percent when compared week-on-week to last January. Add in $505 million in hardware sales and almost $200 million in accessories and the industry as a whole recorded a huge $1.25 billion in overall sales for the five weeks ending Feb. 3. The Wii dominated hardware sales, as previously reported, but software was spread out among all the major systems. The Xbox 360's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition led the pack, with system-compatriots Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas close behind at No 3 and No. 9, respectively. But it was a PS2 game, Guitar Hero II, that maintained the second-place showing from December and took the No. 2 spot. Both versions of Twilight Princess joined Wario Ware in representing Nintendo consoles in the top 10, while Resistance: Fall of Man was the only PS3 title on the list, coming in at No. 8. When combined with the healthy January reported by British retailers, we could be witnessing the beginning of the end of the traditional January lull. While it's hard to match the holiday season in terms of sheer sales volume, these January numbers show that good games can still sell just after the Christmas rush. Complete sales rankings, as reported by Gamespot after the jump.
Wii outsells 360 and PS3 in January
Turns out, the Wii kicked the crap out of the competition in the US during the month of January, selling quite a lot of units. This is based on preliminary NPD sales data via Next-Gen.biz, which comes as a surprise to many considering the console's apparent stealth-selling techniques during the month as shortages lingered. What makes it even more odd is the fact that both of its competitors, the PS3 and Xbox 360, are easily found in stock at most brick-and-mortar retail outlets. The sales breakdown goes: Wii - 436,000 units 360 - 294,000 units PS3 - 244,000 units Have you gotten your hands on a Wii yet?[Via Joystiq]
Xbox 360 January sales higher than last year
Microsoft commented on preliminary January console sales stating that they sold 18% more 360s than last January. Reports are citing that 294,000 Xbox 360s were sold in January, where as last January 250,000 were sold. This of course could have been due to the lack of consoles in the marketplace last year, but who's to say? Also, Bloomberg is reporting that the Nintendo Wii sold 426,000 units and the Playstation 3 moved 244,000 in January. It's also interesting to note that the Xbox 360 had the highest drop off from December where it shipped over 1.3 million units.It's good to see that the 360 is outselling the PS3 and isn't letting its disappointing Japanese performance hinder its chances at console supremacy. But after watching the Wii make up so much ground in the last few months, does Microsoft have to worry about the Wii taking the next gen console crown?
December NPD: PC gaming on the rise, influenced by WoW factor
Each cycle of consoles brings with it the exaggerated tale of PC gaming slipping into the abyss, slowly coughing binary blood into its pillow and begging for a merciful shutdown sequence. The last batch of NPD results, recently updated to include data for PC software, indicates that PC gaming still has some life left in it. GameDaily BIZ reports that the PC sector saw revenues in excess of $970 million, a one percent increase over last year. A minimal improvement, to be sure, but a turn-around from a steady decline witnessed in the last few years. Blizzard's World of Warcraft being the biggest selling game of 2006 is no surprise, but the rest of the top ten might raise an eyebrow or two (three for our deformed mutant readers). PC gaming might not be dead, but it is being dominated by a single game -- The Sims. Five of the ten top-selling titles are part of the Sims franchise, with The Sims 2 and a duo of expansion packs besting even Bethesda's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Though WoW has several stereotypical nerd connotations, it actually boasts a lot in common with The Sims. Both have been shown to draw in male and female players, presenting experiences that unfold within as much time as the user dedicates to the game. They both center on a social experience, even though that's largely personified by lumps of polygons and AI routines in The Sims. Is a more social, more casual experience the key to retail success in PC gaming? It seems that way. It could also be attributed as the source of PC gaming's supposed death, with hardcore gamers feeling alienated and seeing fewer traditional titles climbing up the charts and onto their hard drives.
Why are software sales so low in the US?
Looking at data provided by VGCharts.org reveals an unnerving trend: the distressingly low sales of PSP software. One only has to look at Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, which sold 136,500 copies during its first month of sales in the US. While this certainly isn't a low amount, it nearly equals the number of copies sold in Japan ... in its first day of sales. Considering how the PSP has far more systems in distribution in America than Japan, shouldn't this game have sold better?The PSP system sold pretty well in December, reaching approximately a million units sold. However, the amount of software sold is dwarved by the Nintendo DS. Nintendo's portable sold through more than 5 million software sales. The PSP failed to break 1 million. The five-fold difference in sales doesn't accurately represent the hardware discrepancy: the PSP isn't trailing so drastically, in terms of hardware numbers.So, why such low PSP software sales during the holiday season? Do you blame homebrew? Or, do you blame PSP's ability to do much more than gaming: certainly, there are people that are buying the system for its other capabilities, such as its video and music playback. Did you buy a PSP game in December?
Holiday 06: 360 outsells PS3, Wii combined
Microsoft sent us a very rosy press release this morning. In the new gen war this past holiday season, Microsoft came out on top with the Xbox 360. The latest NPD numbers are in, and in December the Xbox 360 outsold both the Wii and PS3 (drumroll) combined. Of course, when you look at the real numbers, it's not quite that dramatic. On the whole, the Xbox 360 sold 1.1 million units, compared to the PS3's 490.7k units and the Wii's 604.2k units. In other words, had 5100 more Wiis been available, it would have been a tie. Also, keep in mind that the PS2 still outsold them all with 1.4 million units. Still, there is no denying that the 360 had a great holiday season. Microsoft points out that by next week, Gears of War will have sold 3 million copies in only 10 weeks -- very impressive for a new franchise. Gears of War, by the way, was also the top selling title over the holidays, beating the likes of Zelda, Guitar Hero II, and Madden 07. We're sure the gang in Redmond is pouring the champagne right about now, and with 2007 shaping up to be one of the best years in games evar, they might want to stock up on a little more bubbly. Check out the entire press release after the break, and then hit the "read" link for an expanded breakdown of the NPD figures.
December NPD: hardware sales push industry to new heights
The latest numbers escaping from poorly guarded NPD holding cells indicate that the gaming industry enjoyed a 27.8% sales increase in the month most closely associated with holidays and reckless spending. Strong hardware sales in December helped push the industry up to an annual $12.5 billion, a sizable increase compared to last year's $10.5 billion.Contrary to the figures cited in a CNBC report earlier this month, the console winner of Christmas 2006 was not the Xbox 360, but the Playstation 2. Unsurprisingly, the Nintendo DS reigned supreme in the portable arena, as well as in overall sales.NPD console sales for December 2006 DS: 1.6 million (9.2 million life-to-date) PlayStation 2: 1.4 million (37.1 million life-to-date) Xbox 360: 1.1 million (4.5 million life-to-date) PSP: 953.2k (6.7 million life-to-date) Game Boy Advance: 850.7k (35.1 million life-to-date) Wii: 604.2k (1.1 million life-to-date) PS3: 490.7k (687.3k life-to-date) The top-selling game for December was Microsoft's Gears of War, followed closely by Guitar Hero II. Rounding out the top five are Madden NFL '07 (PS2) and both versions of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Interestingly, the waggle-free version of Link's latest adventure sold around 13,000 more copies. Check out the full Gamedaily Biz article for further details, numbers and invaluable fanboy ammunition.
PSP dead? No, look at December NPD sales
I'll let the numbers speak for themselves:Nintendo DS: 1.6 millionPlayStation 2: 1.4 millionXbox 360: 1.1 millionPlayStation Portable: 0.95 millionGame Boy Advance: 0.85 millionWii: 0.60 millionPlayStation 3: 0.49 millionThis is failing? Although the PSP doesn't sell as well as the Nintendo DS, it's still quite a viable platform. With games like Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops available exclusively on the system, why wouldn't people want to pick one up?[Via IGN]
