Xbox 360 reverses plunging console sales trend
Poor month for rivals
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Games console sales in the US fell 38 per cent last month when compared to June 2008, market watcher NPD's latest numbers show.
Microsoft alone can take some solace. It was the only console maker to shift more units in June 2009 than in June 2008.
Back then, it sold 219,000 Xbox 360s. In June 2009, some 240,600 were sold.
Xbox arch-rival the Sony PlayStation 3 accounted for 164,700 units in June - well down on the 405,500 PS3 sold in June 2008.
The Nintendo Wii was also a loser, with June sales falling from 666,700 in 2008 to 361,700 in 2009.
Nintendo's handheld, the DS, experienced a much smaller year-on-year decline - 783,000 to 766,500 - but that's the result of the release of the DSi in May. Indeed, the debut of the DSi ensured that it was the only console to sell more units in the first six months of 2009 than it did in H1 2008.
June 2009 PSP sales totalled 164,500 units, down from 337,400 units in June 2008.
Overall hardware revenue totaled $382.62m for the month, down from $617.25m in June 2008.
Software sales slumped year on year, coming in 29 per cent below June 2008's figure of $875,750 to $625,790. That's the fourth monthly decline in a row.
NPD does not think games downloads have had a significant impact on the sales of physical product - which is what the company measures. This implies the sales slump reflects broader economic woes rather than a shift in games buying patterns. ®
COMMENTS
Xbox is simply the best gaming console
I should know, I'm currently waiting on my 4th replacement machine from Microsoft. But i still play it and buy games for it because it's such a good gaming machine, with a great online infastructure, better controllers, better games, better graphics and more selection.
My PS3 has sat there as an expensive ornament, briefly being used for Drakes Fortune (brilliant), Little Big Planet (over-hyped crap) and Ratchett & Clank (not as enjoyable as the PS2 versions)
The Wii was a gimmick, only decent games have been the Nintendo produced ones and they have very short lives.
I've also noticed in the shops like Game, that many of them seem to be concentrating on the PS3 the least - it's has the smallest section and an abysmal game selection.
The sad thing is that I was a huge PS2 fan and was hoping the PS3 would deliver so much more than it actually has.
Could just be the 360 is the best supported of the consoles
The PS3 is more expensive and even a cursory glance shows that it has precious few 'must have' exclusive titles whereas those available on PS3 and 360 tend to look better on the Microsoft machine. I don't know if it's lazy coding or bad support from Sony or the desperate lack of texture memory on the PS3 - but some PS3 games are running in lower resolutions than the 360, have lower frame rates and some horribly blocky textures.
As for the Wii sales falling. Simple - once you've played Wii Sports, what else is there that's worth having? The Wii is a complete bust as a games platform, Nintendo seems to have forgotten to release games for it, preferring a series of gimmicks like Wii Fit and Wii Music which don't have much long appeal and are ridiculously expensive.
I'm on my 3rd 360, whereas my PS3 and Wii have behaved perfectly; but it's clear Microsoft have won this generation of consoles - they've tapped into popular sentiment and got a compelling set of exclusives.
@Xris
I don't recall any of use ever saying Natal was bollocks. I certainly don't hate it, and I don't believe any of my colleagues do either. Get a grip.
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