NPD: Wii Outsells Xbox, PS3 in January
The Nintendo Wii continues to be a consumer favorite, according to sales data for January released by the NPD Group Wednesday. Meanwhile, the aging PlayStation 2 edged out the Xbox 360 for the number two spot.
Nintendo's next-generation console remains a big hit, selling some 436,000 units during the month in the United States, and had two titles in the top ten bestselling games. That number isn't too far off from its December sales -- traditionally the highest selling month -- when it sold some 604,000 units.
Sony came in second, but not with the PlayStation 3. Instead, the PS2 continued to show strength, barely topping the Xbox 360 with 299,000 units and two titles at #3 and #6 in the bestseller's list.
Xbox 360 sales showed the biggest cooloff after a blockbuster month where it sold some 1.1 million units. NPD said 294,000 consoles were sold, and altogether three titles, including #1 game "Lost Planet: Extreme Condition" made the top ten.
The PlayStation 3 kept the pace, coming in fourth, selling 249,000 units. However, only one game made the top ten: "Resistance: Fall of Man" at #8.
Total video game sales of both hardware and software reached $1.3 billion in January, with game sales comprising $549 million of that total. NPD said sales were up by 50 percent from the year previous, although noted the survey period this year was slightly longer than last year's.