NPD numbers for the month of February show Nintendo continuing to dominate the U.S. sales charts, but Microsoft says it takes more than console sales to make a winning platform.
Nintendo led the way in console sales in February with 587,600 DS units and 432,000 Wii consoles sold, accounting for almost half of all hardware sold in the month. Further, 3.6 million DS games and 2.9 million Wii games were sold, with three of the top five selling titles were released on Nintendo platforms. The Wii also topped out accessory sales in February, with 1.7 million units sold, while the DS accounted for 1.2 million.
“Our momentum has not let up since the holidays and we expect it to continue throughout the year,” said Nintendo’s Cammie Dunaway. “We have the industry’s strongest lineup of games for everyone from core to casual gamers.”
Despite Nintendo’s continuing presence at the top of the charts, however, Microsoft reported its Xbox 360 “console ecosystem” is healthy, and that the “supply constrained situation” which plagued the system in February should be revolved in time for the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV. According to the company, consumers spent $332 million on the Xbox 360 platform this month, compared to $283 million spent on the Wii and $235 million on the PlayStation 3. Xbox 360 owners also outpaced their Wii counterparts in game purchases, spending $184 million compared to $130 million, while six of the top ten console games in February were Xbox 360 titles.
Microsoft also confirmed that it is not currently in talks with either Sony or the Blu-ray Disc Association about integrating Blu-ray drives into the Xbox 360 console. “Games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest and best library of blockbuster games available,” the statement said.
