NPD data is flowing in for the holiday season, with Nintendo and Microsoft being the big winners.
As expected, the Nintendo DS trounced all other hardware platforms, with nearly 8.5 million sold, including more than 4 million in November and December alone. Wii placed second, with nearly 6.3 million sold through the year, more than 2.3 million of which sold in the final two months.
Tooting its own horn, Nintendo pointed out that it accounted for 52 percent of all video game hardware systems sold in 2007, more than all other manufacturers combined.
Yet in terms of videogame software sales, the picture was much rosier for Microsoft and its Xbox 360 than it was for Nintendo and its Wii or Sony and its PlayStation 3. According to the NPD Group, 11 of the top 20 best-selling next-gen titles in 2007 were on Xbox 360, while seven were sold on Wii and two on the PS3.
These software sales perhaps contributed to the overall sales results for Xbox 360, which continues to outsell the PS3 (ed. note: even though in this editor’s opinion, the PS3 is a much better piece of hardware). According to the NPD Group, Xbox 360 sold 1.3 million consoles in December, a month during which Sony sold 798,000 PS3 units. Since the launch of the PS3 and Wii, Xbox 360 has outsold PS3 nearly two to one (on average), with a total U.S. Xbox 360 install base of 9.2 million, compared to an install base of 7.4 million Wiis and 3.3 million PS3s.
So what’s the tale of the tape? Well, Nintendo wins all in terms of hype, hardware sales and install base, but Microsoft and its Xbox 360 are pretty happy campers too. In 2007, the Xbox 360 saw $4.8 billion in total consumer spend, compared to $3.5 billion for the Wii and $2.2 billion for the PlayStation 3. All told, NPD Group reports that consumers have spent nearly 45 percent of total industry figures on Xbox 360.
