Big three claim triumphs in May NPD sales
Sony and Microsoft continue GTA IV battle, but Nintendo steers clear of calling out rivals
Following the release of NPD sales figures for May, all three format holders have responded to the sales data claiming dominance in various areas of the market.
Sony led with its hardware sales dominance over Microsoft, pointing out it had sold 208,709 PlayStation 3 units during May – over 22,000 more units than the Xbox 360.
Software sales for Sony were up 234 per cent from this time last year, with Grand Theft Auto IV, Haze and SingStar leading the 1.26 million units of stock shifted during the month.
Again, SCEA was keen to point out that GTA IV has a 32 per cent attach rate to US PS3 owners, with the company stressing this is a 6 per cent higher attach rate than on Xbox 360.
"The dual platform release of the much anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV title reaffirmed its legacy on the PlayStation platform with a 6 percent higher attach rate than Xbox 360, reinforcing consumer choice of PS3," commented Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA.
In response, Microsoft pointed out that the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV outsold the PS3 version by 2:1, and that the Xbox 360 generates more dollars at retail for third party publishers – USD 110 million was spent on third-party Xbox 360 games during May.
Since launch, the Xbox 360 has generated USD 3.9 billion at retail for third-party publishers. Microsoft sold 187,000 consoles during May.
With Wii sales of 675,089 and DS sales of 452,608, Nintendo had no reason to call out the competition in its statement.
The Wii represented 63 per cent of all current-generation consoles sold in May, with the DS accounting for 71 per cent of the portable market.
The company claims that the sales success of Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit shows consumers are willing to embrace new ways of interacting with home consoles, with both titles making use of additional peripherals.
"The Wii Wheel and Wii Balance Board accessories make gameplay fun for new gamers while presenting new challenges for those who have been playing a long time," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales and Marketing.
"The diversity of the seven Nintendo games represented in NPD’s top 10 for May demonstrates how Nintendo has something for everyone."