MGS4 drives PS3 sales, but DS and Wii still in lead
NPD analyst says industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues even if growth slows during remainder of year
Sales of videogame hardware, software and accessories totaled USD 1.69 billion in June - a 53 per cent increase from the prior year.
For the first six months of 2008, US videogame sales have totaled USD 6.1 billion.
"Even if growth slows over the back half of 2008, the industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues of over USD 22 billion for the year," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.
"Looking at historical data, hardware price reductions have been a good incentive for a broader consumer base to invest in a new-gen system, which encourages continued industry growth across all categories."
Nintendo continues to lead the hardware sales, with the DS and Wii outpacing the competition. Both PSP and PS3 hardware sales outdid Xbox 360 and PS2 sales for the month.
"As expected, Metal Gear Solid 4 realized significant retail sales and drove PS3 hardware acquisition," Frazier said.
Total US hardware sales for the month of June were as follows:
- Nintendo DS 783,000
- Nintendo Wii 666,700
- PlayStation 3 405,500
- PSP 337,400
- Xbox 360 219,800
- PlayStation 2 188,800