For the first time since 2007, the Xbox 360 came out victorious against the Wii. The last time that happened, a little game called Halo 3 was releasing. Seems like the Xbox 360 could have had a sales boost due to the release of Bioshock 2, which came in number one on the software top ten list. Overall though, retail sales in the U.S. video game market are down 15 percent, falling to $1.26 billion from $1.48 billion.

"Sales came in slightly better than we anticipated (privately, we were forecasting down -19 percent)," says EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich. Divnich also noted that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 hardware sales exceeded expectations. "Of course, stronger hardware numbers do influence software numbers as PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware purchasers typically purchase at least 1 software SKU attachment," he added.

While the Xbox 360 version of Bioshock 2 topped the software list, the PS3 version was nowhere to be seen. It was not all bad news for the PS3 though. PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain came in at number ten on the list, selling 219,000 copies in five days. We will see if the momentum keeps rolling for Quantic Dream's latest. And in another small victory, the PS3 version of Dante's Inferno outsold the Xbox 360 version 242,000 copies to 225,000.

Continue reading after the break for the complete rundown of hardware sales as well as the top ten list for software.

HARDWARE:

1. Nintendo DS: 613.2K
2. Xbox 360: 422.0K
3. Wii: 397.9K
4. PlayStation 3: 360.1K
5. PSP: 133.4K
6. PlayStation 2: 101.9K

SOFTWARE:

1. BioShock 2 (Xbox 360): 562.9K
2. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii): 555.6K
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360): 314.3K
4. Just Dance (Wii): 275.4K
5. Wii Sports Resort (Wii): 272.5K
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3): 252.8K
7. Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360): 246.5K
8. Dante's Inferno: Divine Edition (PS3): 242.5K
9. Dante's Inferno (Xbox 360): 224.7K
10. Heavy Rain (PS3): 219.3K

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Comments (8)

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javierdlopez said:

... "It was not all bad news for the PS3 though. PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain came in at number ten on the list, selling 219,000 copies in five days. We will see if the momentum keeps rolling for Quantic Dream's latest. And in another small victory, the PS3 version of Dante's Inferno outsold the Xbox 360 version 242,000 copies to 225,000." That's a funny way to look at things. The PS3 comes in dead last (shortages and all), and has the least amount of games in the top ten, yet we claim it as a "small victory"? If the PS3 can't sell consoles at the $299 pricepoint, they're in bigger trouble than they were in last year...

March 12, 2010

Deschain said:

... While the PS3 didn't outsell the 360 they did sell many more units than a year ago. I'm sure they'd rather be 1st on the list but the PS3 definitely improved. The software sales indicate a generalization that seems to hold true - Bioshock as a shooter is more of a 360 title and Dante's is more of fighter so more attractive to the PS3 crowd. But Sony needs to make sure they have plenty of units on shelves when God of War 3 releases otherwise it will be a big missed opportunity for them.

March 12, 2010

javierdlopez said:

... The PS3 was outsold by the DS, the 360 AND the Wii... I just bought my PS3 2 months ago and have enjoyed it thus far, but getting one was a major pain since most stores weren't carrying the 120gb ones but had plenty of stock on the 250gb models. I think Sony might have created a false shortage, and it's backfired. Those would-be customers went out and bought a 360. Opportunity lost for Sony...

March 12, 2010

otherZinc said:

... SONY did fabricate this so-called shortage, good point^^. @Deschain, Please explain why MW2 is at the top of the list for the PS3 every month? I guess its a shooters console after all? @javierdlopez, What momentum? 219k for a highly hyped exclusive is terrible, next month with 4 weeks, do you think it'll make an appearance in the top 10 NPD, I dont. Heavy Rain will sink like a rock, as it should the game is terrible, yet hyped by every podcast I listen to. Also, with all this SONY momentum, will MAG ever make a showing in the NPD top 10?

March 12, 2010

Deschain said:

... Yes but MW2 and other dual platform shooters consistently sell better on the 360. The PS3 controller (especially the triggers) are not shooter friendly. Even adding something like Real Triggers doesn't change the fact that the 360 controller is better in this regard (though still not a keyboard and mouse ). And as I noted, it's a generalization. Sure you can play shooters on the PS3. MAG, Killzone, and others including cross platform sell well there. But the 360 has dominated in shooter sales and the numbers this month indicate that's not likely to change soon.

March 12, 2010

Dew said:

... Why is anyone shocked that 360 sells better in the US than PS3 or that 360 games sell more in the US than PS3? 360 has nearly double the install of PS3 in the US. Word of mouth alone is going to sell more games for it, especially if it is a shooter. What NPD doesn't report is worldwide numbers which paints a different picture.

March 13, 2010

otherZinc said:

... @Deschain, Good points. @Dew, Even when the 360 only had 5million units in the US, a new IP called Gears of War sold 2.5 million units! The hardcore users are your early adaptors & usually the ones that support your product. The laggards are finicky buyers & are not multi-game purchasers. If your game is great the public will flock to it.

March 13, 2010

Dew said:

... @otherZinc, I'm not sure what early adopters have to do with comment since I was referring to the general trend in games/console sales in the US compared to the rest of the world. As far as I recall, the initial 360 games were pretty crap to begin with. Gears of War was the first great 360 game IMO, also from a reputable studio and that's why it took off so well.

March 16, 2010