Microsoft Responds To April NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

Despite just narrowly beating out its higher priced, current gen high definition console competition, Microsoft sounds like it's pretty pleased with its April performance, at least on paper. And despite being outsold near four to one by the standard definition competition, the Xbox 360 manufacturer sounded almost ecstatic about its Grand Theft Auto IV numbers.

Microsoft's favorite numbers were its games per console attach rate (7.6!), spending to date on the "Xbox 360 experience" ($9.7 billion) and the roman numeral "IV" which it tossed around an impressive eight times in a post NPD release statement.

It even busted out review scores, saying "Not only are we selling more games, games play better on the Xbox 360. Xbox 360 has 91 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher, compared to just 50 for PS3 and 22 for Wii." Alright! Let's party! First place in the U.S. ain't gonna last much longer.

Nintendo Responds To April NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

With such stellar Wii and Nintendo DS sales, Nintendo has a right to gloat. Even the almighty God would look the other way if Messrs. Fils-Aime and Iwata exhibited a bit of pride today. Nintendo was so pleased with its U.S. sales performance for April—in which it sold over 700,000 Wiis and 400,000 Nintendo DSs—that it distributed its statement before NPD figures were released. That's either confidence or a desire to leave the office by 5 PM at the latest.

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America EVP of Sales & Marketing said in a statement “Our belief in appealing to a broad, diverse audience of players continues to resonate with consumers, and we look forward to continuing our outreach to an expanded audience with the launch of Wii Fit next week.” Representative mascot Duffman said, "Duffman!"

Nintendo also noted in its statement that Super Smash Bros. Brawl passed the 3 million units in sales in the U.S. last month. Gosh! People really like that Smash Bros.! Quoted statement follows.

Video Game Industry Has $1.2 Billion April, Confirms It's Made Of Money

According to the latest NPD Group sales data, April 2008 was pretty darn good for the video game industry, with $1.23 billion dollars in sales in the United States. Yes, cigars are being lit with hundreds, champagne corks are being sabered and who knows what's being snorted off what based on the news. Oh, a refreshing Coors Light may even be knocked back. That billion-plus April is a big improvement—47% to be exact—over the previous April, which saw a paltry $839 million sum from American consumers. April's billion and change take contributes to a year-to-date $5.47 billion for the industry so far. In case you're wondering that's a lot of money.

Here's how it all breaks down. Brace yourself for more millions and more percentage growth talk.

• Hardware - $426.2 million (+26%)
• Software - $654.7 million (+68%)
• Accessories - $154 million (+39%)

GTA IV Whacks The April Competition, Mario Kart Grabs Second

Wii Dominates April, PS3 & Xbox 360 In Dead Heat On GTA IV Sales

Nintendo had an amazing April, pushing over 700,000 Wiis in the United States. That's a massive difference from its "current gen high definition console" competition, as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were neck and neck, only a thousand units difference between the two. If you were expecting a big boost from Grand Theft Auto IV's release, you're going to leave disappointed. Maybe next month. Nintendo's other platform, the DS continued to impress, more than doubling sales of the PSP.

• Wii - 714,200
• Nintendo DS - 414,800
• PSP - 192,000
• Xbox 360 - 188,000
• PlayStation 3 - 187,100
• PlayStation 2 - 124,400

MS Still Thinks It Can Win The Console War, Xbox 360 Pushes Past 10 Million In U.S.

With a reported 9.9 million Xbox 360s sold through in the United States as of the end of March, something catastrophic would have had to happen to prevent Microsoft from reaching the 10 million mark first. Fortunately for the gang in Redmond, the company has avoided certain doom, announcing that it has reached the corporately coveted figure, beating NPD estimates by a day.

Don Mattrick, the *deep breath* Senior Vice President of the Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment and Devices Division, said in a statement that "History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle." Microsoft also points out that it leads worldwide, with a 19 million strong install base and 12 million Xbox Live users.

Impressive numbers? Absolutely. Expect to hear "But we got there fastest, not first!" and/or "Not my problem!" any second now.

NPD's PC Sales Charts April 20-26

NPD's PC Sales Charts Apr 6-12

Microsoft Responds To March NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

Sony Responds To March NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

Bit of an up-and-down month for Sony. The fact the PS3 couldn't quite repeat last month's performance, and slid back behind the 360, must sting in some sensitive places at Sony HQ, but then the strong performance of the PSP and the continued staying power of the ol' PS2 go a long way towards making up for that.

In terms of today's victory spin, Sony's decided to take a slightly different approach, and rather than relying on combined, Predaking-esque sales figures has instead invoked the terrible power of the Sony brand name itself, with SCEA's Jack Tretton saying "It is proof that, in these economically challenging times, consumers recognize the long-term value of our platforms and the tremendous heritage of our brand in delivering the best entertainment experience".

Nintendo Responds To March NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

March was a big month for Nintendo. Then again, every month is a big month for Nintendo. Not only did they once again take the #1 & 2 spot on the hardware charts, but they also had the top-selling game for the month in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As you'd expect, the constant winning has dulled their celebratory urges, with this month's victory speech sounding a little familiar.

Last month, Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing, was all about "momentum". This month? She's all about "momentum", saying "Nintendo systems represented 58 percent of all video game hardware sold in March in the United States. We expect our momentum to continue with big upcoming game launches like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fi".

Nintendo Takes March, 360 & PS3 Neck-And-Neck

Nintendo atop the monthly NPD hardware charts? You do. Not. Say. Nintendo consoles again kicked the collective asses of the competition, with the Wii coming in at #1 and the DS at #2. But that's not the interesting part. You knew that was coming. No, the interesting part comes in looking at the four non-Nintendo consoles. And how only 81,000 units separates third from last.

The 360 can't be in that short supply, as it sold 262,000 units, still managing to (just) beat out the PS3. The PS2, well it kept on being relevant, but all three were beaten by the resurgent PSP, of which 297,000 were sold during the month.

Smash Bros. Dojos Past The Competition To Take #1 Spot In March

72% Of U.S. Plays Video Games

Sony Responds To February NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

The PlayStation 2 certainly went beyond our own expectations last month, but even Sony says that its February sales from the NPD Group were a "surprise and delight." On the PlayStation 3 front, the company rubs its PlayStation 3 sales in Microsoft's face, starting off its statement with mention of the "sales eclipse" the console had over the Xbox 360. Great, kid. Don't get cocky.

Some quick addition on Sony's part reveals that, with the help of the PSP, 875,969 hardware units across the PlayStation family were sold to gamers in the US of A. It capitalizes on another carefully chosen figure, pointing to $511 million in sales across the brand, more than Microsoft and Nintendo.

The official statement puts a big focus on the future, with CEO Jack Tretton quoted as saying "Consumers are recognizing the tremendous value of PS3 and we believe that Blu-ray becoming the high-def format of choice was the tipping point for many consumers. With monster titles like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Grand Theft Auto IV launching in April and Metal Gear Solid 4 in June, we're demonstrating this is the year for PS3." Hurrah! The whole thing is below.

Nintendo Responds To February NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

With over a million hardware units sold across the Wii and Nintendo DS, nearly half of all hardware, Nintendo seems to be pretty stoked about the February it had. Software-wise, the company's own Wii Play continues to astound, pushing big Wii remote numbers. Sega and Activision saw big numbers on its DS and Wii platforms, respectively, which means another big fat third party royalty check is on its way.

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing seemed most excited about everyone's favorite unquantifiable measurement, "momentum."

Nintendo reveals a handful of new numbers, showing that gamers snapped up 3.6 million Nintendo DS games and 2.9 million Wii games last month. Approximately 1.7 million accessories were purchased for Wii, with 1.2 million for the DS. That's an amazing amount of styli. Congrats, Nintendo!

U.S. Game Industry Pulled In $1.33 Billion In February

February was what financial experts call a "damn good month" for the video game industry, with $1.33 billion in sales, according to the NPD Group. That's better than January's take and a 34% boost over the previous February. The billion-plus haul was made possible by $480 million hardware spending, $668.7 million in software spending and $185.3 million spent on accessories. That's a lot of millions.

The year to date sales, just January and February, are 12% above the same period in 2007, according to NPD analyst Anita Frazier. Industry sales indicates things aren't slowing, even as the US economy shows signs of softening. And good for them, I say. Who doesn't love to see billions of dollars going to our entertainers?

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