Big three respond to August US sales
We won, shout all three, in different ways.
Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have all spun their interpretations of the US sales figures for August, which saw Madden NFL 09 dominate the software charts and Nintendo platforms romp hardware figures.
Nintendo, buoyed by consistently excellent hardware sales, got its spin in first: pointing to lifetime North American sales of 22 million DS handhelds and nearly 12 million Wii consoles.
Microsoft was more bullish in response to the data, claiming that "Xbox 360 owns sports" following Madden NFL 09 topping the software charts on the platform with over one million units sold.
And Sony pointed to PlayStation 3's success this year, stating that sales of hardware have risen 92 per cent compared to 2007, with software also growing by the same amount.
Nintendo noted that five games for Wii featured in the top ten for August: Wii Fit sold almost 395,000 copies, Mario Kart just under 329,000, Wii Play 200,000, Madden NFL 09 All-Play around 116,000, and Guitar Hero: World Tour sold over 111,000.
"The positive public response to Nintendo DS and Wii has stayed strong throughout 2008," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo US almost-marketing-boss. "New titles like Madden NFL 09 All-Play for Wii have joined top ten veterans like Wii Fit, demonstrating the wide and long-lasting appeal of Nintendo games."
For Microsoft, lifetime-to-date spending on Xbox 360 consoles and games in the US has reached USD 10.7 billion according to the NPD data, as the console installed base climbs to 10.9 million and the attach rate hits 8 games per unit.
To support claims of sports dominance, Microsoft revealed that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 sold 56,000 units in the first five days on sale on Xbox 360, while NCAA Football 09 has sold 460,000 units since release.
A total of USD 94 million (GBP 47 million) was spent on third-party games in August, with Xbox 360 generating more money than any other console: USD 4.1 billion or 58 per cent of market share, according to the company.
Hardware sales for Sony continue to climb, with more than two million PlayStation 3 units sold during 2008 in the US, up 92 per cent on last year.
And it wasn't just Microsoft that enjoyed success with EA Sports titles - sales of Madden NFL 09 on the PS3 reached 643,000 units in August, an increase of 90 per cent year-on-year compared to Madden NFL 08.
More than 263,000 copies of Soulcalibur IV have been sold for the PS3 in July and August, with Sony claiming a 38 per cent higher attach rate than on the Xbox 360.
PSP sales in August were up 67 per cent compared to the same period last year, fuelled by the NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack, which helped shift 253,012 units during the month.
Sales of the PlayStation 2 have now topped more than 42.7 million units in the US, thanks to 144,096 consoles being sold in August. The entire PlayStation brand generated USD 365 million during the month.
"We had yet another strong month for PlayStation in August, which validates that consumers are indeed recognising the long-term value that PS3 offers as both a gaming and home entertainment device," said Jack Tretton, boss of Sony America, probably itching to mention the ten-year plan.
"We also began shipping the new 80GB PS3 model in late August to address any short-term inventory transitions from the 40GB to 80GB model. We're looking forward to a solid holiday season and are excited to offer a string of unmatched content to consumers in the coming months with LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM: Confrontation, Resistance 2, and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift," he added.