NPD Group Releases September, 2007 U.S. Console Sales Numbers

 

NPD has released their console sales numbers for the U.S., for September, 2007.  The next-gen console sales for the month were:

XBox 360: 528,000 

PS3: 119,000

Wii: 501,000

The XBox 360 did HUGE business in September, with the release of "Halo 3" pushing the systems out the door at an unprecedented rate.  For the first time since the release of the Wii, Microsoft's system managed to come out on top, while sales of Sony's PS3 stagnated.  Sony really needs to get some AAA-rated titles out the door, and fast.  The recent price drop on the 80GB PS3 to $499, and the upcoming release of the 40GB PS3 for only $399 should go a long way toward making the system more financially feasible for many gamers in the coming months, but without titles, even a great price can only do so much.

As you can see from the chart above, the PS3 is now running about 30% below the trend line of the XBox 360 in the U.S. (Microsoft's home territory), so the new price cut in the U.S. was definitely needed.  The Wii, of course, blows away both other systems using this measurement, a testament to the low price, lower power model adopted by Nintendo.  Those who thought the Wii would just be a gimmick are being forced to take a second look at the little-system-that-could.

Obviously, the XBox 360 has been out considerably longer than the other consoles, so in the interests of fairness, here is a chart that shows the total sales of the consoles over their lifetimes.

Microsoft still has a significant lead over both other systems in the U.S. market, although the Wii has apparently taken the lead in worldwide numbers.  Sony will finally pass 2 million units sold in the U.S. next month, but that's still a long way off from where they should be.  That said, the worldwide figures for the PS3 are over 5 or 6 million now (depending on your source), so they definitely aren't dead in the water... just treading water in the U.S.

October's numbers aren't likely to show a major improvement for the PS3 but the Christmas shopping season, price cuts, and new games should sell a lot of systems in November and December.