NPD has released their console sales numbers for the U.S., for July, 2008. The next-gen console sales for the month were:
XBox 360: 204,800
PS3: 224,900
Wii: 555,000
Nintendo continues to slaughter everything in its path with the phenomenal success of its Wii console. While Sony’s sales fell from the excellent month they had in June, they still managed to once again beat Microsoft’s offering even in their home territory. Next month may finally change that trend, with the XBox 360s lowered pricing, but just how large of an effect that is having remains to be seen.
The above graph shows how well each of the three next-gen systems sold in the U.S. so far in 2008. Nintendo’s sales continue to soar, but its also noteworthy that the PS3 is starting to finally pull away from the XBox 360 in the U.S.
Still, the XBox 360 has been out a year longer than the other consoles, so here is a chart that shows the total U.S. sales of the consoles over their lifetimes.
The Wii’s line has obviously overtaken the XBox 360’s, while the PS3 continues to sell somewhat better than the 360, but isn’t making up the huge ground needed to overtake it in sales since inception.
As many people have been asking me about worldwide sales numbers, I'll go ahead and provide a screengrab from VGChartz below. While VGChartz' data is certainly interesting to look at, it must be noted that they have a smaller sample of data to work from than the NPD data for the U.S., and that they have to attempt to extrapolate data worldwide. As such, it must be assumed that the data is somewhat less accurate than the NPD data.
Worldwide sales definitely shows an even bigger trend for the Wii's dominance and the slowing sales of the Xbox 360. The PS3 is now only 25% the XBox 360 in worldwide sales, and could be beating it by the end of the year if the latest trends continue.
It’s possible, of course, that the latest round of price drops for the XBox 360 will improve that system’s dwindling fortunes, but then again, its also possible – given Microsoft’s track record – that next year will mark the release of another new system for the company. Either way, fun to watch.
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