It’s that time once again. Another retail month has passed and it’s time to count the coin stacks. Boy I feel just like Scrooge McDuck in his Money Bin! That or The Count from Sesame Street laughing with thunder and lightning backdrop at every number recited. ONE shiny coin *KRRKKCK* Ha Ha Ha! TWO, TWO shiny coins Ha Ha Ha!
June’s National Purchase Diary (NPD) numbers are here at last and the story remains the same as ever. Nintendo holds the charts with an increasingly tight iron fisted grip with substantial hardware sales and 6 entries in the top 10 of software sales. Let’s run through NPD’s USA estimates and see what we come up with, eh? (No, I’m not Canadian)
Nintendo’s DS remains the foam on gaming’s root beer float with 561,900 little fliptops sold for June. In May, the stylish system with a stylus moved 423,000 units so this increase shows that summer break is good nourishment for DS sales. DS obviously stands for Dollars in Summer.
Nintendo’s Wii once again backs up its handheld sibling with 381,800 pearl white cases sold for the June-bugs. For May, the one that glows with an eerie blue light sold 338,000 of its kind so Wii seems to be showing its consistency in this three hundred thousand range. Imagine the numbers if the doggone things weren’t so hard to find!
Sony’s PlayStation Portable shows that portables are where it’s at with 290,100 sleek systems sold in June. This May, the powerhouse-in-a-pocket turned over 221,000 from the shelves to the cash register showing a steady rise in month-to-month sales. The price drop has done wonders!
Sony’s Playstation 2 tells the world the 6th generation doesn’t end until they SAY it does bringing home 270,760 for June sales tallies. In May, the slimline design sold 188,000 to gameplayers showing that blood still flows through those electronic veins with the apparent increase. Who thinks this system will keep making this impact for year 8? I’m inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Microsoft’s XBox 360 shows the green rings of life coming in at 198,400 sold for Papa’s month. As for May, the lean mean green machine ushered 155,000 into the plastic shopping bags of the wallet-heavy creating an increase between the two months. The American console entrenches its influence in this highly competitive market.
Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance defies all rationality uncannily bringing in 113,870 in sales for School’s Out month. In the May books, the GBA jotted down 80,554 or a rounded 80,600 for the record maybe adding credence to Nintendo’s third pillar market philosophy at least for here. Why is this outdated handheld still here charting like this and why is it consistently beating out a 7th generation console of power? Tell me, why?
Sony’s PlayStation 3 struggles on with a paltry figure of 98,500 for Summer’s debut. If I “May”, I’d like to display PS3’s moving of 81,600 ebony heavyweights showing that while it’s an increase it’s simply a poor showing for a current 7th gen console. Things are going to seriously have to start turning around for this console else I worry for its future.
Nintendo’s Gamecube looks to be dead as far as The NPD Group is concerned. Regardless of May’s Gamecube figures of 10,728 rounded down to 10,700, NPD just felt that the colorful hexahedron of fun wasn’t worth the effort any longer. For everyone’s favorite purple lunchbox school’s out for summer, school’s out for ever. Thanks for the good PB&Js, Gamecube. You’ll be missed. *sniff*
The industry of videogaming as a whole witnessed a 31% elevation to make $1.1 billion for the month. Of this billion and some change, hardware sales leapt up 34% to make $399 million and its software sales bounced up 22% making $543 million. All percentages and totals speak of year-to-year comparisons (comparing June 2007 to June 2006). With the first 6 months of the year spent, comparing 1st half of 2007 to the prior year’s 1st half, we get total industry sales of $6.1 billion—a 43% increase. Of this substantial total, 1st half hardware sales come up with $2.3 billion—a 71% bounce—and 1st half software sales show $2.9 billion—a 24% bump. All figures in US Dollars of course. Gaming gets more and more robust every day!
Now for your reference list of big players in software and hardware sales as told by The NPD Group:
NPD’s Top Hardware Sales in June:
Nintendo DS – 561,900
Nintendo Wii – 381,800
Sony PlayStation Portable – 290,100
Sony PlayStation 2 – 270,760
Microsoft XBox 360 – 198,400
Nintendo Game Boy Advance – 113,870
Sony PlayStation 3 – 98,500
Nintendo Gamecube – R.I.P.
NPD’s Top Ten Software Sales in June:
1. Mario Party 8 (Wii) – 426,200
2. Wii Play (Wii) – 293,200
3. Pokémon Diamond (DS) – 288,400
4. Pokémon Pearl (DS) – 214,700
5. Forza Motorsport 2 (X360) – 197,400
6. Guitar Hero II (PS2) – 197,350
7. Guitar Hero II (X360) – 177,600
8. Pokémon Battle Revolution (Wii) – 157,900
9. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii) – over 150,000*
10. The Darkness (X360) – under 150,000*
*NPD did not release the figures for the #9 and #10 entries in the software charts for some reason. I used educated estimates based on research to fill in the approximate estimates.
NPD also put in top ten software sales rankings for the running 1st half of 2007:
NPD’s Top Ten Software Sales to date for 2007:
1. Pokémon Diamond (DS)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. Pokémon Pearl (DS)
4. God of War II (PS2)
5. Guitar Hero II (PS2)
6. Guitar Hero II (X360)
7. Mario Party 8 (Wii)
8. Crackdown (X360)
9. Diddy Kong Racing (DS)
10. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
Heh, the way things are going I wouldn’t be surprised if NPD was named the Nintendo Purchase Diary. Would be convenient, don’cha think? They already come with their own coin sound effect after all. *Ba-KLINNNG*
