iTWire - Wii overtakes Xbox 360 in US

TAG

Wii overtakes Xbox 360 in US – now leads the world

by Mike Bantick

Friday, 18 July 2008

Despite a somewhat lacklustre showing at E3 this year, folks are flocking to the Wii’s wares as Nintendo takes a grip on the US market.

Via 1up come the June NPD sales numbers figures for gaming software and hardware in the U.S market.

In a nutshell, the Wii has now surpassed the Xbox 360 in total sales and spurred by rampant Metal Gear Solid 4 purchases, the PlayStation 3 was doing its own hotcakes impersonation.

June 2008 Hardware Sales

* Nintendo DS -- 783,000
* Wii -- 666,700
* PlayStation 3 -- 405,500
* PSP -- 337,4000
* Xbox 360 -- 219,800
* PlayStation 2 -- 188,800

For PS3 the June figures reflected a rise of almost 100 percent over the May shipments of 208,700 units.

The bundling marketing strategy also seems to be working for Sony, with MGS4 hitting the top of software charts, with the bundle representing pretty much the increase in PS3 hardware sales since May.
North Americans obviously have a soft spot for Indiana Jones, with the LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures snaffling 3 top ten places.

June 2008 Software Sales

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) -- 774,600 (Roughly 1 million including bundles)
Guitar Hero On Tour (DS) -- 422,300
Ninja Gaiden II (Xbox 360) -- 372,700
Wii Fit (Wii) -- 372,700
Wii Play (Wii) - 359,100
Battlefield: Bad Company (Xbox 360) -- 346,800
Mario Kart Wii (Wii) -- 322,400
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure (Wii) -- 294,500
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure (DS) -- 267,800
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure (PS2) -- 260,300