October NPD: Wii, DS dethrone Xbox 360

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 15th 2007 at 7:34PM }

After the NPD group's short-lived hesitation in providing monthly US console sales data spawned many an unhappy emoticon, it comes as a great relief to present October's magnificent results. This is especially true considering that all platforms have ducked out of last month's Halo effect and returned to their familiar positions -- the Wii and DS are back on top and the PlayStation 3 is, well, you know.

GameDaily notes that the industry once again saw over $1 billion dollars leaving wallets at uncanny speeds, placing total sales for the year (through October) at $10.5 billion. At the same time last year, the amount had "just" reached $7 billion.

Nintendo Wii: 519K (5 million total)
Nintendo DS: 458K (13.6 million total)
Microsoft Xbox 360: 366K (7.1 million total)
Sony PSP: 286K (8.8 million total)
Sony PlayStation 2: 184K (39.4 million total)
Sony PlayStation 3: 121K (1.9 million total)

Halo 3 continued to top the software top 10 (US sales now total 3.7 million copies), followed by multiple versions of Activision's hugely successful strummer, Guitar Hero III: Somewhat Superfluous Subtitle. Unsurprisingly, the PS2 versions sold in the greatest numbers, followed by the Xbox 360 and Wii packages. And don't ask us about the whereabouts of the PS3 version. That question is better directed at fellow absentees, Ratchet & Clank.

Halo 3 (all three SKUs - Xbox 360) -- 433.8K
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (Xbox 360) -- 383.2K
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (Wii) -- 286.3K
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (PS2) -- 271.1K
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) -- 262.8K
Wii Play (Wii) -- 239.7K
The Orange Box (Xbox 360) -- 238.4K
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock standalone (PS2) -- 231.7K
FIFA Soccer '08 (PS2) -- 129.7K
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (DS) -- 116.9K

Tags: BreakingNews, GH3, Guitar-Hero, GuitarHero, GuitarHero3, Halo3, legendofzelda, NPD, orangebox, zelda

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

playwhutyalike (take my shoes off) @ Nov 15th 2007 7:41PM

That Wii-mote is huge!

Off to play some Galaxy.

Nick the Hero of Canton @ Nov 15th 2007 7:45PM

Im trying to come up with a play on "One ring to rule them all" to reflect the Red Rings of Death but I'm...just not clever enough. Bah.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 15th 2007 8:27PM

oh I got one.

"One waggle to control them all."

Clack @ Nov 15th 2007 9:08PM

I'm just happy to see you!

ELUNO @ Nov 15th 2007 9:09PM

@spoo
Maybe it's because there are 7.1 million 360s out there while there are 5 million Wiis?
Which accounts for roughly 30% less consoles which could translate to an even number of sales of guitar hero.

spoo @ Nov 15th 2007 7:45PM

The Wii and DS is selling but the software still isn't. Is this good for gaming? Or is it just good for Nintendo?

Obie @ Nov 15th 2007 8:22PM

Yeah it is odd. It will be interesting to see how Galaxy sales will fare during the holidays. But then Smash should be the next big hit on the system early next year.

F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Nov 15th 2007 8:24PM

And how about the PS3? I don't see a single PS3 title in that list.

Brello @ Nov 15th 2007 8:38PM

4 out of the top ten are belonging to Nintendo, I'm missing your point. Also, 4 out of the top ten are Guitar Hero. Seems to me everything's doing fine. Apparently PS3s are said to be selling well so far in November, so maybe the list will be a little tighter next month.

severian00 @ Nov 15th 2007 8:38PM

The only reason the 360 dropped off is that the consoles are in short supply right now. All you can usually find right now is the Halo Edition which is a shaft job now that all the consoles have an HDMI port. I think as soon as MS gets their feet under them and gets consoles into the market, you'll find that the numbers go back up to the half million + that you were seeing last month.

As for the Wii hardware to software attach, I've always said it was bad for nintendo that their main customer is now soccer moms and grandparents. They are buying the Wii for Wii sports and that's it. WiiPlay should be considered hardware and shouldn't be on the list. Oh well.

spoo @ Nov 15th 2007 9:01PM

@Brello

Wii GHIII sold 100K units less than the 360 counter part of GHIII, that is almost 30% less than the 360 version and it sold for $10 less.

Wii Play isn't a game... as it is a bonus that comes with an extra remote. I disregard Wii Play and isn't much different than counting Wii Play as number one with 519K sold.

What I'm saying is that the Wii's number 1 seller for the month sold 100K less units than the 360's version.

Will Mario Galaxy be number 1 next month or will Call of Duty 4 be on top with the upset?

spoo @ Nov 15th 2007 9:08PM

Correction Wii Sports as number one, not Wii Play. Doh!

Clack @ Nov 15th 2007 9:12PM

"Wii GHIII sold 100K units less than the 360 counter part of GHIII, that is almost 30% less than the 360 version and it sold for $10 less."

Uh oh, breaking out the mad math skills on us. Let me try this.

The XB360 has sold approximately 42% more consoles in the US than the Wii (enjoy that lead while it lasts). If the Wii version sold 30% less than the XB360 version, it means that more players per capita wanted the Wii version.

Wii owners buy more games than XB360 owners! I love spin :p

Mmmm.CAKE @ Nov 15th 2007 9:49PM

the PS2 knocked it off sad isnt it. big brother is knocking it around after being there for 7 years.

Rubang B (BRUSH WITH FAME) @ Nov 15th 2007 9:52PM

While the Wii outsold the PS3 4.2:1, Wii software outsold PS3 software 5:1. So Wii software's doing better than you think. It's just getting overshadowed by the behemoth of recent 360 sales.

Shagittarius @ Nov 15th 2007 9:56PM

Way to throw Wii Sports and Wii play in there towards software totals even though no one buys those packages for the software.

Way to spin it rubang, why don't you redo the numbers without the pack in or controller sales...doesn't look very good then. Subtract all the first party software and the Wii sells almost nothing. Keep spinning though, its really entertaining to watch the nintendo monkies dance.

Rubang B (BRUSH WITH FAME) @ Nov 15th 2007 11:09PM

Yes it's Shagi, King of the Trolls! Please continue to ignore my posts in every other thread asking for your sources every time you lie or spread random FUD.

For a year straight the Wii has dominated hardware and the 360 has dominated software, but the 360 has been a consistent 2nd place in hardware and the Wii has been a consistent 2nd place in software. They're both doing great and making money. Personally I prefer one over the other, but it does not affect my ability to do simple math or to admit I was wrong when I make a bad prediction. PS3 has bombed in both hardware and software. How am I wrong? There are numbers at the top of this page if you scroll up, your highness.

spoo @ Nov 15th 2007 11:23PM

@Clack

With that same reasoning the PS2 version should have sold the most right? Also 1 million+ copies of Guitar Hero II sold this year for the 360 already.

I'm no fanboy and sales mean nothing to me, but I find it surprising that month after month the Wii sales a bunch of consoles but they have a hard time having software on the charts and I thought Wii GHIII would be number 1.

"*enjoy that lead while it lasts*"
NO lead to enjoy, I want what is best for gaming not what has the bigger numbers.

The DS is the number one selling platform but I can't recall one month that that it really had a kick ass software month outside of Pokemon. The Wii seems to follow in it's footsteps (replace Pokemon with a title that starts with Wii something). I don't like seeing this trend for the sake of my hobby, or not for the sake of my favorite console having the top 2 selling titles month after month.

I want to know if our hobby can withstand this trend, or in the near future it will change.

*Goes back to playing Mario Galaxy.

Clack @ Nov 16th 2007 3:58AM

"The DS is the number one selling platform but I can't recall one month that that it really had a kick ass software month outside of Pokemon. The Wii seems to follow in it's footsteps (replace Pokemon with a title that starts with Wii something). I don't like seeing this trend for the sake of my hobby, or not for the sake of my favorite console having the top 2 selling titles month after month.

I want to know if our hobby can withstand this trend, or in the near future it will change."

I think what has been happening is a good thing. Consumers are voting with their wallets that they don't want hardware prices going up every generation to where they approach decent PC levels. This will knock prices down for the next generation of hardware, and cause quicker 360 and PS3 price cuts as they scramble to keep the Wii from leaving them in the dust.

Also, like it or not, the Wii is the most 'next-gen' of the systems out right nwo. It has introduced an accurate pointing device with smooth motion sensing to console gaming, a far greater accomplishment than upping the resolution. My biggest disappointment so far is that the genres that would benefit most from using a mouse-like interface (RPGs, RTSs, FPSs) are sorely underrepresented on the system (MoH:H2 was a nice addition on the FPS side). And WTF was Nintendo thinking not adding pointer functionality to Fire Emblem? It would have been a no brainer buy for me if they had.

Mark my words, the next iteration of hardware from M$ and Sony will feature waggle with not-so-upgraded hardware, while Nintendo will make a few refinements to their waggle and take a big step up in hardware when the time is right (ie: when more people actually care about HD).

Shockgamer @ Nov 15th 2007 7:46PM

Ratchet and Clank Bomba.
Zack and Wiki Bomba.
Wii rises to heaven.
PS3 falls to hell.

cc123 @ Nov 15th 2007 7:50PM

You missed one.

PGR4 Bomba.

colin @ Nov 15th 2007 9:58PM

only difference is pgr 4 wasn't that highly anticipated nor viewed as a "system savior"

cc123 @ Nov 16th 2007 8:10AM

When the hell did PGR4 not become anticipated???

Stop making shit up.

Dirf @ Nov 16th 2007 9:14AM

You're kidding, right? Forza 2 was highly anticipated. PGR series is just a series people buy waiting for the next version of Forza, nothing more. It isn't a system seller, and never was. Not many people were looking forward to this game. At all.

cc123 @ Nov 16th 2007 9:27AM

The PGR series sells more than Forza!

I never said system seller. The last 3 PGRs have all sold over a million copies each. And now you idiots are telling me it wasn't anticipated. Oh please...

FM @ Nov 15th 2007 7:49PM

Wii Play is STILL in there good god..

syco @ Nov 15th 2007 8:04PM

It's a $10 game, what do you expect?

F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Nov 15th 2007 8:29PM

You still have to pay $50 dlls.

ColossalHat @ Nov 15th 2007 7:50PM

A red ring to rule them all. A red ring to find them. A red ring to piss them off and, with small text blind them.

maybe?

ColossalHat @ Nov 15th 2007 7:50PM

A red ring to rule them all. A red ring to find them. A red ring to piss them off and, with small text blind them.

maybe?

Mrfreezie @ Nov 15th 2007 7:50PM

I'm very shocked that The Orange Box didn't make more. Kinda disappointing. Oh well, that's the only disappointing thing about the game :)

WiNG @ Nov 15th 2007 10:22PM

maybe it doesn't inclue steam sales

Nick the Hero of Canton @ Nov 15th 2007 7:50PM

Damnit...I hit reply on my above comment...bah.

Hyams @ Nov 15th 2007 7:51PM

Wow, the PS3 is really getting raped in the US.

Thankfully, it's not doing quite so bad elsewhere. A quick looky at some simple stats:

360 sales in US: 7.1 mil
Total 360 sales: 13.4 mil
-- US sales account for over HALF of 360 total sales.

PS3 sales in US: 1.9 mil
Total PS3 sales: 5.6 mil
-- US sales account for just under ONE THIRD of PS3 total sales.

So yeah, I just wanted to put this in before we get fanbois screaming "TEH PS3 FINAL NAIL ZOMFG!"

SoulBlade @ Nov 15th 2007 7:58PM

good numbers.. but logic never wins against fantards

WedgeTalon @ Nov 15th 2007 8:38PM

Actually, according to: http://vgchartz.com/

The Wii has outsold the PS3 in Japan 2.81:1
Which is practically the same margin the PS3 has outsold the 360 by in Japan: 2.75:1

The Wii has outsold the PS3 2.41:1 worldwide
The 360 has outsold the PS3 2.29:1 worldwide
The 360 has outsold the PS3 2:1 in Other Areas (non-US or Japan)

And finally, the DS has outsold the PSP just over 2:1 worldwide.

So while the coffin may not be nailed shut, the PS3 isn't doing too hot in comparison.

Hyams @ Nov 15th 2007 8:49PM

Everyone knows the Wii is a miniture god of awesomeness when it comes to sales. But it's not in direct competition with the PS3 or 360, because many people are picking one up alongside their PS3 or 360.

It's only the competition with the PS3 and 360 that really matters in this light. And your stats are hardly damning for the PS3 - the 360 has been out twice as long, and has sold twice as much. As each year goes by, assuming sales stay the same, this gap will close.

But the PS3 is still picking up momentum, with a lot (read: almost all) of its biggest hitters not yet released, so it's not unfair to suggest that PS3 sales will increase at a greater rate than 360 sales, closing the gap even faster.

Sony aren't likely to dominate this gen, but they're certainly not going to end up as the next Gamecube.

Rubang B (BRUSH WITH FAME) @ Nov 15th 2007 8:58PM

Of course the PS3 won't be like the next GameCube, because the GameCube was within 2 million of 2nd place, and the PS3 is well... a little farther behind than that.

Clack @ Nov 15th 2007 8:59PM

"Sony aren't likely to dominate this gen, but they're certainly not going to end up as the next Gamecube."

Actually, that's exactly where they're headed. The Gamecube only finished a couple of million units behind the XBOX worldwide. Less than a 10% margin. I'd bet money that when the dust settles there will be less than a 10% margin in the number of XB360s sold vs PS3s. I do personally believe Sony will finish second, but they won't overtake the 360 for a couple of years.

Silent Xenocide @ Nov 15th 2007 9:46PM

Hyams, I would like to know how the ps3 is "closing the gap" when the 360 is selling 3 times as much?

Hyams @ Nov 16th 2007 6:37AM

Silent Xenocide: Because - and maybe you aren't taught this in school, so I'll tell you here - America is not the whole world.

If you look at worldwide figures, you'll see they're selling roughly the same amount. (Note that the worldwide sales figures I used above are from September 30th, so the Halo Effect is in place, and the PS3 hasn't had the recent price cut yet.)

kitron @ Nov 15th 2007 7:53PM

I have a wii and a xbox360, last time I turned on the wii was 2 months ago. I can't believe people still buying that like crazy. Good job Nintendo I say.

Between COD4, Halo3, Crysis, Bioshock, Assassin's Creed
I have no room for anything else.

Slaziman @ Nov 16th 2007 8:08AM

So you are saying that your dumbass bought Assasin's Creed instead of Super Mario Galaxy?

You don't deserve a Wii

unosturgis @ Nov 18th 2007 12:04AM

haha owned by slaziman

Scott @ Nov 15th 2007 7:56PM

"Guitar Hero III: Somewhat Superfluous Subtitle. Unsurprisingly, the PS2 versions sold in the greatest numbers, followed by the Xbox 360 and Wii packages.

#2 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (Xbox 360) -- 383.2K
#3 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (Wii) -- 286.3K
#4 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (PS2) -- 271.1K"

Your statement doesn't agree with the chart.