November NPD: Everyone's a winner

Except your bank balance. Much like the annual migration of the Christmas Island red crabs, November sees consumer money move en masse from wallets and into ravenous cash registers -- no amount of intervention can stop it. According to the NPD's latest US video game sales data, the industry incurred sales of a staggering $2.63 billion, with console hardware in particular making up $771 million. Software was the big winner though (chart after the break), with sales rising 74% to $1.1 billion.

If you want to talk winners in terms of internet flamefests, you'd best mention Nintendo and its continued ability to trump everyone else at the table. The Nintendo DS flew off shelves at a rate so alarming, you'd think it's an essential requirement for survival. In certain aspects, it is -- if you turned down your child's request for one, you'll likely wake up on Christmas morning with an axe planted in your face. As you might expect, Nintendo's other system also bested its console counterparts, though it's the sort of race where you win a gold medal even when you come in dead last. Congratulations PlayStation 3, that price cut finally put you on the (very large and crowded) podium!

- DS Lite: 1.53m 1.07m (234%)
- Wii: 981K 462K (89%)
- Xbox 360: 770K 404K (110%)
- PSP: 567K 281K (98%)
- PS2: 496K 312K (169%)
- PS3: 466K 345K (285%)
You barely need our vague commentary at this point, but in case simple charts confuse and bewilder you, know that Call of Duty 4, Super Mario Galaxy and Assassin's Creed were really, really popular.

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) -- 1.57m
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) -- 1.12m
3. Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360) -- 980K
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) -- 967K
5. Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) -- 564KK
6. Mass Effect (Xbox 360) -- 473K
7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3) -- 444K
8. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) -- 426K
9. Halo 3 (Xbox 360) -- 387K
10. Assassin's Creed (PS3) -- 377K