January NPD: PS3 and PS2 top 360, everyone down for the month

by Christopher Grant { Feb 14th 2008 at 7:35PM }

After the ridiculous flurry of green arrows we saw in our December NPD numbers post, it's a little disheartening to see all these red arrows. Sure, every month can't have a Consumermas in it (we know, we've asked) so consider that when comparing this month's console sales to the same period last year. Though NPD's sales of $1.18 billion for January are actually down 6% from last year, when considered on a weekly basis (as our pals at GameDaily BIZ wisely point out, NPD tracked five weeks in January of '07, and only four for January '08) sales were actually up 18%. See, not so depressing.

Breaking down those console sales, most notable is the Xbox 360's nosedive thanks in no small part to those retail shortages they preemptively helpfully pointed out this morning. Meanwhile the PlayStation 3 seems to have really benefitted from the Blu-ray format's massive coup – and the CES press-storm that surrounded it – in early January. (Okay, and we imagine being on store shelves doesn't hurt.) The other figures are rather self-explanatory, though we'd like to single out the elderly PS2 for a gentle pat on the back. Now, really, these red arrows are killing us ... moving on to software sales after the break.

- Wii: 274K

1.08m (80%)
- PS3: 269K

528K (66%)
- PS2: 264K

836K (76%)
- DS Lite: 251K

2.22m (90%)
- PSP: 230K

830K (78%)
- Xbox 360: 230K

1.03m (82%)

Software sales were up 11% regardless of the silly weeks distinction, thanks to pricey packages like Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3 shredding up the listings. Call of Duty IV held onto the top spot while previous runner-up, Super Mario Galaxy, took a warp pipe all the way down to sixth place. The newly released Burnout Paradise made a strong showing, coming in seventh -- not bad being released at the tail end of January.

January Software

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) -- 330.9K
Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) -- 298.1K
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) -- 239.6K
Rock Band special edition bundle (Xbox 360) -- 183.8K
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360) -- 182.7K
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) -- 172K
Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360) -- 144.1K
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3) -- 140K
Mario Party (DS) -- 138.5K
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) -- 133K

Tags: BreakingNews, NPD

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Feb 14th 2008 7:37PM

wait wait wait

what?

The Sound @ Feb 14th 2008 7:38PM

Not bad for 'the system with no games' huh?

Van Faulk @ Feb 14th 2008 8:07PM

Whihc says more about the kindof people who buy ps3 than it does the ps3 itself.

OTAM @ Feb 14th 2008 8:11PM

It comes with Wii Sports,so why would casual players and soccer moms need to worry about other games?

Lotrfish @ Feb 14th 2008 8:58PM

PS3 comes with Wii sports?

flYY @ Feb 14th 2008 9:04PM

Just which side's fanboy are you, The Sound?

You've confused the trolls!

David @ Feb 14th 2008 9:33PM

as a best buy employee, i can confirm you that xbox 360s were in short supply, and quite a few customers got fed up looking for 360s in every store, from walmart to toysrus to bestbuy, hence they decided to get a PS3. Demand for the 360 was really strong post holiday sales because it was actually pretty hard to find one during holidays, while the PS3 was readily available.

This good showing has nothing to do with having games or none, because PS3 does have games, but nothing much that isn't available on the 360.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Feb 14th 2008 9:51PM

As a non-Best Buy employee, I can inform you that PS3s are available on Amazon and Toys R Us.com quite readily. If your customers bought a PS3 when they wanted a 360, they have only themselves to blame.

David @ Feb 18th 2008 12:48AM

@ why not

what's your point? Yeah, the ps3 was readily available like I said, so?

deaftly @ Feb 19th 2008 1:51PM

Its just because of 360/Wii post holiday shortages. February will bring back the normal insane 360/wii sales

Einhanderkiller @ Feb 14th 2008 7:39PM

Interesting.

MariosInferno @ Feb 15th 2008 8:19AM

Indeed.

Better games and lower prices should propel this further.

JJ @ Feb 14th 2008 7:39PM

Wow, i would have never thought the pS3 would beat out the 360 this soon in America

That's all i can say is wow.

Sony had a great month in terms of share, of course everyone declined after the holidays but i didnt htink the 360 would take such a huge dive.

Arteen @ Feb 14th 2008 7:46PM

The 360 probably took a huge dive because they sold out of systems.

JJ @ Feb 14th 2008 7:52PM

Well yeah i guess they gotta blame it on something (no shortages in my neck of the woods though...except for the DS).

Either way, even with Wii shortages it outsold the 360 as well and i dont believe that MS had THAT big of a shortage on systems. I mean its not like its moving Wii units WW

FidliousWong @ Feb 14th 2008 8:06PM

DS is shorted in your neck of the woods as well? Yeah, no 360 shortages here. but then again, my little corner of the planet is never indicatory of the entire nation. For example, Wii was findable unless local news said it wasn't.

BIGGEN @ Feb 14th 2008 11:15PM

@JJ
damn dude, it's one month. i didn't realize these numbers affected people so deeply.

and you're right about one thing, the 360 isn't moving units like the wii worldwide, but we're not talking worldwide, we're talking US.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 14th 2008 11:29PM

The funniest thing is that PS3 fanboys are very happy for just one month that they beat the 360.

Apparently they forget the full year with 4 months that the Wii has been outselling the PS3. Month after month. WORLWIDE.

ssuk @ Feb 15th 2008 5:19AM

It wont last. There's a 39K difference between the two. In NPD terms, that's like a little baby step of sales.

Nate @ Feb 15th 2008 8:06AM

Actually, Fernando, we PS3 fanboys don't care about the Wii at all. We don't even consider it competition.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Feb 15th 2008 9:21AM

Only because it would hurt your egos way too much if you did.

AirIntake @ Feb 15th 2008 11:51AM

No, the Wii just isn't competition to the PS3 and 360 for me. It's just not an equal substitute. I honestly don't care how much it sells, because it doesn't have any games that I like, with the exception of Metroid.

And no, I'm not just jealous, because I actually own a Wii, and still think it's shit.

copres @ Feb 15th 2008 1:07PM

"No, the Wii just isn't competition to the PS3 and 360 for me. It's just not an equal substitute"

funny. cause if i remember correctly, before the wii and ps3 came out everybody was considering the wii as competition to both the ps3 and 360, now that the wii is TROUNCING the opposition all of a sudden it isnt competition. does that make sense?

cause the only way is see it is that the wii ISNT competition to the ps3 and 360 cause they have such a huge lead over the ps3, closing in on the 360 WW numbers, and is still outselling both on a monthly basis. The wii is just selling so fast that its not fair to compare it to those poor ps3 and 360 sales

h0mi @ Feb 14th 2008 7:41PM

How the hell did rock band sell so many?

XanthouS @ Feb 14th 2008 7:42PM

In before Xbot apologists pointing to 360 shortages.

Trev @ Feb 14th 2008 7:56PM

Too late for that.

Moorio || peacebyanymeans @ Feb 14th 2008 8:20PM

Fernando, it's a joke.

http://yugiohtheabridgedseries.com/episodes/381112/

Moorio || peacebyanymeans @ Feb 14th 2008 8:21PM

Shit, I meant to reply to the comment below...

:\

jonondaspot @ Feb 14th 2008 11:34PM

Exactly. Xbox 360 shortage = worst crybaby excuse ever. What is going to be the excuse next month. And next month. And from here on out. Ridiculous bunch of crying. I saw mini pyramids of 360s everywhere. Not as many PS3. And no center aisle displays with stacks like they had here.

Steve @ Feb 15th 2008 10:15AM

What you mean just like the PS3 fanboys last Christmas. Have a seat Corky.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 14th 2008 7:43PM

Shortages...

Redirecting Wii's to Japan for SSBB... according to MediaCrate (official) the Wii sold 480,000 in Japan last week and and in January sold aprox. 800,000 in just Japan...

If you sum everything, is the 1.8 million of the monthly production.

RoboChamp @ Feb 14th 2008 7:58PM

LOL

The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Feb 14th 2008 8:07PM

I can't read your post because everyone hates it

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 14th 2008 8:08PM

I dont know why I get voted know... is the true... well... at least Joystiq post again the Japanese Hardware sales... Im not lying about the 480,000 in Japan last week.

FidliousWong @ Feb 14th 2008 8:09PM

Wait, you guys voted him down for that?!? Everyone is claiming shortages... Fernando's merely parroting things others have said and you vote him down?

I said it before, I'll say it again. Vote him down for fanboyish comments but when he makes statements like this, leave it alone. Reward appropriate behavior..

God, when I'm a walkin, I strut my stuff and I'm so stressed out...

The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Feb 14th 2008 8:10PM

I don't understand a word you just said. Try speaking American it's the only language I understand.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 14th 2008 8:14PM

My native language is Spanish...

By the way? American... did you mean english? You know, Im from Mexico, and I can say that Im American too. Im from the American continent.

The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Feb 14th 2008 8:20PM

Americans don't speak English
They speak American

in America!

FidliousWong @ Feb 14th 2008 8:21PM

Who cares what language whoever speaks. It's all clicks and whistles to me anyway...

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to communicate with the vegetables in the hospital by blowing bubbles in their pudding....

Kenology @ Feb 14th 2008 9:16PM

Fernando, I miss your old avatar.

qo_op @ Feb 14th 2008 9:30PM

FERNANDO WITH THE LULZ!!!!!!

BPM VII: Crisis Core @ Feb 14th 2008 10:40PM

I like Fernando's new avatar.

Linebeck is a great character, but nowhere near as awesome as Viewtiful Joe. And anyone who DARES make a transvestite version of Joe would be better off dead.

Henshin-a-go-go, baby!

Will @ Feb 14th 2008 11:13PM

Fernando, you have some explaining to do now...according to Kotaku the Wii only sold 82k last week...not 480k. so yeah, what's this about nintendo redirecting consoles?

Co @ Feb 14th 2008 11:19PM

Wow this was the funniest group of posts by anyone I've ever read from on this site. I don't have a side in this but damn Ex-Jesus, I don't know what's funnier, your posts or the fact that your posts were voted up 3 hearts.

ill trooper @ Feb 15th 2008 12:45AM

Wow, yes, we know... You like Wii and you like how it sells.

The Wil is sort of like a minivan: every family owns one.

But It can't play Call of Duty 4, Burnout Paradise, or Rainbow 6, and Rock Band isn't out for it yet, so mine sits around until the occasional Bowling or Tennis match when non-videogame playing friends come over. And Rock Band is threatening that lone bastion as well. I will likely look into 'No More Heros' and SSBB, but I prefer my 360 and PS3.

The Wii is in a different league, both good and bad.