March NPD: Wii, Smash Bros. on top, software sales surge

139 Comments by Kyle Orland Apr 17th 2008 7:15PM
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360

If this is how Nintendo does before the predicted Wii Fit-exacerbated shortages, we're a little scared for what the future will hold. As predicted, Nintendo dominated the March NPD sales report, selling over 720,000 Wiis and 698,000 DS units. The DS and Wii represented 58 percent of hardware sales for March, leapfrogging over one another to swap positions from the February numbers.

Further down the list, the Xbox 360 regained an extremely slight sales lead over the PS3, mainly due to a slight dip in Sony's system sales. We predict the systems will likely continue trading slight leads like a couple of fading horses in the home stretch of a marathon-length race, until one inevitably dies just short of the finish line. And speaking of dead horses, the perpetual PS2 finally showed some signs of weakening this month, plummeting down nearly 63 percent from February's sales.

- Wii: 721K

289K (40%)
- DS: 698K

110.4K (15.8%) [Update: Fixed typo in growth number]
- PSP: 297K

53.9K (18.1%)
- Xbox 360: 262K

7.4K (2.8%)
- PS3: 257K

23.8K (9.3%)
- PS2: 216K

135.8K (62.9%)

Software sales also met predictions in rising 57 percent to $1.7 billion for the month. Super Smash Bros. rode a wave of hype to a ridiculous 2.7 million sales -- that's more than last month's top ten combined. Shooters had a good month, with the Xbox 360's Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 and Army of Two rounding out the top three for the month (the PS3 version of Army of Two also showed up in tenth place) while Wii Play, Guitar Hero and Call of Duty 4 continued their seemingly endless runs on the top ten. The PSP also made a couple of relatively rare appearances in the top ten, with the God of War and Final Fantasy brands finally making people interested in UMDs again.

March Software
1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 2.7 million
2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Xbox 360) - 752.3K*
3. Army of Two (Xbox 360) - 606.1K
4. Wii Play w/ remote (Wii) - 409.8K
5. God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) - 340.5K
6. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) - 301.6K
7. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) - 264.1K
8. Major League Baseball 2K8 (Xbox 360) - 237.1K
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) - 237K*
10. Army of Two (PS3) - 224.9K

* - Includes bundles and special editions

Tags: Army-of-Two, BreakingNews, figures, NPD, Ranbow-6-Vegas-2, sales, SSBB, wii

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio: Apr 17th 2008; 7:18PM

In before the "In before the"something""

Anonim: Apr 17th 2008; 7:32PM

Shitstorm?

PS.
Prachet misscalculated again (X360 vs PS3) ?

Anonim: Apr 17th 2008; 7:38PM

BTW.
This is 5 weeks data, isn't it?
So those % are worthless because they compare 4weekvs5week numbers....

mike: Apr 17th 2008; 7:51PM

Patcher is an idiot. Hes wrong 80% of the time. I dont know how he still has a job. Remember, GTA was to be delayed tell holiday 2008 according to him. That guy is a joke.

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 7:54PM

Didn't they research him and find out it was closer to like 50-50?

Benny: Apr 17th 2008; 8:08PM

Flipping a coin tends to have that ratio, yes.

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 8:10PM

Ha. That one was good.

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio: Apr 17th 2008; 8:28PM

CGamble is on a roll.

rv: Apr 17th 2008; 9:01PM

Except in the world of predicitons, its usually not one thing or another. There are infinite possibilities. So saying its like flipping a coin is unfair, more like rolling a 1 million sided die. Besides, if it was as easy as flipping a coin, he wouldn't be getting paid so much.

Yishai08: Apr 18th 2008; 8:17AM

Yeah you'd think that but when some of your predictions include "Wii Fit will sell well" I think it's rather underwhelming.

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio: Apr 17th 2008; 7:19PM

"Is this is how"

*If*

tmacairjordan87: Apr 17th 2008; 7:19PM

In before fernando saying this is meaningful when nothing else came out

Mr Khan: Apr 17th 2008; 7:26PM

These pre-emptive Fernando attacks need to stop, they are as annoying and pointless as "First Post!"

cold school: Apr 17th 2008; 7:28PM

First!

tmacairjordan87: Apr 17th 2008; 7:37PM

Feel free to pass by it then when reading the comments page. For now I'll put that down in my tough shit book.

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186]: Apr 17th 2008; 8:36PM

Fist!

[punches cold school]

hvnlysoldr: Apr 17th 2008; 8:54PM

PK STARSTORM!

Anni: Apr 17th 2008; 10:43PM

"Feel free to pass by it then when reading the comments page. For now I'll put that down in my tough shit book."

I can see why you'd want us to gloss over them, since preemptive Fernando attacks tend to make you look twenty times lamer than Fernando will ever be.

copa: Apr 17th 2008; 7:21PM

Uh oh, looks like PS3 AND XBox 360 are having "supply shortages". They need to start leasing factories from Nintendo!

With GTA4 coming in April, I think Microsoft will be able to get some units back onto the shelves.

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio: Apr 17th 2008; 7:23PM

The strange thing is I actually haven't been seeing PS3's around lately. I saw like 20 360's at Walmart yesterday though.

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 7:27PM

Really?

I was at Costco and they had like 15 with one purchased, and there were the same number of 360's...with none purchased.

Needless to say, all the Wii's were gone...

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio: Apr 17th 2008; 7:55PM

If people would stop picking up Wii's just to make a $10-$30 profit they would be in stock at stores.

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 7:57PM

Then I apologize to the 4 people I screwed.

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio: Apr 17th 2008; 8:02PM

Haha I've done it multiple times as well.

David: Apr 17th 2008; 11:10PM

Well, in the best buy I work for, PS3s are mostly sold by people in home theater... ie. as a blue-ray player with HDTV and audio system.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo): Apr 17th 2008; 7:24PM

In before some fanboy say something retarded.

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 7:27PM

Hey! Its you!

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo): Apr 17th 2008; 7:32PM

...

cept I'm not a fanboy...

I think.

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 7:34PM

No no...it was a personal message. I remember you from last months NPD.

Benny: Apr 17th 2008; 7:24PM

Sony Defense Force: Quick Response Unit to the rescue? Snake? SNAAAAAAKE?

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186]: Apr 17th 2008; 7:40PM

Snake couldn't respond at the moment, due to being too busy playing Smash Bros. and trying to dye his hair to look younger. He's keeping the 'stache though.

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 7:41PM

Eh...I thought both jokes were stale. Maybe next time.

Benny: Apr 17th 2008; 7:48PM

Ah shucks. There probably won't be a next time.

(My internets is powered by humour).

Benny: Apr 17th 2008; 7:49PM

^Yes, I am aware the above earned me no surf-time.

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 7:50PM

Mike Wasowski!

i_hate_mtv: Apr 17th 2008; 11:55PM

"Sony Defense Force: Quick Response Unit to the rescue? Snake? SNAAAAAAKE?"

I LOL'D

Tranando: Apr 18th 2008; 3:31AM

Anyone else find it funny how the Xbots (and Microsoft) are cracking open the champagne by winning 5k units over a console they were calling dead a few months back.

Pathetic...

Benny: Apr 18th 2008; 7:50AM

That's rich coming from you, Trollnando.

Tone: Apr 17th 2008; 7:24PM

The battle for second place wages on....

Jake11: Apr 17th 2008; 7:25PM

Pachter was wrong? Alert the internet!

Benny: Apr 17th 2008; 7:27PM

Oh come on... it was only the fifth monthly prediction he's got wrong this year!

CGamble20: Apr 17th 2008; 7:36PM

@ Benny

For some reason I was thinking 12 months with 5 wrong...not bad.

But its April. and we've had only 3 monthly charts this year. So something is really wrong with that

Benny: Apr 17th 2008; 7:40PM

Well the guy clearly can't count.

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186]: Apr 17th 2008; 7:41PM

I'd tell him not to quit his day job... but this IS his day job...

Patcher, quit your day job.

Tim The Enchanter: Apr 17th 2008; 10:02PM

What? My internet must be broken...

inlogic: Apr 17th 2008; 7:26PM

PS3 DOWN

Donald: Apr 17th 2008; 9:11PM

Thanks, I had no idea what that red arrow pointing down meant.

Ninjakamster: Apr 17th 2008; 7:27PM

Man, its really hard for me to find a 60gb PS3 around here, I know its been long discontinued but I need the full hardware B/C, have a few PS2 games that won't perfectly work on the 80gb and so I can sell my PS2 to a gullible kid for $80. : )

jorojoserojas: Apr 17th 2008; 7:58PM

You're in Houston, right? I got lucky...I snagged a 60GB in Pasadena the day that Mario Galaxy came out. I may have looked stupid buying a Wii game and a PS3 at the same time, but I KNEW it would be hard as heck to find a 60GB PS3 down the road. I bought it on impulse.

I believe a pawn shop (ugh, I know) around here (South Houston) had like 2 PS3s in stock. Maybe you should call around - and try not to get too ripped off.

jorojoserojas: Apr 17th 2008; 8:00PM

I bought it at Toys 'R Us, by the way.

Oh! And try Sears. People ALWAYS seem to forget that Sears sells consoles. Maybe a local one still has a 60Gb back there somewhere.

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