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

by Kyle Orland on Apr 17th 2008 7:15PM

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

Source

Tags: Army-of-Two, BreakingNews, DS, figures, NPD, PS2, PS3, PSP, Ranbow-6-Vegas-2, sales, SSBB, wii, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (139)

and you say i come off as an arrogant asshole

I'm just giddy at how the 360 managed to beat the ps3 despite all the sony hype and all the bluray stuff it has going for it.

Besides you sony fanboys are constantly attacking me and acting all so superior/arrogant all the time because I happen to favor the 360 so I feel like I'm entitled to be smug when it beats the competition.

All this even with shortages and not that many killer games out right.

I'll admit though that MGS4 will probably cause a nice lil bump in sales for sony and your precious delaystation 3...

Don't take it out on me i've never attacked you before. Why would I care if one passes the other when I have both? That wouldn't make much sense.

5K is nothing. Nothing at all, considering NPD numbers don't count all sellers, so it could've been more to the 360, or more to the PS3 or how ever else you want to spin it.

Basically, look at it as a 'margin of error' more than anything.

5K sales for massive damage!

"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..."

Fightin' for 2nd place scraps!!

What do you win if your preferred console sells more than one you don't prefer? I bet everyone is still happy with their choice.

You win zen and contentedness.

We're being paid to do this obviously. But you'll never find the money trail.

more games made for it

Seems like the 360 just barely managed to beat the PS3 in sales. Also, it's good to see the PSP selling some games. Maybe it will really become relevant...

I'm baffled that people see 700k and still think this is a fad/holding back supply. The Wii is fun to play with other in-the-flesh people. What's so wrong with that? If you want to stay holed up in your room playing random online matches, then that's your deal. I'll be socializing. Who seriously cares?

Its called denial.

Tie goes to Sony, because it's more expensive.

Starting at $280, the 360 should be selling at least 350k/mo by now, it's about halfway through its lifespan. It's a mediocre system.

The Wii and DS are to consoles what WoW and the Sims are to PC gaming. Yeah, they sell well, but nobody cares.

Right, nobody cares. You are generalizing. Have you read the minds of millions of gamers? Didn't think so. I haven't been this excited by gaming since when consoles went 3D. The GCN was getting stale and the Wii and DS reinvigorated my love of gaming. I care and so do 24 million other gamers. Ass.

Sigh, not you again... just go die already.

You make me feel ashamed for even wanting a PS3.

you sad, sad man

But in video games when you tie the reigning champ i.e. the game, you lose computer wins.

Can anyone explain Guitar Hero 3's longevity in sales on the Wii specifically? I'm not sure I understand why the Wii version keeps on keepin' on the charts.

As the "social" console, people are already crowding around the Wii to play games with others.

Guitar Hero is awesome...it's even better with a friend or two.

The PS3 doesn't put out a multi-player image.

The 360 is more about online play.

The Wii wants you, your friends and your family to come play Guitar Hero.

That's my five second explanation.

Hey, sounds plausible!

Hey, everybody! Drinks are on me!

I'll have a Corona.

Update on Time 100
Shigeru Miyamoto is now ranked #1 with 200,000 votes ahead of Stephen Colbert

Heh, look at the MSDrones and the PSBrigade fight tooth and nail over dibs on 2nd place while the Nintendo "Standard Def, Gimmicky, Last-Gen Technology, Epic Fail" Wii kicks all of their trash to the curb.

Sweet, sweet vindication. Eat it, Wii haters.

Maybe next generation, eh?

Hey I have a Wii and I enjoy the 1 or 2 good games it has. Most of the people I know who bought it are first time console owners and they bought it for Wii play. You know, based on your logic of higher sales = better product, that would Titanic a great movie. It would even make Barney the Dinosaur, Teletubbies and the Wiggles the best TV programming ever.

I do like what you said about the Wii but you can take out Epic fail part - it's selling well. Everything else you said though is quite true. It is definitely a "Standard Def, Gimmicky, Last-Gen Technology"

Gimmicky? I hear that word tossed around a lot but have yet to feel that way. Motion controls have contributed to gaming and to deny that is just pure ignorance. Did you just try it once and already had your judgements preconceived or are you just a bitter person scared of change? I'm curious.

You guys argue about 360 beats ps3 by 5k units, or why before ps3 beat 360 last month..Who cares. At this point they both will sell about 50/50 looking at the trend, while wii still beating both. But look at those software sales. R6V2 couldn't even beat army of two on the PS3. R6V2 on ps3 couln't even sell 225k. While on the 360 it sold 752k. With software sales like that, i really think 1/4 of it sales come from video (film) fans. Not videogamers. PS3 is diluting it's videogames sales on the verge of selling more blue ray movies. Don't know how that will play out later on when its getting RAPED on the software front from both 360 and wii. Only time will tell.

This is the best thread of comments I've read in a long time.

*popcorn comes out of nose from laughter*

Come Sunday, April 27, they'll sell another half million units. PS3 and Xbox360 has been platform to death by Nintendo. GTAIV is their only hope. But there is another.

Remind me again why we care if the Wii wins, or if the PS3 loses, or whatever?

Do people do this with other brands too? "Toyota beat Honda by 17% this year! I told you honda were just a fad!" "2008 will be the year of GAP!"

Why are people so invested in which big corporation makes more money than the other big corporation? If you have a console and games you enjoy then what does it matter which suits are making the most money?

Hey, Wii Play was the #4 game last year too.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/19/npd-march-belongs-to-ds-ps2/

People are so sad.Don't you people have lives and better things to worry about then whether your pieces of plastic and silicon sold better then the other guys?Losers.

you dont frequent these interwebs do you?

These games are their children. Do not call their children ugly to their faces. That's just rude.

The irony is that probably a few of these people really do have children and they're more excited/care more about GTA IV and their games than their kid's report cards.

~850k for Army of 2!!!! EA marketing is the winner this NPD

Yeah, EA rock the marketing department.

Pity they couldn't do the same with their games.

Pachter isn't paid to be right. He's paid to look at numbers and make predictions.

What I think is amazing about the NPD numbers is that the PS3 made it to the top ten (#10) in software. AAAAAMMMAAAAAZZZZINGGG!!!!!

Previous 50 Comments

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

Reader Comments (139)

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