NPD: 360 sales get a boost and Halo 3 pwned
by Dustin Burg 
{ Oct 19th 2007 at 8:45AM }
The September NPD numbers just rolled in and we must say, everything is ice cream and roses in Xbox 360 land. As expected, Halo 3 cleaned up in the sales department coming in at the number one spot managing to sell a whopping 3.3 million copies (insert astonished face here) during the six days it was on store shelves. In comparison, the second best selling game for the month, Wii Play, sold a respectable 282,000 copies. Taking the facts even further, you could say that Halo 3 sold twice as many copies as the other nine games featured in the top ten sales combined. Simply amazing.As for hardware, the Xbox 360 had an equally great month due to a little thing we call the Halo effect. Xbox 360 hardware sales skyrocketed to 527,000 consoles topping all other gaming platforms even the Nintendo Wii which sold 501,000 units. As far as the PS3's performance goes one could use the words "lackluster" or "sad", but we'll say its sales of 119,000 units was ... "sub-par". You can check out all the September NPD sales chart numbers after the break and after giving them a quick analysis we think you'll agree that everything is in fact, ice cream and roses.
September NPD Console Sales
Xbox 360 - 527K
Wii - 501K
DS - 495K
PSP - 284K
PS2 - 215K
PS3 - 119K
GBA - 75K
September NPD Top 10 Software Sales
Halo 3 - 360: 3.3 million
Wii Play - Wii: 282K
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - DS: 224K
Madden NFL 08 - PS2: 205K
Skate - 360: 175K
Madden NFL 08 - 360: 173K
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Wii: 167K
BioShock - 360: 150K
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day - DS: 141K
Heavenly Sword - PS3: 139K
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Robert @ Oct 19th 2007 9:15AM
Is the Console war over now?
Bravo6 @ Oct 19th 2007 9:19AM
I guess the experts that claimed H3 would not be a system seller were a little off.
wtfmate? @ Oct 19th 2007 9:20AM
hmmm... i love roses with my ice cream.
GuiltyDragon @ Oct 19th 2007 9:24AM
I'm really looking forward to the release of MGS4 now. That is beeing posted as the PS3's system seller (I know I'm going to buy one to play it) and I would really like to see the sales pattern and console sell-through that it brings Sony. It might be interesting to compare the two.
lysernix @ Oct 19th 2007 9:40AM
It would have been really funny if the GBA outsold the PS3. I guess it's funny enough that PS3 can say, "We trounced the GBA!!"
What's dearly incredible though is the PS2 sales. What a monster.
DS/Wii sales are amazing too.
But... good for X360. I got mine in August as sort of a precursor to Halo 3... not solely for Halo 3 (I always planned on getting one anyway) but it seemed a good a time as any, especially with Halo 3 out soon (and all the other fall games). So... it was a system seller for more than just this month (September)... I'm sure it will continue to be.
Jason @ Oct 19th 2007 9:52AM
in spite of the fact that wii was #2, that's their best sales month so far.
The Wii is going to run away with this thing if they can ever actually have one of these things on store shelves.
You STILL can't find a Wii in a Best Buy, Circuit City or Wal Mart within 5 miles of my house.
Amazing.
yuppy @ Oct 19th 2007 9:52AM
well ps3 is fukt right now; oh and the simpsons did it
Larry @ Oct 19th 2007 9:53AM
I'm really fascinated by this. The Halo effect is very, very strong. I would like think that Mass Effect will result in a system sales surge when Microsoft and BioWare start promoting it correctly. Only on Xbox 360 for a game of this magnitude will sell. I bet you that Microsoft will push ME hard. I see Microsoft having select exclusives to market very hard for some time to come. Sales could stabilize above 325k for the next six months. WOW!
Boff @ Oct 19th 2007 10:17AM
I'm suitably impressed! I knew Halo3 would dominate, but fuck me it dominated and then some!!!
TORO @ Oct 19th 2007 10:23AM
M$ has experience in creating monopolies
Scott Krueger @ Oct 19th 2007 11:01AM
Got my Copy of Halo3 on Nov 25th.
Unfortunately I can not play it for a MONTH!
After 2 Years of Good Luck, Yesterday I got the Red Ring of Death. Microsoft said it would take 7 days to get the Shipping Box and 3-4 Weeks to get my 360 Back...
Thankfully I have a PS3 as well to keep me occupied until I get my 360 back. My Son is Major Bummed because we were half way through the Campaign and Now we cannot play Halo3 for at least a Month. Arghhhhh.
Tony @ Oct 19th 2007 11:02AM
Let's put it this way. The PS3 has some good games, but every somewhat major thing to come along is postured as the system seller. Just visit any forum with a Sony userbase.
Motorstorm?
Lair?
Heavenly Sword?
What's next? I guess Rachet and Clank?
I would argue that MGS4 and FFXIII are the big deal games on the system, but keep in mind that MGS3 didn't really set charts on fire. In some ways, you might argue that Splinter Cell has become more popular... and in that sense, will it really make a major difference in PS3s sold? Somehow I really doubt it.
I think FFXIII will be another story, at least in Japan... but the 360 is not exactly winning there as it is lol.
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As for this, considering how late the game came out in the month, I'd expect there to be significant splash over even until December ends thanks to Christmas and such.
The fact that the Wii is still that close is kind of crazy, though. A lot of places are pointing out that nothing new of note has released... but when something is so rare, I guess anyone would grab one the second they see it.
MYPS3KilledMy360 @ Oct 19th 2007 11:03AM
seriously its no surprise with the most played series on the xbox and live to have its followers move over to the 360. mostly all i see is people who owned an xbox making the next gen jump. UNLESS? there were only 10 million xbox owners. So did it break every record known to video game and entertainment history? no really i dont know. if the biggest(not to be mistaken with the best) on the 360 didnt move that many consoles then............ you know?
xenocidic @ Oct 19th 2007 11:03AM
@11-- 1.21 jigawatts??
Mogul218 @ Oct 19th 2007 11:11AM
All I want to know is how come PS3 Fanboy isn't reporting the NPD news? Is the new tactic just to stick their heads in the sand?
Joe Schmoe @ Oct 19th 2007 11:35AM
So lets break this down by Manufacturer then:
Nintendo 1.071m total units
Sony 618k total units
Microsoft 527k total units
Sony is successful only because they were the last generation however, and because the PSP finally started picking up steam. This doesn't overshadow Microsofts Victory, but it is interesting to look at each company separate.
Now if we break out each company based soley on current gen hardware, including portables:
Nintendo: 996k
Microsoft: 527k
Sony: 403k
No matter what hardware sales were, who can touch that 3.3m number on Halo 3.
Nobody!
In fact the sheer number of people who complain about Halo 3 is actually a compliment to how many people play that game, and how large the vocal minority is. It is pretty amazing. Go Bungie! Go Nintendo! Go MS!
Junoflux @ Oct 19th 2007 12:43PM
The console war has been won!!!! Thanks to bungie and there brilliant team that made Halo 3. Because I don't think that PS3 is ever going to comeback no matter what they put out there. Good luck PS3, and i hope the dust tastes great!
MYPS3KilledMy360 @ Oct 19th 2007 7:05PM
3.3 million copies and only half a million consoles big woop. mostly all the people who bought halo 3 owned a 360.
CongoZombie @ Oct 19th 2007 7:52PM
"3.3 million copies and only half a million consoles big woop. mostly all the people who bought halo 3 owned a 360."
Saying most people who got halo owned a 360 is like saying that most people who buy tampons have periods...
Why would you buy a game for a console that you didn't own?
FAIL.
Titty Pink @ Oct 19th 2007 8:46PM
The PS3 isn't even a year old and the war is over? Funny. Sales numbers are important in the long run...i guess, but I don't care how many other people have Zunes, I just know I'm happy with mine. Same goes for my PS3. I think this article IS on PS3 fanboy as well BTW. M$ has showed their hand in releasing Halo 3, so guess what? 360 SALES HAVE PEAKED!!!! It's downhill from here guys, can't wait to see you on the way up. True units will move for Xmas, but not nearly as many as this month. MG and FF are coming. Not to mention Drakes Fortune, which may not be a "system seller" but is truly next gen all the way. The PS3 is build for the long run ladies. This is no where NEAR over. Not even a year old...keep telling yourself that Halo and Mass Effect will win this thing...and Gears 2 maybe. Get a PS3 while you can dude. You'll thank me later....
Titty Pink @ Oct 19th 2007 8:50PM
Congo I think he meant that most people ALREADY OWNED a 360 before Halo came out, versus 3.3 million 360s AND copies of Halo went out on the same day. Theres no denying that H3 sold mad systems though. In the meantime, don't be a douche.
kraphtymac @ Oct 19th 2007 10:01PM
"The PS3 isn't even a year old and the war is over? ...... M$ has showed their hand in releasing Halo 3, so guess what? 360 SALES HAVE PEAKED!!!!"
This dude is retarded. Even if 360 sales have peaked, PS3 sales will never peak.
Chris @ Oct 20th 2007 1:01AM
titty pink is the biggest idiot ever, i would say.
From what i've read, about 12 million people have a 360 now. eventually everyone who wants into this gen will "jump in" and it will slow down sales wise (consoles). Sony still behind.
You can't have some fucking rush.. where suddenly millions of people buy PS3 when we all have xbox already. The die hard people who buy it for the name have it already. it's time for those who buy based on what you get.
i hate sony fanboys.. you put numbers in front of their faces and they say.... UHHHHH, MGS!! WE WIN. I might go buy a ps2 just to help the numbers.. i love watching the last gen outsell the next.