14 DAY TRIAL // The NPD Group figures for hardware sales, linked to the month of February and the United States market, show that the Xbox 360 from Microsoft has again managed to be the best-selling home console, easily beating the numbers posted by the Nintendo Wii.
And speaking about the month of March, Doug Creutz, who is an analyst working for the Cowen Group, has said, “We believe that will represent the first time since the early days of this console cycle that Xbox 360 hardware will outsell the Wii on a twelve month basis.”
He added, “This illustrates the significant shift that has gone on over the last year in the console space. The Wii was outselling the 360 and PS3 combined on a TTM basis as recently as January 2010, and was outselling the 360 alone by 2:1 on a TTM basis in December 2009 and 1.5:1 in October 2010.”
In February the Xbox 360 reached 535,000 consoles sold, which is one of its best months ever and a good increase over the same month in 2010, while the Wii came in at 454,000 units, also better than last February.
Creutz says that one of the main reasons for the good performance of the Xbox 360 and the decline of the Wii is the recognition of the better gaming experience offered when a High Definition home console is used.
The Microsoft platform has also been boosted by the launch of the Kinect motion-tracking system, which has managed to sell more than 10 million units since November 2010 although there are comparatively small number of titles that use it.
Rumors have been widely circulating that Nintendo is in the last phases of design for a new home console, the Wii 2, which will offer HD graphics, more storage and a more accurate control system.
An announcement could come at the E3 trade show in June.