NPD releases July U.S. video game sales numbers

According to the latest figures from market research firm NPD Group, the U.S. video game market fell 1 percent in July, with slow game sales offsetting large gains by the Microsoft Xbox 360.

Year-on-year (YoY), total sales fell to $846.5 million from $850.6 million. However, lead analyst Anita Frazier says if the company were to add PC games, then sales grew 4 percent, thanks to massive sales of StarCraft II.

The much-anticipated sequel sold 1.5 million units in its first two days alone.

On the hardware side, sales jumped 12 percent to $313.8 million thanks to the release of a slimmed-down Xbox 360. The 360 topped the chart for the first time in almost three years, beating out the Wii and PS3 for the first time since the release of Halo 3 in September 2007.

The Xbox 360 moved 443,500 units for the month, followed by the Nintendo DS line at 398,400 units. The Wii sold 253,900 consoles while the PS3 sold higher than expected at 214,500 units.

Almost embarrassingly, the PSP has fallen under triple digits, moving just 84,000 units for the month.

When not including PC games, July software sales fell 8 percent to $531.3 million, due to a lackluster lineup of new games.

Accessories fell 2 percent to $129.3 million.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 12 Aug 2010 23:57

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9 comments

bomber991

I wish I had a $169 product and moved 84,000 units. I know they don't make much money selling them though, do you think they make $10/psp? That's $840,000 profit. $1/psp? Then yeah, that's pretty bad.

13.8.2010 01:32 #1

KillerBug

Considering how many PSPgo units they made, and how few of them they sold, they probably averaged a loss on the PSP hardware as a whole.

Fine by me...it won't be long before those parts start hitting AllElectronics.com and I can pick up a pile of nice LCDs for cheap.

13.8.2010 06:15 #2

biglo30

Originally posted by KillerBug: Considering how many PSPgo units they made, and how few of them they sold, they probably averaged a loss on the PSP hardware as a whole.

Fine by me...it won't be long before those parts start hitting AllElectronics.com and I can pick up a pile of nice LCDs for cheap. Sony was always destined to fail on the psp from the time they refused to add a second analog stick to the system. I know it might not sound like a big deal but it would have made a world of a difference gaming wise. Players who have more buttons and those fps would actually be alot more fun instead of using combinations of buttons which is really forgetful and cumbersome at times. Oh welll their lose, wasted money on 3 suck body changes. Then the suck go that people could even play their old games in wtf?????????

13.8.2010 10:33 #3

Oner

Originally posted by biglo30: Sony was always destined to fail on the psp from the time they refused to add a second analog stick to the system. I know it might not sound like a big deal but it would have made a world of a difference gaming wise. Players who have more buttons and those fps would actually be alot more fun instead of using combinations of buttons which is really forgetful and cumbersome at times. Oh welll their lose, wasted money on 3 suck body changes. Then the suck go that people could even play their old games in wtf????????? So let me get this straight you are trying to say that a handheld system that has sold 60 Million is destined to be a failure or is a failure? Because either answer doesn't make any sense...

Plus if you think about how you hold a PSP (not a controller) if you were to implement a second analog stick for use with your right thumb for aiming in an FPS/TPS game you actually LOSE available buttons since you really have to hold a PSP for fear of not dropping it and now you only have one L & one R buttons for firing and aiming then the 4 face buttons would have to do everything else that isn't available on your index fingers like grenade, flash, smoke, action, reload, swap, knife, run/stealth walk, crouch/prone etc. etc. etc...which just wouldn't work I believe. Now I am not saying it's not possible, just that it requires a whole redesign for it to work and that would be for the PSP2 not the current PSP or PSPGo line. And additionally the fact that other handheld consoles that have sold very well didn't come with a second analog proves it is possible to be successful without one.

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13.8.2010 11:13 #4

DXR88

Originally posted by Oner:
Plus if you think about how you hold a PSP (not a controller) if you were to implement a second analog stick for use with your right thumb for aiming in an FPS/TPS game you actually LOSE available buttons since you really have to [b]hold a PSP for fear of not dropping it[/b] and now you only have one L & one R buttons for firing and aiming then the 4 face buttons would have to do everything else that isn't available on your index fingers like grenade, flash, smoke, action, reload, swap, knife, run/stealth walk, crouch/prone etc. etc. etc...which just wouldn't work I believe. Now I am not saying it's not possible, just that it requires a whole redesign for it to work and that would be for the PSP2 not the current PSP or PSPGo line. And additionally the fact that other handheld consoles that have sold very well didn't come with a second analog proves it is possible to be successful without one.
Lol, the PSP doubles as a blunt weapon. why would you be afraid of droping it?

the PSP was a great piece of hardware with horrible market strategy. the game line up wasn't much better.

the PSP in all aspects reminds me how sega failed with the DC. the only difference is sega didn't have to many loyal followers when DC hit.

13.8.2010 12:24 #5

xyqo

You know what's weird (though its not mentioned in this article)
Starcraft II outsold everything else thats out now.
Hmm.. I thought piracy was ruining the PC game industry.
I say it all the time the only games that sell well are good games.

13.8.2010 12:32 #6

andmill11

The removal of LAN is going to be the staple for games coming out now.

Thanks activision.

13.8.2010 16:58 #7

ZippyDSM

Originally posted by Oner: Originally posted by biglo30: Sony was always destined to fail on the psp from the time they refused to add a second analog stick to the system. I know it might not sound like a big deal but it would have made a world of a difference gaming wise. Players who have more buttons and those fps would actually be alot more fun instead of using combinations of buttons which is really forgetful and cumbersome at times. Oh welll their lose, wasted money on 3 suck body changes. Then the suck go that people could even play their old games in wtf????????? So let me get this straight you are trying to say that a handheld system that has sold 60 Million is destined to be a failure or is a failure? Because either answer doesn't make any sense...

Plus if you think about how you hold a PSP (not a controller) if you were to implement a second analog stick for use with your right thumb for aiming in an FPS/TPS game you actually LOSE available buttons since you really have to hold a PSP for fear of not dropping it and now you only have one L & one R buttons for firing and aiming then the 4 face buttons would have to do everything else that isn't available on your index fingers like grenade, flash, smoke, action, reload, swap, knife, run/stealth walk, crouch/prone etc. etc. etc...which just wouldn't work I believe. Now I am not saying it's not possible, just that it requires a whole redesign for it to work and that would be for the PSP2 not the current PSP or PSPGo line. And additionally the fact that other handheld consoles that have sold very well didn't come with a second analog proves it is possible to be successful without one. It dose not matter how many hardware units it pushes that will always be 2nd to software sales. So at the end of the day have you made a profit to cover the losses of the hardware.

The PSP biggest mistakes were UDM and not having a 2nd analog stick so it could be easily ported to.

Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
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13.8.2010 17:57 #8

Oner

Originally posted by DXR88: Lol, the PSP doubles as a blunt weapon. why would you be afraid of droping it?

the PSP was a great piece of hardware with horrible market strategy. the game line up wasn't much better.

the PSP in all aspects reminds me how sega failed with the DC. the only difference is sega didn't have to many loyal followers when DC hit.
The Fat PSP was a brick I agree (I still use mine and love it over the newer Slim or Slim & Bright) but the newer ones seem like if you look at them wrong they'll break an analog stick, part of the case, or something!

Originally posted by ZippyDSM: It dose not matter how many hardware units it pushes that will always be 2nd to software sales. So at the end of the day have you made a profit to cover the losses of the hardware.

The PSP biggest mistakes were UDM and not having a 2nd analog stick so it could be easily ported to. Very true (about the first part) but only to an extent because it does have good software sales just not it's prime amount because of piracy but the GB/3DS' also have their fair share of piracy and still sell well because of the shear amount of handhelds sold so it is kind of relative (if you get my meaning).

As far as the 2nd analog it would have absolutely been an advantage for Sony to have integrated it in (especially for ports) but that's not what I was "arguing"...I was simply explaining how the single analog is a successful platform in it of itself, and nothing should be taken away from it. As far as the also needed 2 additional shoulder buttons I actually just came across this image a few minutes ago, which lead me back here to post...anyway it shows a damned ingenious way to use an L2/R2 on a PSP2 (which for the life of me I am stumped as to why I never thought of it's possibility) ~

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15.8.2010 10:38 #9

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