Xbox 360 stays strong as other segments of industry struggle

Microsoft's Xbox 360 was the only current-generation game console to post a gain in U.S. unit sales in June, compared to the same month last year, according to numbers released today by the NPD Group research firm. The Xbox 360 posted sales of 240,600 units, up from about 220,000 units a year ago, the numbers show.

"We’re kind of the bright spot in the industry for game consoles," said David Dennis, an Xbox spokesman, discussing the results this afternoon. "We feel great about the trajectory and momentum."

The U.S. video-game industry overall posted sales of $1.17 billion in hardware, software and accessories for the month. That was down 31 percent from June of last year, according to NPD statistics.

Overall sales of video-game Sony's PlayStation 3 came in at 164,700 units, down from a result of more than 400,000 units a year ago -- although that past result was boosted significantly by the launch of "Metal Gear Solid IV," so the comparison isn't entirely fair.

Sales of Nintendo's Wii fell to 361,700 for the month, from more than 660,00 the same month last year, but NPD analyst Anita Frazier pointed out that the console is still doing well.

"While Wii sales are down from last year, the platform is still realizing very strong sales month after month," Frazier said in an email distributed by the research firm this afternoon. "Compared against historical performance of other systems this far into the console lifecycle, the unit sales performance is still strong."

In a statement distributed to the media, Nintendo noted that its dual-screen Nintendo DS continues to do well.

"In the United States in June, the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems combined to sell more than 766,000 units, more than all current-generation consoles combined, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. U.S. consumers purchased more than 424,000 Nintendo DSi systems and more than 342,000 Nintendo DS systems in June."

The Xbox 360 version of the game "Prototype" was the top seller in the U.S. for the month, with 420,000 copies sold, according to NPD.

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