Microsoft sold 422,000 Xbox 360s in February, up 8 percent from a year earlier, researcher NPD Group Inc. said yesterday. Nintendo, which has said it experienced supply shortages, sold 397,900 units, a decline of 47 percent. Sony sold 360,100 PS3s, a 30 percent increase.
BioShock 2 went on sale Feb. 10 for the Xbox 360 and PS3, highlighting the importance of hit titles for hardware sales. Microsoft, which last held the top slot in September 2007, according to NPD, is introducing the “Natal” motion-sensing device this year-end to attract exclusive titles for its player.
Kyoto, western Japan-based Nintendo’s Wii dominates this generation of game consoles with more than 67.5 million units sold, compared with more than 39 million Xbox 360s and 33 million PS3s worldwide.
Sony earlier this week demonstrated its “Move” motion- sensing controller for the PS3, aiming to narrow Wii’s market lead by appealing to casual users. The black controller, resembling Wii’s wand with a colored ball at the top, will cost less than $100 including a sensor-camera and game, the company said.
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft plans to introduce the Natal controller-free system that lets players operate Xbox games with body motions instead of pressing buttons or waving a device. Nintendo introduced the Wii motion-controller in 2006.