The PlayStation 3′s domination of console sales this month surprised absolutely no one — not even Microsoft — but its success shouldn’t be overlooked simply because it was expected. The latest NPD figures mark a big victory for Sony in the hardware arena, even managing to beat out the dominant Wii by about 30,000 units. While Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg correctly noted that consoles typically see a “short term bump” after a price cut, the Xbox 360 was priced down for September as well, and didn’t see the same dramatic jump that the PS3 did. Possible reasons could include its sleeker look and strong fall line-up, along with the PS3 price cut being more dramatic. Of course, the Wii’s price cut didn’t go into effect until the end of September, so for next month’s numbers we’re likely to see the Nintendo console pulling ahead again. For September, the increased sales for almost all systems boosted the hardware sales to an 87% increase over August.

September 2009 Hardware Sales

• Nintendo DS — 524,200
• PlayStation 3 — 491,800
• Wii — 462,800
• Xbox 360 — 352,600
• PlayStation Portable — 190,400
• PlayStation 2 — 146,000

August 2009 Hardware Sales

• Nintendo DS — 552,900
• Wii — 227,400
• Xbox 360 — 215,400
• PlayStation 3 — 210,000
• PlayStation Portable — 140,300
• PlayStation 2 — 105,900

For software, the top story of the month has to be Halo 3: ODST which, thanks to a generous ad campaign and the Halo name, managed to more than triple any other software sales for the month. Those numbers are certainly impressive for a game that started as an expansion. The predictions that called for the PS3 to come out on top also claimed its software sales wouldn’t be as optimistic, and that idea was spot-on as well. The PlayStation 3 only had two showings in the top ten software sales. Perhaps more disappointingly, the PS3 version of The Beatles Rock Band is the only one that didn’t chart. On the bright side, one game that did make the cut was Batman: Arkham Asylum, which seems to show that exclusive content can help overcome a lower install base.

September 2009 Software Sales

1. Halo 3: ODST (360) — 1,520,000
2. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) — 442,900
3. Madden NFL 10 (360) — 289,600
4. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS) — 258,100
5. The Beatles: Rock Band (360) — 254,000
6. Madden NFL 10 (PS3) — 246,500
7. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (360) — 236,000
8. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3) — 212,500
9. Guitar Hero 5 (360) — 210,800
10. The Beatles Rock Band (Wii) — 208,600

August 2009 Software Sales

1. Madden NFL 10 (360) — 928,000
2. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) — 754,000
3. Madden NFL 10 (PS3) — 665,000
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360) — 303,000
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3) — 290,000
6. Madden NFL 10 (PS2) — 160,000
7. Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) — 130,000
8. Wii Fit (Wii) — 128,000
9. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) — 120,000
10. Fossil Fighters (DS) — 92,000

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