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US video game industry sales rocketed to a record high $17.9 billion
in 2007, with Nintendo reigning as champion of the console battle
with Microsoft and Sony, according to research group NPD.
US sales of video game consoles, software and
accessories rose “an astounding” 43 percent, with each category
reaching a new “personal best,” NPD reported.
Nintendo DS handheld game devices and Wii
consoles were the top hardware sellers, ranking first and second,
respectively. The Japanese company’s gadgets accounted for 52
percent of the video game devices sold in the United States.
Nearly 8.5 million Nintendo DS devices were sold
in the United States last year, while buyers snatched up
approximately 6.3 million Wii game consoles.
Sony sold 3.97 million PS2 consoles and 2.56
million of its newer PS3 consoles in the United States in 2007, NPD
reported.
Microsoft last year sold 4.62 million Xbox 360
consoles, which debuted in the market in November 2005, a year
before Wii and PS3 were released.
Xbox 360 sales surged with help from the
releases of highly-coveted games such as “Halo 3,” which is
tailored exclusively for Microsoft’s consoles.
“Halo 3” was the top video game title, with
4.8 million copies sold.
Activision’s “Guitar Hero” game in which
competitors score points by playing along to rock music on
guitar-like controllers raked in $820 million, a new one-year record
for video game franchise sales in the United States.
But Nintendo’s “Mario Brothers” holds the
throne as top-selling franchise of all time.
-- AFP
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