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• The 2010 Console Race So Far

  Yesterday, we got a look at how the software sales were doing through the first half of the year. Now, let's take a look at how the hardware is selling.

   

  Posted below are the combined console unit sales from January 2010 through June 2010 in the United States using data provided by research firm NPD. The percent change in unit sales from the first six months in 2009 is shown in parentheses to the right of each console.

   

  Here are the results:

   

  Nintendo DS - 3,071,400 (-25%)

  Wii - 2,455,700 (-19%)

  Xbox 360 - 1,924,900 (+19%)

  PlayStation 3 - 1,591,000 (+42%)

  PSP - 599,300 (-35%)

   

  Things to note:

   

  - PSP has taken a major hit this year, seeing unit sales drop a whopping 35 percent from the same time last year.

   

  - PlayStation 3 has seen the largest jump this year, which can primarily be attributed to the $100 price drop in August as well as a plethora of quality titles in the first half of 2010, such as God of War III.

   

  - Nintendo has taken quite a hit themselves with the Wii and DS, but their totals comparatively for this year are still extraordinary.

   

  - Both Nintendo and Sony reportedly suffered console shortages the first half of this year.

   

  - Microsoft saw a nice boost last month with a $50 price cut and the release of a new Xbox 360 console redesign. That, coupled with big 2010 releases such as Mass Effect 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction, are helping the company move units this year.