January NPD: Always in December's shadow

By Candace Savino

See all those red arrows? That means that you January just got served.

  • Wii: 274K 1.08m (80%)
  • PS3: 269K 528K (66%)
  • PS2: 264K 836K (76%)
  • DS Lite: 251K 2.22m (90%)
  • PSP: 230K 830K (78%)
  • Xbox 360: 230K 1.03m (82%)

After a stellar holiday season, we could have guessed that everything would fall in the month of January. The Wii managed to squeak out in first, despite the fact that sales decreased 80% from December. But hey, first is first.

Even though sales dropped, demand for the Wii is still high, leading some folks to speculate about the console's shortages. Analysts from Wedbush Morgan (including Michael Pachter) and simExchange venture that supply was low because many Wiis were diverted to Japan for the launches of Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

As per usual, there's more sales goodness after the break.

January Software

  1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) — 330.9K
  2. Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) — 298.1K
  3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) — 239.6K
  4. Rock Band special edition bundle (Xbox 360) — 183.8K
  5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360) — 182.7K
  6. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) — 172K
  7. Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360) — 144.1K
  8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3) — 140K
  9. Mario Party (DS) — 138.5K
  10. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) — 133K

Read: January NPD
Read: Analysts: Wii's Slim NPD Lead due to Smash Bros, Wii Fit Launches

Recommended