Demand drops for games consoles Stateside

Credit crunch confounding sales?

PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 console sales were almost neck-and-neck in the US last month, according to local market watcher NPD. But consoles sales are still declining across the board.

During August, Microsoft outsold Sony with sales of 195,200 Xbox 360s, compared to 185,400 PS3.

But August’s US sales figures for both companies were down on NPD's July numbers. Microsoft sold 205,000 Xbox 360s Stateside during July and Sony shifted 225,000 PS3s.

NPD's numbers cover a period before Microsoft cut the price of the Xbox 360 in the US, reductions the software giant claimed "doubled" sales of the console immediately afterward.

However, Jack Tretton, President of Sony Computer Entertainment America, is still bullish about the PS3’s strength, and claimed in a statement that the console offers gamers a “string of unmatched content”. He hinted that upcoming titles, such as Socom: Confrontation and Resistance 2, will help boost PS3 demand further.

If you’re wondering which console topped NPD’s US sales list for August, then it was Nintendo’s DS, with sales of 518,300 units. The Wii came in a close second, with 453,000 sales during the month, although its sales were still down on the 555,000 sold during July.

Sony’s aging PS2 sold a respectable 144,100 consoles in the US during August, proving there’s life in the old gal yet.