December NPD: More like DSember
by JC Fletcher 
{ Jan 16th 2009 at 11:30AM }
- DS: 3.04m
1.47m (94%)- Wii: 2.15m
110K (5%)- Xbox 360: 1.44m
604K (72%)- PSP: 1.02m
599K (142%)- PS3: 726K
348K (92%)- PS2: 410K
204K (99%)Software, however, didn't see a commensurate rush of sales. In fact, only one DS game made it on the list of top 10 best-selling games for the month, and it's the same one that made it into the Top 10 for the year: Mario Kart DS, which came out in 2005.
Top 10 Games of December 2008
1. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii – Nintendo – 1.46 million
2. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 – Activision – 1.33 million*
3. Wii Fit w/ balance board – Wii – Nintendo – 999K
4. Mario Kart Wii w/ wheel – Wii – Nintendo – 979K
5. Guitar Hero: World Tour - Wii – Activision – 850K*
6. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 – Microsoft – 745K*
7. Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360 – Electronic Arts – 629K
8. Mario Kart DS - DS – Nintendo – 540K
9. Call of Duty: World at War - PS3 – Activision – 533K
10. Animal Crossing: City Folk - Wii – Nintendo – 497K*
* Includes Collector's, Limited, Legendary, and Bundled Editions
Top 10 Games of Calendar Year 2008
1. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii – Nintendo – 5.28 million
2. Mario Kart Wii w/ wheel – Wii – Nintendo – 5.00 million
3. Wii Fit w/ balance board – Wii – Nintendo – 4.53 million
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Wii – Nintendo – 4.17 million
5. Grand Theft Auto IV - Xbox 360 – Take-Two – 3.29 million*
6. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 – Activision – 2.75 million*
7. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 – Microsoft – 2.31 million*
8. Grand Theft Auto IV - PS3 – Take-Two – 1.89 million*
9. Madden NFL '09 - Xbox 360 – Electronic Arts – 1.87 million*
10. Mario Kart DS - DS – Nintendo – 1.65 million
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
aj @ Jan 16th 2009 11:50AM
I often wonder what percentage of hardware sales results in software sales (for example, how many people buy a console for just one game they really want to play and just forget about it after a while, and how many people play regularly?).
3 million DS's is a whole lot in December, but how many will be loved. I must know.
gbarules2999 @ Jan 16th 2009 12:59PM
Most people just buy the system with a bundle or a single game. More software will be moved later, I suspect.
XDragon @ Jan 16th 2009 1:23PM
With all the flash cards out there, I wouldn't be surprised if the software sales didn't increase very much.
Al @ Jan 17th 2009 6:16AM
The DS beat out the Wii in sales. Wow!
HotLimit @ Jan 16th 2009 9:09PM
I think a lot fall into that category, a few of my friends bought DSs for the first DS Castlevania and promptly sold them afterward. A couple of my friends with the DS just play Mario Kart with each other and don't bother with too many other games.
mike @ Jan 17th 2009 3:54AM
I notice you don't mention how many iPhones+iPod touches sold that month. Hahaha. Get real.
Jacksons @ Jan 17th 2009 11:35PM
Perhaps it's because NPD does not collect that data?
Same reason PCs aren't there.
chibi_wings @ Jan 17th 2009 7:45PM
it's kind of sad that people don't try out other DS games, there is a lot out there, including some quality games. It's really just a shame. I'm glad that the software publishers are still churning out massive amounts of DS games.