The Nintendo Wii broke hardware sales records in the US in the month of December, shifting in excess of 3.8 million units to create a new single-month US sales high.

And the DS shared similar success with sales of 3.3 million (DS and DSi combined) throughout the month, giving the console the second highest selling month in US history. Adding its December sales to the rest of 2009 made the year the best for the DS to date with sales topping 11.2 million units - another sales record.

For the whole year, Wii sold 9.6 million units - down slightly on 2008's year end total of 10.17 million - with November-December sales accounting for nearly one-fifth (18.7 per cent) of that total.

"Wii, Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi combined to sell more than 7 million units in the month of December alone," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "Clearly there is overwhelming consumer demand for fun games, motion controls and value. This remarkable hardware sales surge presents a tremendous software opportunity for Nintendo and its third-party partners as we head into 2010."

Lifetime US sales for the Wii now stand at 27.2 million, and lifetime sales for the DS have reached 38.8 million, surpassing sales of the Game Boy Advance.

Nintendo first-party titles accounted for six of the top ten best selling games in the month of December - those included New Super Mario Bros Wii with sales of 2.8 million and Wii Sports Resort, which topped 1.7 million.

The platform holder also held seven of the top ten best selling games for the whole of 2009.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...rd-in-december ...

US consumers spent $4.8 billion on Xbox 360 hardware, software and accessories in 2009, according to Microsoft, with $1.1 billion in sales during December alone.

The company also claims $2.7 billion was spent on Xbox 360 games during the year, with the console accounting for a 43 per cent share of third-party sales – or $2.4 billion.

As revealed last week, the console has sold 39 million units worldwide, with an average software attach rate of 8.8 games. The Xbox 360 sold 10 million units in the US during 2009.

The company is bullish on 2010, claiming it will be the "biggest year in Xbox history", as it launches new motion control peripheral Project Natal and exclusive titles such as Alan Wake, Halo: Reach, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction and Crackdown 2.

NPD results show that the Xbox 360 sold 1.31 million units in December, behind rivals Sony and Nintendo.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-product-in-us ...

PlayStation 3 hardware sales rose 87 per cent year-on-year in the US in December, making the month the single highest grossing for the console.

Units sales were 1.35 million during the month - an achievement that Sony said marked a "turning point for the platform". The console saw a growth of 22 per cent for the entire calender year, selling 4.3 million units in comparison to 3.8 million in 2008.

Software sales also reached an all-time high in December, led by Modern Warfare 2, which has sold 2.8 million units on PS3 to date, followed by Madden NFL 10 and Assassin's Creed II.

First-party title Uncharted 2: Among Thieves had sold one million units since going on sale in October, Sony confirmed.

PSP hardware also saw a sales increase of more than 122 per cent between November and December, contributing to the PlayStation brand as a whole generating more than USD 5.1 billion in revenue in the US in 2009 - a 26 per cent share of the total videogames industry revenue for the year.

"It's no surprise we've seen PS3 units sold every month nearly double since October," said SCEA’s Patrick Seybold. "We knew 2009 would be a turning point for the platform due to the new price and a content line up that is fueling unprecedented consumer and industry interest with games like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

"The consumer response has simply been overwhelming and we anticipate the high demand for PS3 to continue into the coming months as we work closely with retail to meet the demand.

"The best part of PS3's story today is that 2010 will offer entirely new gaming experiences to consumers as we launch MAG, God of War III, 3D gaming, and the new motion controller this year. It's never been a better time to be a PS3 owner."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...oint-says-sony ...

Here's another round of the latest console sales data in Japan as follows:


Playstation Portable: 145,682
Nintendo Wii: 76,772
Playstation 3: 61,591
NintendoDSi: 50,178
NintendoDSi LL: 45,221
Nintendo DS Lite: 10,067
Xbox 360: 5,461
Playstation 2: 3,092
Playstation Portable Go: 2,841


Figures obtained from Media Create ...

via Computer and Video Games


Nintendo America boss Reggie Fils-Aime says the next Nintendo console, Wii 2 if you like, will not simply be about introducing a HD upgrade, but adding more new capability to its gaming offerings.
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via Gizmodo


There's still some question about whether Windows Mobile 6.6 or Windows Mobile 7 will be shown in February, but a solid tipster just told us that it will be WM7. And then he describes it.

Here are a couple things described about WinMo 7 that mesh with the rumors we've heard before. First, it'll have the Natal-like gestures to be able to use the phone without touching it. We first heard about gestures on WM7 two years ago, and then sprinkled about the rumors in the past year.

Then, he says that you won't be able to upgrade to Windows Mobile 7, because the OS actually requires you to have better hardware (faster processor, more memory, etc) and includes support for the motion-sensing gestures above.

This bit also meshes with the rumored specs of the "Zune phone", which is basically Windows Mobile 7. From that rumor:
But then how does that account for the HD2, which HTC Russia claimed will be getting a WM7 upgrade? Because HD2 is basically the top of the line right now, which—looking at its specs—put it into the Windows Mobile 7-capable category.

So yes, it seems like we'll be seeing Windows Mobile 7 at Mobile World Congress in February. It better be pretty damn good for Microsoft's projection of being able to regain 25% of the phone market by 2014. ...

via Joystiq


After numerous trailers for the upcoming Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition's zany costumes, Capcom has finally released a trailer focusing on both of the extra DLC story chapters. "Lost in Nightmares" takes place before the events of Resident Evil 5 and includes a mansion inspired by the setting of the very first RE game. "Desperate Escape" takes place during the end of Resident Evil 5, as Jill and Josh race to save Chris and Sheva from the endgame's exploding volcano.

With Jill serving as the "main character" for the additional content, the Gold Edition expansion looks like a genuine sequel, a la Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Most importantly, we're glad to see Jill's masterful unlocking skills put to good use in this trailer. The first batch of RE5 DLC will be available on February 17.


Trailer at Joystiq ...

via Joystiq


After numerous trailers for the upcoming Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition's zany costumes, Capcom has finally released a trailer focusing on both of the extra DLC story chapters. "Lost in Nightmares" takes place before the events of Resident Evil 5 and includes a mansion inspired by the setting of the very first RE game. "Desperate Escape" takes place during the end of Resident Evil 5, as Jill and Josh race to save Chris and Sheva from the endgame's exploding volcano.

With Jill serving as the "main character" for the additional content, the Gold Edition expansion looks like a genuine sequel, a la Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Most importantly, we're glad to see Jill's masterful unlocking skills put to good use in this trailer. The first batch of RE5 DLC will be available on February 17.


Trailer at Joystiq ...

via Games Industry


Nintendo is likely to officially announce a new DS console this year, with the hardware on the market in under 15 months, according to EEDAR's Jesse Divnich.

A slowing of support from publisher partners and a desire to remain ahead of any competitors will result in new hardware, said Divnich, despite a record year for the format in 2009.
New hardware will also help Nintendo fend off the piracy market, and entice publishers back to handheld gaming, said Divnich.
Earlier this week French publisher Ubisoft said that it was concentrating on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 formats in 2010, following poor sales of DS software in 2009.
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