Right, without further ado here are the 2007 hardware figures from the NPD group for the USA:

Microsoft Xbox 360: 4.6m (US lifetime since launch November 2005 = 9.15m)

Nintendo Wii: 6.3m (US lifetime since launch November 2006 = 7.4m)

Nintendo DS: 8.5 (US lifetime since launch November 2004 = 17.65m)

Sony PS2: 3.97m (US lifetime since launch October 2000 = 41.12m)

Sony PS3: 2.6m (US lifetime since launch November 2006 = 3.25m)

Sony PSP: 3.82m (US lifetime since launch March 2005 = 8.82m)^± and ^±±±

All of this saw the US market for things video game related leap by 43% to $17.9 billion (just over £9-billion) during the year. This breaks down as follows:

Software sales up 34% percent to $8.64 billion (£4.4b).
Hardware sales up 54 percent to $7.04 billion (£3.5b).
Accessory sales up 52% to $2.26 billion (£1.15b).^±±

December, the biggest buying month without question, saw the following:

Wii 1.35 million
Xbox 360 1.26 million
PlayStation 3 797,600
PlayStation 2 1.1 million

On the handheld front for December...

Nintendo DS 2.47m
Sony PSP 1.060m

Helping the video gaming figures along the way was the US's best-selling game of the year...

Beggaring the 'common sense' that a single-platform game can never be expected to rule any roost - not even a homeland one - for an entire year, Microsoft's Xbox 360 exclusive Halo 3 topped the sales charts. It sold 4.8 million copies.

According to Variety magazine - of all people, the competition in fact: "Of the 20 best selling games for the three current-gen systems in 2007, 11 were for the 360, seven for Wii, and two on PS3."

As ever, everybody in the industry have been keen to get involved with the figures, with a few quotes worth saving to look back on next year. Let's start with Gartner analyst, Van Baker:

"The Wii appeals to casual gamers who don't live and breathe games. After a while, there's a good chance it will sit in the corner and gather dust once the novelty wears off."^±

"Microsoft spokesman David Dennis said there have been shortages of the Xbox 360 at retailers across the US The company, he added, is working on getting the consoles back on store shelves "as soon as possible."" - The Associated Press.

NPD's own Anita Frazier, "While we will continue to see strong hardware sales, particularly if prices come down again, the spotlight now turns from hardware to software."

and also...

"Given the breadth of available content and the price point of the PS2, it's a mass-market friendly choice and will continue to be an important part of the games ecosystem for several years."



This take from DVDTown (where movies matter) under the headline, 'Playstation 3, A Casualty of war?' is also one to cherish for later: "The problem third party developers have had with the Playstation 3 also showed in the statistics. 33 third party games had made it into the top 10 of the best selling on all platforms. Only five Playstation 3 games did the same".

Your thoughts - as ever - in the Forum please.

^{± LA Times
±± San Jose Mercury News
±±± MCV}