US video game sales soar to record $17.9 bn

SAN FRANCISCO: US video game industry sales rocketed to a record high $17.9 billion in 2007, with Nintendo reigning as champion of the console battle with Microsoft and Sony, according to research group NPD.

US sales of video game consoles, software and accessories rose "an astounding" 43 percent, with each category reaching a new "personal best," NPD reported.

Nintendo DS handheld game devices and Wii consoles were the top hardware sellers, ranking first and second respectively. The Japanese company's gadgets accounted for 52 percent of the video game devices sold in the United States.

"Nintendo has certainly been the belle of the hardware ball," NPD analyst Anita Frazier told media on Friday.

"The DS has driven portable gaming to a new level, and for the second year in a row, the DS has been the top-selling hardware platform."

Nearly 8.5 million Nintendo DS devices were sold in the United States last year, while buyers snatched up approximately 6.3 million Wii game consoles. Sony sold 3.97 million PS2 consoles in the United States in 2007 as compared to 2.56 million PS3 consoles, NPD reported.

Microsoft last year sold 4.62 million of its Xbox 360 consoles, which debuted in the market in November of 2005, a year before Wii and PS3 were released.

Frazier predicts that the video game industry will continue to flourish in the United States this year, but not at the stellar rate of growth seen in 2007.