Video game sales up 31% in U.S.

With few blockbuster games hitting the shelves, consumers focused on hardware, increasing their purchases of Sony's PlayStation 3, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii.

The sales rankings were unchanged from recent months, with the $250 Wii retaining its top spot with 381,800 units sold, about 13 percent more than the previous month. Nintendo's Mario Party 8 was also the top game in June, selling nearly 427,000 copies. "It's just further evidence that both our platforms, the Wii and DS (handheld), are certainly capturing a wide audience. We are delivering on our message of reaching out to new gamers," said Nintendo spokeswoman Beth Llewellyn.

Microsoft sold 198,400 Xbox 360s, a jump of 28 percent from May, while Sony sold 98,500 PlayStation 3 units, up more than 20 percent.

Sony said the June gains reflected growing enthusiasm among gamers for upcoming PS3 titles, and added that a 17 percent price cut on the PS3 in mid-July was building on that. Sony said PS3 sales at its five largest retailers had soared 135 percent in the last two weeks of July.