U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories jumped 10 percent last month from the year-ago period to $2.91 billion, boosted by strong sales of Nintendo Co.'s Wii, Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and the alien shooter game "Gears of War 2."The report says video game hardware sales hit $1.21 billion, a 10 percent jump year-over-year. Nintendo sold 2 million Wii consoles in November, the most yet in a month. Sales of the Xbox 360 hit 836,000 units, while Sony sold 378,000 PS3 consoles.
The availability of a broad range of games is one reason for the industry's ongoing solid performance, said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. Games also provide a relatively cheap form of stay-at-home entertainment.
The industry, Frazier said, is still on track to rack up $22 billion in U.S. sales this year.
Sales of video games grew 11 percent to $1.31 billion. More info over here.