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Nintendo 3DS outsold Xbox 360 in May as Wii U continued to flounder

Published Jun 18th, 2013 3:45PM EDT
Video Game Sales May 2013

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The video game industry continued its downward spiral in May. According to research firm NPD Group, retail sales of hardware, software and gaming accessories in the U.S. fell 25% to $386.3 million last month, their lowest level thus far in 2013. Hardware and software sales fell 31% year-over-year to $96 million and $175.1 million, respectively, while sales of gaming accessories declined 6% year-over-year to $115.3 million. Including sales of used games, rental and digitally delivered content, micro-transactions, subscriptions, mobile apps and social network games, consumers spent a total of $787 million on video games in May.

Nintendo’s 3DS was the top-selling platform across hardware and portables, edging out the Xbox 360. The 3DS console had its best year-over-year performance with software sales increasing 60% from last May.

Nintendo continues to struggle outside of the portable market, however. The Xbox 360 was the top-selling hardware platform for the 29th consecutive month, beating the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and the newer Wii U system.

Games such as Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty: Ghost will likely help bolster sales this fall, and then vendors will look for huge boosts once the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch.

Dan joins the BGR team as the Android Editor, covering all things relating to Google’s premiere operating system. His work has appeared on Fox News, Fox Business and Yahoo News, among other publications. When he isn’t testing the latest devices or apps, he can be found enjoying the sights and sounds of New York City.