USA GAME SALES 29% DOWN IN JULY

According to a recent NPD report, US game sales slipped 29% during July, marking the fifth straight month where sales were down by double-digits. The industry (hardware, software, accessories etc.) earned $848.90 million in July, which is down from $1.19 billion in the same month last year.

Software sales were lower than anticipated by analysts, sinking by 26% to $436.99 million. Hardware as a whole fell 37% to $280.94 million, and accessories brought home $130.97 million, a 12% dip. Nintendo has fared the best, claiming both the first and second spot in hardware sales, as well as the first in software. The company shipped 538,900 units of its DS handset, 252,500 of its Wii console, and took seven out of the top ten software sales positions.

Microsoft moved 202,900 Xbox 360s and held two spots in the top ten software sales, with NCAA Football 10 taking number two at 376,500 copies. Sony's three systems consumed the bottom of the hardware sales list, shipping 122,800 PSPs, 121,800 PS3s, and 108,000 PS2s. They sold 237,400 copies of NCAA Football 10 for the PS3, enough to snag number three in software sales - their only position on the list.