Something Funny About the NPD Numbers

By Joe Haygood | August 15, 2008

So the NPD Numbers hit the web yesterday, and just to yawn a bit, they are pretty much the same as they have been for awhile.  Nintendo on the top with both of their platforms, and the rest of the field playing catch up.  On the software side, the Wii is also there, with five out of the top ten titles, but something struck me as funny as to their success.  I just realized that four out of those five titles that are in the top ten for Nintendo, come with some hardware accessory.  And it may be five out of five, but I am not sure if the plastic wheel thing comes with a boxed copy of MarioKart Wii.

Look at the titles for Nintendo:

• Wii Fit – Comes with the Wii Fit Board
• Guitar Hero On Tour – Comes with the hulking Guitar Grip
• Wii Play – Comes with a Wiimote (we have harped on this before
• Mario Kart Wii – Might come with a plastic wheel.  Not sure
• Rock Band Special Edition Bundle – Comes with all the instruments

Maybe it is just me, but the NPD really needs to come up with another classification for these items.  Wii Play and Wii Fit right off the bat are hardware products.  Wii Play comes with some rather average five minute mini-games and Wii Fit comes with the Wii Fit board.  It just seems like these are hardware items with a pack in.  Does this mean that a PS3 that comes with Metal Gear Solid 4 should get put in the software numbers.  Absolutely not, but the same should be true for these hardware/software bundles.

And just for the record, this is not someone trying to get Nintendo games off of the list.  I don’t think any bundled version of Rock Band, or Guitar Hero should be on this best seller list, because they are hardware bundled items.  The a la carte games are fine, but if they are in a bundle, they should be counted differently.  End of my rant.  Below, you will find the full NPD numbers

Console Sales:

• NIntendo DS – 608,000
• Nintendo Wii – 555,000
• Sony Playstation 3 – 224,900
• Sony Playstation Portable – 221,700
• Microsoft Xbox 360 – 204,800
• Sony Playstation 2 – 155,500

Software Sales:

• NCAA Football 09 (360) Electronic Arts - 397.600
• Wii Fit (Wii) Nintendo – 369,600
• Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS) Activision – 309,700
• Wii Play (Wii) Nintendo – 284,000
• NCAA Football 09 (PS3) Electronic Arts – 242,500
• Soul Calibur IV (360) Namco – 218,900
• Mario Kart Wii (Wii) Nintendo – 174,500
• Rock Band Special Edition Bundle (Wii) Electronic Arts – 165,800
• Soul Calibur IV (PS3) Namco – 155,800
• Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution (360) Take Two – 147,600