Search Old News

U.S. videogame sales down 17 percent in April Technology Reuters

Saturday, May 16, 2009
















document.write("");
var strLocalization="US";




document.write("");


















function gotoCommerceLogin() {
var login_url = "https://commerce.us.reuters.com/login?go=" + parent.document.location.href;
parent.location.href=login_url;
}
document.writeln('Login');



My Profile




function gotoCommerceLogout() {
var logout_url = "https://commerce.us.reuters.com/login/pages/login/logout.do?go=" + parent.document.location.href;
parent.location.href=logout_url;
}
document.writeln('Logout');

updateSearchFormWithQuery();









var adsrc = 'reuters.com.dart/news/technology/article;' + (typeof(seg)=='undefined'?'':seg) + 'type=homepagesponsorlogo;sz=1x1;articleID=USTRE54E03D20090515;taga=aaaaaaaaa;ord=' + (typeof(tmstmp)!='undefined'?tmstmp:12345) + '?';
if ( typeof(AD_TRACKER) != 'undefined' && AD_TRACKER.globalAdSrcType != null ) {
adsrc = adsrc.replace('?', AD_TRACKER.globalAdSrcType + '?');
}


if ((typeof (hideAllAds) == 'undefined' || hideAllAds == false) && (typeof (AD_TRACKER) == 'undefined' || !AD_TRACKER.isAdHidden('')) &&
(typeof (hideAd_6797996) == 'undefined' || hideAd_6797996 == false)) {
document.write('');
if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV") >= 0) {
document.write('');
document.write('');
}
}







if (typeof(window.populateRaptAdSize) != 'undefined')
populateRaptAdSize('type=homepagesponsorlogo;sz=1x1;');
















addImpression("B111408_1641_TOP");Top NewsReuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.Subscribe









var adsrc = 'reuters.com.dart/news/technology/article;' + (typeof(seg)=='undefined'?'':seg) + 'type=Banner;sz=728x90;tile=1;articleID=USTRE54E03D20090515;ord=' + (typeof(tmstmp)!='undefined'?tmstmp:12345) + '?';
if ( typeof(AD_TRACKER) != 'undefined' && AD_TRACKER.globalAdSrcType != null ) {
adsrc = adsrc.replace('?', AD_TRACKER.globalAdSrcType + '?');
}


if ((typeof (hideAllAds) == 'undefined' || hideAllAds == false) && (typeof (AD_TRACKER) == 'undefined' || !AD_TRACKER.isAdHidden('')) &&
(typeof (hideAd_2866024) == 'undefined' || hideAd_2866024 == false)) {
document.write('');
if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV") >= 0) {
document.write('');
document.write('');
}
}







if (typeof(window.populateRaptAdSize) != 'undefined')
populateRaptAdSize('type=Banner;sz=728x90;tile=1;');








You are here:

Home

>
News

>
Technology

>
Article





var RTR_UniqueArticleID = "USTRE54E03D20090515";

addImpression("3098073_LeftNav");

Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Internet


Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback






var adsrc = 'reuters.com.dart/news/technology/article;' + (typeof(seg)=='undefined'?'':seg) + 'type=125;sz=125x125;tile=3;articleID=USTRE54E03D20090515;ord=' + (typeof(tmstmp)!='undefined'?tmstmp:12345) + '?';
if ( typeof(AD_TRACKER) != 'undefined' && AD_TRACKER.globalAdSrcType != null ) {
adsrc = adsrc.replace('?', AD_TRACKER.globalAdSrcType + '?');
}


if ((typeof (hideAllAds) == 'undefined' || hideAllAds == false) && (typeof (AD_TRACKER) == 'undefined' || !AD_TRACKER.isAdHidden('')) &&
(typeof (hideAd_2866032) == 'undefined' || hideAd_2866032 == false)) {
document.write('');
if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV") >= 0) {
document.write('');
document.write('');
}
}







if (typeof(window.populateRaptAdSize) != 'undefined')
populateRaptAdSize('type=125;sz=125x125;tile=3;');






addImpression("3098075_DoMore");

Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
function setHomepage() { makeHomepageLink.style.behavior="url(#default#homepage)"; makeHomepageLink.setHomePage('http://www.reuters.com'); }
if (is_ie) { document.getElementById("makeHomepageLink").className = "TsubnavOff"; }





U.S. videogame sales down 17 percent in April
Fri May 15, 2009 3:49pm EDT

var storyKeywords = "US NPD GAMES";
var RTR_ArticleTitle = "U.S. videogame sales down 17 percent in April";
var RTR_ArticleBlurb = "By Gabriel Madway SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. sales of videogames fell 17 percent in April to $1.03 billion, research group NPD said on Thursday, the second steep monthly decline in a row. Game software sales fell 23 percent to $510.7 million in...";

addImpression("3098077_Article Tools");

var showComments = false;
var allowSLCall = false;

function singlePageView() {
document.location.href = ReplaceQueryStringParam(document.location.href, "sp", "true");
}
function replaceString(oldS, newS, fullS) {
// Replaces oldS with newS in the string fullS
for (var i = 0; i < fullS.length; i++) {
if (fullS.substring(i, i + oldS.length) == oldS) {
fullS = fullS.substring(0, i) + newS + fullS.substring(i + oldS.length, fullS.length);
}
}
return fullS;
}





Email | Print | Share | Reprints | Single Page

[-]
Text
[+]





var csvSymbolIds = "7974.OS_0,MSFT.O_1,6758.T_2";
var quoteLink = "true";


By Gabriel Madway

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. sales of videogames fell 17 percent in April to $1.03 billion, research group NPD said on Thursday, the second steep monthly decline in a row.

Game software sales fell 23 percent to $510.7 million in April, while hardware sales dropped 8 percent to $391.6 million. Sales of accessories declined 15 percent.

Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst said while the economy had some impact on the month's sales, the more important factor was a tough comparison from a year ago.

"The big driver in games is content, so last year you had two of the biggest games of the year launch in April, and that was not the case this year," he said, referring to "Grand Theft Auto 4" and "Mario Kart."

Nintendo's (7974.OS) Wii was the top-selling game console again in April, although sales fell more than 50 percent from a year ago to 340,000 units, NPD said.

Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Xbox was No. 2 with 175,000 units sold, down 7 percent. Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 2 (PS2) was in third place, followed by the PlayStation 3. Sony cut the price of the PS2 by 23 percent to $99.99 at the end of March.

Ernst said Nintendo's shares may be hurt by the NPD numbers, but said he still thinks the Wii brand is strong. Last week, Japan-based Nintendo reported a 42 percent fall in quarterly operating profit and forecast a bigger-than-expected profit decline this year.

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said in an interview he expects sales of the Wii to pick up as the company roles high-profile software titles later this month and in July.

"The pacing of our business will be different in 2009 versus 2008 .... Really for us this is all pacing versus any indication that the consumer is somehow changing their minds or their trends."

April's NPD data marked the second straight month in which videogame sales fell 17 percent. The sector was thought by analysts to be relatively resilient in the economic downturn.

"While the continued difficult economic environment is a factor to consider, our monthly consumer spending indicator study still shows that videogames is the category that consumers tell us they're least likely to cut their spending on in coming months," NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement.

Fils-Aime said people are still willing to spend money on videogames, pointing to the performance of its new DSi handheld console as proof.

The DSi, which was released in the United States on April 5, sold roughly 800,000 units in the month, far outpacing Sony's PSP handheld. The DS franchise as a whole sold more than a million units in the month, NPD said.

Nintendo also had the top-four best-selling software titles in the month, lead by "Wii Fit," which sold 471,000 units. "Pokemon Platinum" for the DS was No. 2, followed by "Mario Kart" and "Wii Play."

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing by Richard Chang)








&copy; Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

addImpression("3098091_Share Links");






Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn




addImpression("3098079_Next Article");




Next Article:
Sony eyes frail recovery











#alsoOn { margin-bottom: 12px; }

addImpression("E0516092011_26312");Also On ReutersCommentary: Miles O'Brien on Flight 3407Next hot tourist destination: Afghanistan?Blog: Is your neighborhood GM dealership closing?








More Technology News




GM stakes virtual property in case of bankruptcy


Major League Baseball awarded geolocation patent


Hackers launch phishing attack on Facebook users


Sony eyes frail recovery
|Video


Google eases trademark restrictions on some U.S. ads

MoreTechnologyNews...

















var intSlideshowPosition = 0;
var arrArticleImageIds = new Array();
var arrArticleImages = new Array();
var intSlideshowTracking = false;

arrArticleImageIds.push(10137867);

var re = //////gi;
var strippedPhotoHTML = '';
arrArticleImages.push(strippedPhotoHTML.replace(re, ""));

function loadInlineImage(intIndex) {
document.getElementById("articlePhoto").innerHTML = '' + arrArticleImages[intIndex] + '';
document.getElementById("slideshowStatus").innerHTML = (intIndex + 1) + " of " + arrArticleImageIds.length;
if (intSlideshowTracking == true) {
dcsMultiTrack('DCSext.VirtualEvent', '1', 'DCSext.rChannel','Inline Slideshow','WT.cg_n','Inline Slideshow - Photo','WT.cg_s','','DCSext.DartZone','','DCSext.ContentType','Pictures');
}
}
function launchArticleSlideshow() {
commonPopup('/news/pictures/articleslideshow?articleId=USTRE54E03D20090515&channelName=technologyNews#a='+(intSlideshowPosition+1)+'',920,585,3,'reutersSlideshow');

}
function drawControls() {
if (arrArticleImageIds.length > 1) {
document.write('');
document.write('');
document.write('');
document.write('1 of ' + (arrArticleImageIds.length) + '');
document.write('Full Size');
document.getElementById("articlePhoto").className = "articlePhoto";
} else {
document.write('');
document.write('1 of 1');
document.write('Full Size');
document.getElementById("articlePhoto").className = "articlePhoto";
}
}
function nextSlide() {
if (intSlideshowPosition < arrArticleImageIds.length - 1) {
intSlideshowPosition++;
} else {
intSlideshowPosition = 0;
}
intSlideshowTracking = true;
loadInlineImage(intSlideshowPosition);
}
function prevSlide() {
if (intSlideshowPosition > 0) {
intSlideshowPosition--;
} else {
intSlideshowPosition = arrArticleImageIds.length - 1;
}
intSlideshowTracking = true;
loadInlineImage(intSlideshowPosition);
}
function buttonMenu() {
return false;
}
function buttonPush(e) {
if (!e) var e = window.event;
if (e.button != 2) {
document.getElementById(this.id).style.cssText = "margin: 2px 0px 0px 2px;";
}
}
function buttonRelease(e) {
if (!e) var e = window.event;
if (e.button != 2) {
document.getElementById(this.id).style.cssText = "margin: 1px;";
}
}
function initSlideshow() {
if (arrArticleImageIds.length > 1) {
document.getElementById("slideshowL").onclick = prevSlide;
document.getElementById("slideshowR").onclick= nextSlide;
document.getElementById("slideshowL").oncontextmenu = buttonMenu;
document.getElementById("slideshowR").oncontextmenu= buttonMenu;
document.getElementById("slideshowL").onmousedown = buttonPush;
document.getElementById("slideshowR").onmousedown = buttonPush;
document.getElementById("slideshowL").onmouseup = buttonRelease;
document.getElementById("slideshowR").onmouseup = buttonRelease;
}
}





drawControls();

addImpression("3098094_Related Video");
removeImpression();

addImpression("3098095_Related News");
removeImpression();









if (document.getElementById) {
if (document.getElementById("inlineRail").innerHTML.length > 55) {
var tempInlineRail = document.getElementById("inlineRail").innerHTML;
document.getElementById("inlineRail").innerHTML = '';
document.getElementById("midArticle_start").innerHTML = tempInlineRail;
}
}
if (typeof(window['intSlideshowPosition']) != "undefined") {
initSlideshow();
}










#ecPictures .module.promofeature { border: none; }
#ecPictures .module.promofeature .moduleBody { padding: 0; margin: 8px 0; }
Editor's Choice

addImpression("E0516091337_26204");SlideshowA selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow








var adsrc = 'reuters.com.dart/news/technology/article;' + (typeof(seg)=='undefined'?'':seg) + 'type=HighImpact;sz=300x250;tile=2;articleID=USTRE54E03D20090515;ord=' + (typeof(tmstmp)!='undefined'?tmstmp:12345) + '?';
if ( typeof(AD_TRACKER) != 'undefined' && AD_TRACKER.globalAdSrcType != null ) {
adsrc = adsrc.replace('?', AD_TRACKER.globalAdSrcType + '?');
}


if ((typeof (hideAllAds) == 'undefined' || hideAllAds == false) && (typeof (AD_TRACKER) == 'undefined' || !AD_TRACKER.isAdHidden('')) &&
(typeof (hideAd_2333076) == 'undefined' || hideAd_2333076 == false)) {
document.write('');
if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV") >= 0) {
document.write('');
document.write('');
}
}







if (typeof(window.populateRaptAdSize) != 'undefined')
populateRaptAdSize('type=HighImpact;sz=300x250;tile=2;');








Most Popular on Reuters

Articles
Video



RTR_Tabs.addTabGroup("articleRelatedContent", "", "standard", "", "", "");
RTR_Tabs.addTab("articleRelatedContent_0", "popularArticles");

RTR_Tabs.addTab("articleRelatedContent_1", "popularVideos");

RTR_Tabs.init("articleRelatedContent");




addImpression("3098102_Most Popular Articles");





Man tried to hire prostitute for his son, 14


California budget woes may force government overhaul


Hackers launch phishing attack on Facebook users


Was Google Hacked?


Sri Lanka seizes coast, tightens noose on Tigers


Obama renews U.S. sanctions against Myanmar


Sri Lanka seizes coast, tightens noose on Tigers|Video


Obama getting criticism from friends


Taliban "shaving beards" to flee Swat: army|Video


Farrah Fawcett in legal tug-of-war in dying days|Video




Most Popular Articles RSS Feed



addImpression("3098103_Most Popular Videos");








Video


Chrysler dealers vent rage, defiance

Pelosi vs. the CIA

Farrah's emotional night

Spacewalk to steady Hubble's gaze

Farrah Fawcett documentary premieres

New robot to treat soldiers in field

Obama to revive Gitmo tribunals

Japan's latest bra push

21 years for Brit murder in Brazil

Aristocrat jailed for Kenya death



Most Popular Videos RSS Feed






addImpression("E0515091905_26067");We want to hear from youJoin the Reuters Consumer Insight Panel and help us get to know you betterPlease take a moment to complete our survey






addImpression("6615211_Rcmnd");

com.reuters.rcom.utils.replaceContent('recommendedArticles', '/ajax/assets/recommended', 60000, null);


var cookieStr = document.cookie;
var re = /.*WT_FPC=id=([a-zA-Z0-9.-]+)/;
var match = cookieStr.match(re);
if (match && match.length > 1) {
var uID = match[1];
var urlSegs = location.href.split('/');
var storyID = urlSegs[urlSegs.length-1];
document.write('');
} else {
document.write('');
}

Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers

International Editions:

Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
LatinAmerica |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
UnitedKingdom |
UnitedStates

Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.


if (typeof(window.raptAs) != 'undefined' && raptAs.length > 0)
{
_org="Reuters";
Rapt_Track("z=reuters.com.dart/news/technology/article,as=" + raptAs);
}

doLoginMenu(); doWeatherFrame();
var _tag=new WebTrends();
_tag.dcsGetId();
setModuleImpressionTracking();
_tag.dcsCollect();

No comments:

Post a Comment