US sales of video game hardware and software rose 13% in January from a year earlier, led by Nintendo's Wii console and DS handheld systems, market researcher NPD said on Thursday.
The results presented more evidence that even in the middle of a brutal economic downturn, US consumers are willing to spend on video games.
Total industry sales in the month climbed to $1.33 billion, NPD said.
Video game software sales rose 10% to $676.6 million while hardware sales surged 17% to $445.4 million. Sales of accessories grew 11% to $209.8 million.
Nintendo's Wii continued to be a hit with consumers, selling nearly 680 000 units, while the DS handheld system sold more than 510 000 units.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 sold 309 000 units in the month, while Sony's PlayStation 3 sold 203 000.
Nintendo also had the three biggest-selling games of the month, Wii Fit, Wii Play, and Mario Kart Wii. Electronic Arts' Left 4 Dead and Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: World at War rounded out the top five.
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