Nintendo Co.'s sales slump led the U.S. video-game market to a record sixth straight monthly decline in August, overshadowing increased console sales at rivals Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. after they cut prices.
August sales of Nintendo's Wii console, the industry leader, slumped 39 percent to 277,400 units, while those of Sony's PlayStation 3 gained 13 percent and Microsoft's Xbox 360 rose 10 percent from a year earlier, according to a statement Thursday by researcher NPD Group Inc. Total U.S. revenue from hardware, software and accessories fell 16 percent to $908.7 million, U.S.-based NPD said.
Price cuts for the Xbox 360 and PS3 last month weren't enough to reverse the contracting market, according to Jesse Divnich, an analyst with U.S.-based Electronic Entertainment Design & Research. He is predicting gains in both consoles and software this month as shoppers respond to the lower prices and new software editions of "Rock Band," "Guitar Hero" and "Halo."
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