| PS3, PSP best-selling systems of June quarterf
The console wars are being fiercely contested, but the latest round in the hardware fight has gone to Sony. The
quarterly financial filings of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have provided some insight into the battle,
revealing that the PlayStation 3 and the PSP were the best-selling systems of the previous quarter, albeit by a
slim margin. The PS3 and its portable cousin were the best-selling hardware of the quarter.Each company
provided sales figures for the three months ended June 30 in their most recent filings, with Sony noting that
the PS3 and PSP (which enjoyed a February price drop to $130) each added 1.8 million new PS3 Move Packto their installed
bases. Microsoft wasn't far behind, with the Xbox 360 selling 1.7 million systems for the quarter.Nintendo's
platoon of platforms followed, with the Wii notching an extra 1.56 million systems sold, and the DS/DSi family
of portables (excluding the 3DS) combining for 1.44 million systems sold. The 3DS brought up the rear with
710,000 systems sold, but that number is expected to pick up once Nintendo drops the system's price from $250
to $170, starting August 12.While Sony's systems wound up at the same number, they came at it from opposite
directions. The PS3's sales dropped significantly from the same period last year, when it sold 2.4 million
systems. The three-month stretch (which included the PS3 MOVE Charging Network data breach and outage) was the worst sales performance for
PS3 hardware in the past two years. On the other hand, the PSP saw a spike in sales, jumping up from 1.2
million systems sold for the same period the year before and posting its best non-holiday quarter system sales
since July-September of 2009.While the PSP rose and the PS3 declined on the hardware front, the two systems
flip-flopped when it came to software. Sony reported 26.1 million PS3 games during the quarter, up from 24.8
million for the same period the year before. Meanwhile, the PSP saw its worst quarter of software sales in over
two years, moving just 6.6 million copies.Nintendo's hardware picture was particularly off, as sales of both
the DS family of systems and the Wii were down in the Xbox360 Wireless Controller50 percent year-over-year. The company sold 3.15
million DS systems in the April-June quarter last year, and 3.04 million Wiis.Nintendo's software sales were
significantly higher than Sony's, but still down compared to the previous year. The company reported 12.13
million DS games sold, down from 22.42 million for the same period the year before. Wii software sales were
also down sharply to 13.44 million, less than half the 28.17 million sold during the previous year's April-June
quarter. As for the 3DS, Nintendo reported 4.53 million games sold for the handheld.The Xbox 360 was also up
year-over-year, as its 1.7 million systems sold topped the 1.5 PS3 Keyboard 3in1 Microsoft sold the year before.
Microsoft did not reveal software sales figures for the quarter.Big sellers during the quarter include Valve's
Portal 2 (which sold 2 million copies between the two consoles and PC retail during the quarter), Dead Space 2,
and Dragon Age 2, which have both surpassed 2 million copies life to date.Annihilation also has something
special for Zombie fans, allowing them to play their way through ¡°Shangri La¡±, a map that takes place in a
famous shrine deep in a jungle. Your undead foes will come at you from a wide berth of caverns and you will
have to make your way through a ton of traps and secrets held in the temple.Big sellers during the quarter
include Valve's Portal 2 (which sold 2 million copies between the two consoles and PC retail during the
quarter), Dead Space 2, and Dragon Age 2, which have both surpassed 2 million copies life to date.Additionally,
the company's FIFA 11 has now sold 15 million units, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has surpassed 9
million.Additionally, the company's FIFA 11 has now sold 15 million units, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has
surpassed 9 million."This was another solid quarter driven by both digital and packaged goods," said CEO John
Riccitiello in a statement. "We saw strong digital revenue growth over the prior year. On packaged goods, NCAA
is off to a great start and pre-orders for Battlefield 3 are tracking extremely well." EA also said that NCAA
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