UPDATE 1-U.S. video games sales fall 17 pct in March-NPD
* Sales of U.S. video games fall 17 pct in March
* Nintendo's Wii top-selling console again
SAN FRANCISCO, April 16 Overall U.S. video game sales fell 17 percent in March to $1.43 billion, research group NPD said on Thursday, a revealing figure for an industry that had so far shown resilience in the economic downturn.
Video game software sales dropped 17 percent to $792.8 million in the month, while hardware sales fell 18 percent to $455.6 million.
Nintendo's blockbuster Wii was again the top-selling console in the U.S., selling 601,000 units. Microsoft's (MSFT.O) Xbox 360 was No. 2 with 330,000 units, while Sony's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 was third, with 218,000 units.
Nintendo's DS was the top-selling handheld console, selling 563,000 units, ahead of Sony's PSP, which sold 168,000.
Capcom's (9697.T) "Resident Evil 5" was the best-selling video game in the month, selling 1.5 million units for the Xbox and PlayStation 3, according to NPD. (Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing Bernard Orr)
Next In Market News
REFILE-In Egypt, IMF deal brings austerity few can afford
CAIRO, Aug 20 A few years ago Imad would not have imagined himself queuing in the Cairo sun for a weekly ration of subsidised baby milk. But rising prices mean his civil servant's salary barely lasts the month and the government is tightening its belt further.
Toyota restarts production in Venezuela after six months
Aug 19 Toyota said on Friday it had restarted its Venezuelan factory after six months without producing vehicles because of hard currency shortages, good news for the South American nation suffering a roiling recession that has closed many factories
UPDATE 2-Peru says no need for new financing, but may swap debt
LIMA, Aug 19 Peru's finance minister said Friday that he does not need fresh financing to cover a "worrisome" fiscal deficit inherited from the previous government but may arrange debt swaps to take advantage of cheap credit.