October video game sales top $1.1 billion

By Scott Hillis

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. sales of video game hardware and software jumped 73 percent in October, with Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Wii console regaining its spot as the top-selling console, industry data showed on Thursday.

Total sales were $1.1 billion, compared with $643 million a year earlier, according to market research firm NPD.

Nintendo sold 519,000 Wiis while Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) sold 366,000 Xbox 360 consoles and Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) sold 121,000 of its PlayStation 3 machines.

In September, the Xbox 360 knocked the Wii from the top spot it had held all year, thanks to a boost from the release of Microsoft's blockbuster 'Halo 3' game.

"What this demonstrates is that we are putting more and more product into the marketplace and we continue to sell out as soon as it hits," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime.

The console makers and game publishers are positioning for the holiday shopping season that can account for as much as half of the year's sales of gaming hardware and software.

While Nintendo is scrambling to produce enough units to meet demand, Microsoft has touted its broad line-up of games and points to data showing that more money is spent on games and accessories for the Xbox 360 than its rivals combined.

"Software continues to be a real highlight for us. We had more software sales in the month of October than the Wii and PS3 combined," Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox Live, told Reuters.