Remember when we mentioned that the Xbox One outsold the PlayStation 4 in July 2016 in the US? Well, that’s still true. But according to stat tracker NPD and reported by Nintendo, the best-selling system for that period is the Nintendo 3DS.
AS of this writing, NPD’s full report for July 2016 was not available. But Nintendo has the figures and, while it won’t release the raw numbers, claims victory.
The NPD data reportedly shows that the 3DS sold almost 80 percent more units in the States during July as compared to the same period in 2015. Nintendo says there are a few factors that led to this result. The first is the 3DS release of Monster Hunter Generations, which was July’s best-selling game for the system. Next is the increase in interest following the price drop on the 2DS, the 3DS’s sister, from $100 to $80. Last is the public’s “widespread positive public reception” for Pokemon GO, an unrelated title released in July.
Why is Nintendo citing Pokemon GO as a factor in its sales increases? It seems that the mobile game’s success has translated into sales of other titles. Nintendo claims that sales of Pokemon games have increased recently. Pokemon Omega Red and Alpha Sapphire have combined to sell over 80 percent more copies year-over-year. Pokemon X and Y saw a growth rate of almost 200 percent during the same period. They also mentioned that 2DS sales in the US have now surpassed 2 million units.
Microsoft had originally decreed that the Xbox One had beaten the PlayStation 4 in sales. Their July 2016 numbers exceeded Sony’s console for the first time since October 2015. That number still hold for home consoles.
