Nintendo 3DS tops all in July, Xbox beats PlayStation…again

Nintendo is at the top of the charts for the third straight month with their 3DS handheld.  The portable outperformed both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation in the United States.  According to data from the NPD group, the 3DS has outperformed both Sony and Microsoft for three straight months, signalling continued weakness for home consoles as they ready for the next-generation launch.

Hardware sales as a whole are still on a pretty significant year over year decline, however.  With many analysts pointing to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as catalysts for the next big industry-wide leg up.

Microsoft did note that they were once again the top selling platform in the US, for the 31st straight month, which is basically Microsoft’s way of telling you they beat Sony once again.

Software in July some familiar faces remaining among the best sellers, as well as some newcomers to the fray.  NCAA Football 14 was the month’s best selling game, with Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition in second, and The Last of Us in third.

August sales will be interesting as big AAA titles begin to trickle back into the marketplace.  Saints Row 4, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and Madden NFL 25 all see August releases, and could push numbers up next month. Then again, gamers could be pinching their pennies ahead of the anticipated holiday releases for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.