Nintendo tops US hardware and software charts

PS4 may have again beaten Xbox One in the monthly US hardware charts in February, but it was Nintendo that emerged as the month’s surprise winner.

The launch of the new 3DS XL in the region saw Nintendo’s handheld platform win the hardware race, while The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D was the best-selling game.

Nintendo noted that the new 3DS XL sold 130 per cent more units in its first month than the numbers achieved by the original 3DS XL. For the first two months of the year 3DS hardware sales are up 90 per cent year-on-year, while Wii U sales were up 20 per cent.

Looking exclusively at home consoles, Sony’s command of the market shows little sign of abating with PS4 outselling Xbox One yet again both in the hardware and software markets.

Nonetheless, Microsoft said that Xbox One enjoyed its best February to date and that hardware sales were up 84 per cent month-on-month.

In the NPD software charts 2K’s Evolve and Warner’s Dying Light claimed second and third behind Zelda – which, Nintendo said, sold 515k units throughout the month across physical and digital.

Fellow new 3DS title Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate sold 290k, which is the best performance from an entry in the series to date and Capcom’s fastest ever 3DS seller, although it only just scraped into the Top Ten, one place behind new PS4 title The Order: 1886.

Here’s the February Top 10:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (Nintendo)
2. Evolve (2K Games)
3. Dying Light (Warner Bros)
4. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Activision)
5. Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar)
6. NBA 2K15 (2K)
7. Dragon Ball: Xenoverse (Bandai Namco)
8. Minecraft (Sony/Microsoft)
9. The Order: 1886 (Sony)
10. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Capcom)