For once, every segment of the retail video games market in the US has something to cheer, as all segments improved sales over last February. “All three categories of hardware, new physical software, and accessories experienced sales increases in February 2015 with combined sales of $956 million, up 8 percent over last February,” said NPD’s Liam Callahan. Last February saw a total of $884 million in sales.

The new consoles did well this month, led by a strong launch of Nintendo’s New 3DS XL, which took the top sales spot for all consoles, not just handhelds, with 395,000 sold during February. “The great majority of these sales were New Nintendo 3DS XL systems, which sold 130 percent more units in its initial frame than Nintendo 3DS XL did when it launched on Aug. 19, 2012,” Nintendo said. The number one software title for February, Majora’s Mask 3D for the 3DS, helped fuel some of those purchases with 515,000 combined physical and digital copies sold. Nintendo said that it’s become the fastest-selling Legend of Zelda hand-held title in U.S. History.

Microsoft noted that the Xbox One had “record February sales in the U.S.” as it sold 84 percent more consoles compared to January 2015.

Sony claimed a sales victory for the month. “Demand for PlayStation 4 remains incredibly strong in the U.S. as it was #1 in hardware and software sales in February according to the latest NPD report. PS4 remains the cumulative leader in hardware sales with more than 20.2 million units sold to consumers worldwide demonstrating the fastest growth in PlayStation hardware history.”

The one area that performed poorly were the last-generation consoles, which dropped 41 percent in sales according to NPD. While the price is lower than the latest consoles, none of the last-gen consoles are getting any marketing love from their manufacturers, and without a significant price cut and/or a significant marketing effort we can expect sales to continue to decline.

The focus is clearly on the latest and greatest consoles, which (at least for Sony and Microsoft) have performed very well compared to the last generation. “The first 15 months the PS4 and the XBO combined unit sales have outsold the PS3 and the Xbox 360 combined 15 month totals by close to 60 percent,” noted Callahan.

Software, meanwhile, was up by only 7 percent. “New Physical Video Game Software sales rose by 7 percent due to the 84 percent growth in eighth generation software, which offset declines in seventh generation software; portables sales were boosted 30 percent by the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate,” Callahan said. “This is the first time since the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One that the top 10 console software SKUs were all from eighth generation consoles, a sign of consumer’s further transition away from seventh generation consoles towards the new console generation.”

February 2015 Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only)
1.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS)** Nintendo
2. Evolve (XBO, PS4, PC) Take 2 Interactive
3. Dying Light (PS4, XBO, PC) Warner Bros. Interactive
4. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)** Activision Blizzard
5. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)** Take 2 Interactive
6. NBA 2K15 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC) Take 2 Interactive
7. Dragon Ball: Xenoverse (PS4, XBO, PS3, 360) Bandai Namco Games
8. Minecraft (360, PS3, XBO, PS4) Microsoft / Sony
9. The Order: 1886 (PS4)** Sony
10. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)** Capcom USA
**(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)