BioShock 2 Tops U.S. Console Sales in February as NPD Reveals Hardware and Software Figures

With February 2010 now behind us, research firm NPD Group has released its regular breakdown of the past month's U.S. console hardware and software sales.

A few interesting tidbits: The Xbox 360 outsold the Wii for the first time since September 2007, which is when Halo 3 was released. The PlayStation 3 edition of BioShock 2 is nowhere to be found despite the Xbox 360 version topping the chart. The bonus-packed PlayStation 3 edition of Dante's Inferno outsold the regular Xbox 360 iteration.

BioShock 2 and Heavy Rain

Also, Heavy Rain managed to make the tail end of the top ten despite hitting February 23--an impressive accomplishment, considering it only had four days to do so.

Top Ten U.S. Console Games - January 31 through February 27, 2010

1. BioShock 2* (2K Marin, Xbox 360) - 562,900 units

2. New Super Mario Bros Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 555,600 units

3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2* (Infinity Ward, Xbox 360) - 314,300 units

4. Just Dance (Ubisoft, Wii) - 275,400 units

5. Wii Sports Resort* (Nintendo, Wii) - 272,500 units

6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2* (Infinity Ward, PS3) - 252,800 units

7. Mass Effect 2* (BioWare, Xbox 360) - 246,500 units

8. Dante's Inferno: Divine Edition (Visceral, PS3) - 242,500 units

9. Dante's Inferno (Visceral, Xbox 360) - 224,700 units

10. Heavy Rain (Quantic Dream, PS3) - 219,300 units

(*includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)

U.S. Hardware Sales - January 31 through February 27, 2010

1. Nintendo DS - 613,200 units

2. Xbox 360 - 422,000 units

3. Wii - 397,900 units

4. PlayStation 3 - 360,100 units

5. PSP - 133,400 units

6. PlayStation 2 - 101,900 units

Overall, the U.S. video game market was down 15%--$1.48 billion in February 2009 compared to $1.26 billion in February 2010--with the biggest drop (20%) coming in the hardware sector while software was down 15% and accessories down just 1%.