#1 system has an amazing 31% market share leaving both the Gamecube and Xbox in the dust.
The NPD Group has released data showing how the videogame software and hardware market break down by market share.
The latest videogame software data, for the retail period ending March 17, shows the PlayStation 2 with a 31% market share (down from 36% on January 13). In second place is the PlayStation with 26% (no change), followed by the Game Boy Advance with 14% (up from 8%). Xbox is in the fourth position with 9% (no change), chased by GameCube with 7% (up from 5%), Game Boy with 7% (no change) Dreamcast with 3% (down from 7%) and Nintendo 64 with 2% (down from 3%).
NPD’s hardware split concentrates only on next-generation consoles, and currently shows PlayStation 2 as the market leader with a 55% share (down from a 66% share on January 13). Xbox eases into second place with a 26% share (up from 25%) while GameCube settles for the third position with a 19% market share (up from 9%).
While PS2 was the hot ticket for last year's holiday season, mainly because of availability and a strong software lineup, it certainly appears Nintendo and Microsoft are having success—albeit slowly—cutting into Sony's industry leading market share.
