According to the recent statistics released by the NPD, the weak handheld hardware and software sales during the month of June resulted in a marginal drop in the year-on-year retail video game sales for the month.

However, though the robust sales of console units, propelled largely by sales of new models, somewhat softened the poor sales blow, the year-on-year industry sales, on the whole, plunged to $1.10 billion from the last June figures of $1.17 billion.

Among the three leading gaming consoles, the sales of the Microsoft Xbox 360 surpassed the sales of Nintendo Wii for the first time in months. While the Xbox beat the popular Wii by approximately 30,000 units; it was ahead of its other competitor, the Sony PS3, by a notable 147,000-unit margin.

Specifically speaking, the Xbox’s June sales figures stood at 452,000 units; while the Wii sales for the month were 423,000 units; and the PS3 sales stood at 305,000 units. In terms of year-on-year percentage sales increase, Microsoft, Wii, and PS3 respectively gained 88 percent, 17 percent, and 85 percent.

Terming the overall 35 percent increase in the console hardware unit sales during June as “a bright spot,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier said: “Unfortunately, the industry realized a decline versus the same time period last year, driven by decreases in sales of portable hardware and console and portable software.”