Halo 3 spurred sales of the Xbox 360 in Canada in September, with Microsoft selling nearly twice as many video consoles as it did in August, according to NPD Group Canada.
Microsoft sold 51,000 Xbox 360 consoles in September, up from 26,700 in August, the electronics tracking agency reported Wednesday.
The 360 was the top-selling video game console in September, displacing Nintendo's Wii, which has been on top since April.
The 360 now has 39 per cent of the Canadian market, followed by the Wii at 33 per cent. Sony's Playstation 2 is in third with 13 per cent, followed by the company's struggling Playstation 3 at 12 per cent.
Although there is no way to directly attribute the sales boost to the hotly awaited Halo 3 title, there "is little doubt" the game helped move consoles, NPD Group Canada director Darrel Ryce said.
Halo 3 was also the top selling title for the month selling more than 134,500 copies, which was "not surprising" even given its Sept. 25 release date, Ryce said.
Two additional versions of the game - collector's and legendary editions - sold an additional 27,250 and 25,000 copies, placing fourth and six in sales respectively.
Electronic Arts' NHL 08 for the 360 and the PS2 took the second and third spots, respectively, in sales for September.
Microsoft is heavily banking on Halo 3, the latest installment of its flagship science-fiction shooter franchise, to sell 360 consoles going into the holiday season.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting
- Greek lawmakers have approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the debt-crippled nation from bankruptcy, after riots in Athens and other cities left stores looted and burned and more than 120 people hurt. more »
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- A small Quebec town is in mourning Sunday after a Quebec man was charged with killing his nieces and his mother, who were found dead in their family home. more »
- Whitney Houston's body set for autopsy
- Whitney Houston was found in a hotel bathtub but it'll take weeks to determine precisely how she died, a Los Angeles coroner's official says. more »
- Musicians who died before their time
- The growing list of musicians who have died young. more »
Latest Technology & Science News Headlines
- Ancient Antarctic lake may harbour microbial life
- If scientists find microbes in a frigid lake 3.2 kilometres beneath the thick ice of Antarctica, it will illustrate once again that somehow life finds a way to survive in the strangest and harshest places, and it will offer hope that life exists beyond Earth. more »
- B.C. killer whale habitat protection ruled a legal duty
- The federal minister of fisheries has no discretion when it comes to protecting the critical habitat of B.C.'s southern resident killer whales, the Federal Court of Appeal has ruled. more »
- Game developer seeks $400K, makes $1M in a day
- Videogame studio Double Fine went on the website Kickstarter to raise $400K US in a month to develop a new game. They reached that target in a matter of hours. more »
- McGill asbestos study review criticized
- A group of anti-asbestos activists and scientists are criticizing McGill University's plans for an internal review of a major asbestos research study that has been called into question. more »
Bob McDonald's Blog
Glacier Discovery Walk: Will the visitor centre enhance the view? Feb. 10, 2012 3:17 PM Environment minister Peter Kent has announced the construction of a new Glacier Discovery Walk and visitor centre on the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park. It raises the issue of how to balance commercial development in our National Parks against the preservation of the last refuges of wilderness.
Quirks & Quarks
- February 11: Inside the Mind of a Neandertal Feb. 10, 2012 4:01 PM Can we get inside the mind of a species that's been dead for 30,000 years? A new book, How to Think Like a Neanderthal, suggests we can. The authors reconstruct a creature like us in many ways, but with important differences.
Latest Features
- Pop queen Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Whitney Houston's body set for autopsy
- Athens burns as Greece bailout passed
- Carleton University confirms death of student
- Ultimate Tazer Ball combines shock and soccer
- Adults-only trade show cancelled in B.C. Bible belt
- Whitney Houston's death sparks chorus of grief
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- Quebec man charged with killing mother, 2 nieces
