The Nintendo DS stayed well above everyone else for the majority of the year, while the Nintendo Wii actually dipped below the PS3 in September. Check out the Christmas sales though, and the "Nintendo is a fad and only kids buy it" argument fails. Yes, you may know someone who doesn't play their Wii anymore, but keep in mind Microsoft or Sony would kill for the type of consumer behavior we're seeing in the sales numbers.
The 360 has been in a tight race with the PS3 all year, and Sony eked ahead in the end. Again, price sells consoles, and a system with a Blu-ray player and some very compelling exclusives for $300 is hard to turn down. Microsoft does great things for its third-party developers, but unfortunately the system may not be as sexy right now as its competitors. Will Natal change that this time next year? We can't wait to find out.
Finally, let's take a look at the final sales information for the year. That should show you just how powerful Nintendo's hold on gaming has become.
It doesn't get any clearer than that. Microsoft and Sony will continue to fight for a distant second place in console sales in 2010, and Nintendo will continue to do what it does best this generation: make an insane amount of money. We've already seen Ubisoft all but admit it couldn't make money on Nintendo hardware, so 2010 will be in interesting case study in what happens when one company changes the game so definitively. Will third-parties double-down on the 360 and PS3, or will they try again to make a dent in the lucrative Wii and DS market?
This year should prove to be a bumpy one for everyone involved.
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