Microsoft enjoyed a big September in terms of Xbox 360 console sales in the U.S. at 347,000 units, due in no small part to recent price cuts across the board, but Nintendo is once again the true victor with its Wii console and DS handheld, selling 687,000 and 537,000 units respectively. Sony came in last with 232,000 PlayStation 3 consoles sold during the month.
Strong sales of the Xbox 360 this month were fully expected given the new price points, but the level of the victory (115,000 units) over the PlayStation 3 should deliver a strong message to Sony: price is ultimately a big factor with mainstream consumers deciding which console to buy. The PS3 may be a "good value proposition" when you factor in the inclusion of an 80GB HDD and Blu-ray drive by default, but the core consumer demographics is likely to stay away from it when there's a fine alternative for half the price.