US sales of video game hardware and software are up 34 per cent over the same period last year hitting $1.33-billion in February. “With several marquee titles still to come in the front half of the year, the industry is poised to achieve another year of record-breaking sales despite difficult economic conditions,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement. The Wii out paced both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with February marking the second straight month that Sony beat Microsoft in console sales. Microsoft exec's are saying their stronger than expected holiday season has caused inventory shortages and that's affecting current numbers. “Our manufacturing team guesses five months out. They made their forecast and didn't have as high a forecast as they should have,” said Microsoft spokesman David Dennis. Globe and Mail story here.
