The DS remains buoyant, despite choppy economic waters

The games industry continues to suffer in the face of the global recession, with all consoles bar DS significantly down on 2008’s figures.

No doubt buoyed by the recent release of the DSi, Nintendo’s handheld was comfortably on top, selling 633,000 units, more than twice as many as the Wii in second place on 289,000. Wii was still comfortably ahead of the 360 and PS3 (on 175,000 and 131,000 respectively), but Nintendo will still be concerned at the year-on-year drop.

In software, UFC ruled the roost, but Electronic Arts will undoubtedly be pleased with the sales of their Wii Fit rival EA Sports Active, which was the third-biggest seller of the month, just a few thousand short of Nintendo’s evergreen effort. Elsewhere, Punch-Out!! performed much better Stateside than in Europe, reaching seventh place with a little over 150,000 copies sold. Not up there with the likes of Mario Kart and Smash Bros, but still decent for what is considered a more hardcore-friendly title.

Below is the full rundown…

Hardware

DS = 633.5K

Wii = 289.5K

360 = 175K

PS3 = 131K

PS2 = 117K

PSP = 100.4K

Top 10 Software

1. UFC 2009 UNDISPUTED - 360 - 679.6K

2. Wii FIT W/ BALANCE BOARD - Wii - 352.8K

3. EA SPORTS ACTIVE BUNDLE - Wii - 345.8K

4. UFC 2009 UNDISPUTED - PS3 - 334.4K

5. INFAMOUS - PS3 - 175.9K

6. POKEMON PLATINUM - DS - 168.9K

7. MARIO KART W/ WHEEL - Wii - 158.3K

8. PUNCH OUT!! - Wii - 156.9K

9. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE UNCAGED ED - 360 - 120.7K

10. Wii PLAY W/ REMOTE - Wii - 109.8K