Console game sales grow 5 percent in '03

The NPD Group, arbiters of both PC and console hardware and software sales, checked in with end-of-year sales stats today. The figures showed Nintendo was the only console-maker to see growth in 2003. Nintendo's GameCube rallied after the company cut the consoles price to $99 in the fourth quarter, and were up 39 percent for calendar year 2003. By comparison, sales of Sony's PlayStation 2 fell 26 percent, while Microsoft's Xbox sales were 2 percent lower in 2003 than 2002.

NPD also reported videogame software sales grew a paltry 5 percent last year, compared to double-digit growth the preceding two years. For the month of December, however, software sales were strong, reportedly 13 percent over 2002 December sales.

Today's news sent few ripples down Wall Street. Most game-related stocks held steady, suggesting that the lackluster numbers were not unexpected. The NPD figures reflected hardware stats GameSpot reported last week. Those console sales numbers came courtesy of Nintendo of America and reflected the GameCube's strong showing.