After a slow start in January, the North American video game industry is back on track to growth, according to the latest monthly sales data from the NPD Group. In fact, industry sales for February 2008 alone are already 34 percent higher than the same period last year at $1.33 billion USD; sales thus far into 2008 meanwhile are 12 percent higher over the first two months of 2007.

Console hardware sales grew by 19 percent over last February to hit $480 million USD.  Microsoft's cautious outlook over its February hardware sales performance proved well-founded, as the Xbox 360 is once again trailed behind the competition. For the second month in a row, Sony's PlayStation 3 topped Microsoft's console; the Xbox 360 did manage to beat the PlayStation Portable, unlike last month.  Nintendo, as usual, is breaking out the bubbly with both its Wii and DS consoles occupying the top two positions on NDP's February chart. DS sales in particular managed to double compared to January, while the Wii also saw a handsome boost in sales.

Perhaps the biggest surprise this month in terms of console hardware is the triumphant return of the PlayStation 2, which not only sold enough to land itself in the monthly sales chart, but actually placed third ahead of both the PS3 and Xbox 360. NPD certainly didn't see it coming, and could attribute the PS2 resurgence to "broad adoption and the response of consumers to promotional activity at retail".

Console software also saw a considerable boost with sales totaling $668.7 million USD, a sweet 47 percent increase over February 2007. Activision remains king with Call of Duty 4 as top dog last month, and of course Guitar Hero III continued to fill the publisher's coffers. Interestingly, only the Wii and PS2 versions of GHIII remained on NPD's chart. Capcom's Devil May Cry 4 also put up a great fight with both Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game making it onto the top ten.

February 2008 US Hardware Sales

1. Nintendo DS - 587,600 units
2. Nintendo Wii - 432,000 units
3. Sony Playstation 2 - 351,800 units
4. Playstation 3 - 280,800 units
5. Xbox 360 - 254,600 units
6. Playstation Portable - 243,100 units

February 2008 US Game Software Sales

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360) - 296,000 units
2. Devil May Cry 4 (360) - 295,200 units
3. Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) - 289,700 units
4. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) - 233,500 units
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) - 222,900 units
6. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) - 205,600 units
7. Lost Odyssey (360) - 203,600 units
8. Turok (360) - 197,700 units
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) - 183,800 units
10. Rock Band (360) - 161,800 units