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Xbox ahead in online-capable game sales

Sold twice as many as PS3 in 2010.

The Xbox 360 sells roughly twice as many online-capable games as the PlayStation 3 does, according to US stat-tracking company NPD.

NPD statistics for 2010, reported by Gamasutra, show Xbox 360 online-capable game sales were roughly seven times the Wii equivalent.

US shops sold nearly four times as many Xbox 360 digital points cards than PlayStation 3 cards – however, it should be noted that NPD's data does not include digital currency, such as Microsoft Points, bought through the consoles.

It should also be noted that, as of April this year, Microsoft had shifted 25.4 million Xbox 360s in the US. Sony had sold 15.4 million PS3s.

The statistics were revealed by graphs released by NPD yesterday. It did not supply actual sales figures.

Meanwhile, sales of games that support stereoscopic 3D represented 25 per cent of all new retail software sales in November 2010. This April the figure was 10 per cent.

Sales of motion-controlled games increased significantly between April 2010 and April 2011 – unsurprising given both the PlayStation Move and Kinect launched during that time period.

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