With all the top-selling titles over the past three months in the US there’s been one constant – the PS5. Circana analyst/executive director Matt Piscatella confirmed that it topped console charts in unit and dollar sales for March 2024 and the first quarter. The Nintendo Switch ranked second in unit sales, while the Xbox Series X/S claimed second place in dollar sales.
However, spending on each console declined by 30 percent minimum year-on-year, with overall hardware spending down by 24 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2023. Accessory spending reached $242 million, up nine percent compared to the same period last year. Though the PlayStation DualSense Edge leads in dollar sales for the quarter and March, an eight percent increase in spending on headsets/headphones contributed to the overall rise.
Projected overall spending on hardware, content and accessories rose four percent last month compared to March 2023, reaching $4.9 billion. Perhaps the rumored new Xbox hardware and PS5 Pro will help raise hardware sales for the rest of the year, if they launch in time.
March 2024 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights from Circana – Projected total US spending on video game hardware, content and accessories gained 4% in March 2024 vs YA, reaching $4.9B. Mobile content spending grew 15%, offseting a 32% drop in hardware. (Mobile source: Sensor Tower) pic.twitter.com/oKDxq7VkUc
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 1, 2024
February video game hardware spending fell 32% when compared to a year ago, to $391 million. PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Switch spending each declined a minimum of 30% year-on-year. Hardware spending finished the first quarter down 24% versus the first quarter of 2023.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 1, 2024
PlayStation 5 led the hardware market in unit and dollar sales during both March and the first quarter. Nintendo Switch once again finished 2nd in unit sales across both time periods while Xbox Series ranked 2nd in dollars.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 1, 2024
March spending on Accessories increased 9% when compared to a year ago to $242M, helped by 8% growth in headset/headphone spending.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 1, 2024
The PlayStation Dual Sense Edge was the best-selling accessory in dollar sales during both March and the first quarter.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 1, 2024
