Summary: <br> The sales and estimates for how the videogame industry fared in June 2017 are here, courtesy of our friends over at NPD (National Purchase Diary), and we’ve broken out the calculators and tinfoil hats for another exciting month of number-crunching and insightful analysis with editors Cory Galliher and Nathan Evans. We take this stuff seriously, folks, though it’d be good to remember all numbers, facts, and funny quips are for entertainment purposes only.<br> You COULD simply read about them, if that’s your thing. But for the full effect you’ll want to listen to the Popzara Podcast version for the full effect. Plus, it makes great background noise for the gym, long commute, or that unexpected international espionage mission. We’re just saying. On with the show!<br> Total sales of new gaming hardware, software, and accessories were up a nice 7 percent over last year ($765 million over $712 million). This gain was primarily from new hardware (i.e. Nintendo Switch), which saw a sizable gain of 27 percent over last year’s reporting ($231 million over $182 million).<br> While Sony’s PlayStation 4 was the best-selling console for the month (specifically, the limited edition Gold PS4 Slim), it was Nintendo’s hard-to-get Switch hardware that was primarily responsible for the huge uptick in sales revenue for the month over last year. Microsoft is mum about how their Xbox One family is doing, but recent earnings report have the XBO lagging far behind its competitors. Perhaps the super-charged <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-features/e3-2017-much-ado-xbox-one-x/">Xbox One X</a> will help turn the tide?<br> NPD is also reporting a striking decline in sales of new portable hardware, which at this point essentially means the 3DS (sorry, PS Vita). There’s some confusion over the definition of what “portable” means as some argue the Nintendo Switch qualifies for the designation, but as of now it seems NPD is counting the hybrid phenom firmly in the “home” console market.<br> Speaking of declines, gaming accessories experienced another slight drop over last year ($159 million from $160 million). Interest in plastic accessories and “interactive toys” could be a major culprit here as revenue dropped over 40 percent from last year, though new gamepad sales were healthy, especially shiny new PS4 DualShock Wireless ones.<br> Sales of new console software were up a slight 1 percent over last year ($343 million over $339 million), while even PC software experienced a rare uptick of 2 percent ($32 million over $31 million). NPD reports the unusual showing of new fighting games recently as both unusual and invigorating (certainly for PC game sales).<br> Sony scored two PS4 exclusives with the return of <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/crash-bandicoot-n-sane-trilogy/">Crash Bandicoot</a> and <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/horizon-zero-dawn/">Horizon Zero Dawn</a>, while a resurgent Nintendo saw their most successful showing in years with three Switch exclusives, including <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/horizon-zero-dawn/">Zelda</a>, <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/mario-kart-8-deluxe/">Mario Kart 8</a>, and brand-new IP (and fellow fighting game) <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/arms/">ARMS</a>. To think, just last year we saw Nintendo virtually eliminated from all sales charts. Overall, a very promising showing of game and platform diversity for an industry that was in dire need of both.<br> Top Twenty Software: Fight!<br> 01. <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/tekken-7/">Tekken 7</a><br><br> 02. <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/injustice-2/">Injustice 2</a><br><br> 03. <a href="http://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/grand-theft-auto-v-ps4-xbox-one/">Grand Theft Auto V</a><br><br> 04.
