Sales of both hardware and software, including accessories were up big time as one industry seems to be completely immune from the broader economic woes. Overall video game sales hit $1.7 billion in March, which was an increase of 57 percent from the same period last year.
The increase was led by Nintendo's massively popular interactive Wii console, which posted its biggest non-holiday month ever. U.S. video gamers bought 720,000 Wiis, in part driven by the hit "Super Smash Bros. Brawl," which sold over 2.7 million copies.
Miscrosoft's Xbox regained its lead (262,000 units sold) over Sony's PlayStation3 (257,000 units sold).
So when the going gets tough in America, people stay at home huddled around their game consoles blasting each other to smithereens. Given the rising cost of travel, and attending concerts and professional sports, it is no wonder that many people elect to stay home, put the tube on and play the hours away.