The widespread predictions of booming holiday video-game sales have turned out to be right on the money. And that means big bucks for retailers as well as game companies.

In the 3 1/2 weeks leading up to Cyber Monday, the video-game category that includes consoles and accessories jumped 134 percent in online sales compared with the same period last year. No other category was up more than 36 percent, and the consumer electronics segment increased a relatively meager 21 percent.

Those stats come from the Internet information firm comScore and cover Nov. 1 through Nov. 23 (Black Friday). There are no updated results yet for the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend or this week’s Cyber Monday, but comScore senior analyst Andrew Lipsman said he didn’t expect much change in the video-game pattern.

Although the surge can’t be chalked up to a single catalyst, the unceasingly feverish demand for Nintendo’s Wii console and DS handheld device is clearly the dominant factor.

Last week was the biggest in Nintendo history: More than 653,000 DS units were sold in the United States, plus 350,000 Wii systems. That surpassed Thanksgiving week in 2005 when 600,000 Game Boy Advance machines were sold.

In the case of the inventory-short Wii, consumers have encountered the maddening paradox that develops when a popular item also is the season’s hottest gift: Everybody’s buying it, so no one can find it.

Another factor is the increased appeal of Sony’s PlayStation3 since it was released in a $399 version. Sony reported a 178 percent boost in unit sales for Thanksgiving week, but didn’t specify what quantity that represented. Unit sales were up 245 percent over the previous year on Black Friday.

Still more explanations: an extremely strong lineup of recent console-exclusive games for Microsoft’s Xbox 360, plus the inevitable decision by some parents to shun traditional toys because of recall fears and switch to video and computer games.

Here’s one consequence for shoppers: Some of the hottest games could start becoming more challenging to find, if not as difficult as the Wii. Enticing games can sometimes help spur console sales, but a spike in console ownership guarantees additional game sales.

Industry analyst Edward S. Williams of BMO Capital Markets noted this week, for instance, that some versions of Activision’s "Call of Duty 4" and "Guitar Hero III" - both available for multiple game machines - were selling out during Thanksgiving weekend.

See what you think. Wal-Mart, for example, is extolled as "the largest single purchaser of 100 percent organic cotton products." Kohl’s is cited for "working to complete the largest rooftop solar project in U.S. history next year, with installations at 63 of their 80 California locations." And UPS is praised for operating "the largest alternative-fuel and low-emission fleet in the industry, with 19,647 such vehicles worldwide."

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2007 at 9:11 pm and is filed under Xbox 360, Nintendo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.