For the second month in a row, the PlayStation 3 has outsold the Xbox 360, according to NPD's February North American hardware and software sales figures, as the Wii hardware and the Xbox 360 version of Activision's Call of Duty 4 again top the charts.

Overall, the entire video game market -- both hardware and software -- accounted for $1.33 billion in February, up 34 percent from the year prior.

Said NPD analyst Anita Frazier, "Even following a red-hot 2007, the video games industry shows no sign of letting up as year-to-date sales through February are up 12% over last year. Taking the extra week of sales included in the 2007 figures, on a comparable weeks basis, 2008 is up approximately 26% over last year (through February)."

February Hardware

Hardware numbers were up 19 percent to $480 million, with, for the second time, the PlayStation 3 outselling the Xbox 360. Microsoft contends its supply of the console continues to be constrained, as it only manages to outsell the PlayStation Portable by a thin lead. Nintendo, once again, takes the top slots for both the Wii and the DS.

The full charts are as follows:

Nintendo DS - 587.6K (from 251K)
Wii - 432K (from 274K)
PlayStation 2 - 351.8K
PlayStation 3 - 280.8K (from 269K)
Xbox 360 - 254.6K (from 230K)
PSP - 243.1K (from 230K)

Frazier commented, "While hardware inventory issues at retail may still be lingering post-holiday, the fact that all now-gen systems generated significant year-over-year hardware sales increases indicates the situation is coming into balance faster than it did last year."

"I was most surprised by the PS2 hardware sales numbers this month," she added. "While it certainly has earned its spot among the now-gen slate of console systems because of it staying power in the marketplace, the fact that it realized such significant growth this month is really a testament to its broad adoption and the response of consumers to promotional activity at retail."

February Software

On the software side, February sales were up 47 percent to $453.7 million, with the Xbox 360 version of Activision's Call of Duty 4 continuing its streak at the top of the charts, followed by newcomer Devil May Cry 4 for the 360, displacing Wii Play to number three, with the PS3 version of Devil May Cry 4 following behind.

The Xbox 360 also saw two chart debuts with exclusive RPG Lost Odyssey, and the console's version of Turok, in a month otherwise continuing to focus on rhythm action titles Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

The full rundown is as follows:

1. Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360, Activision) - 296.2K
2. Devil May Cry 4 (Xbox 360, Capcom) - 295.2K
3. Wii Play w/remote (Wii, Nintendo) - 289.7K
4. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, Capcom) - 233.5K
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock w/guitar (Wii, Activision) - 222.9K
6. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS, Sega) - 205.6K
7. Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360, Microsoft) - 203.6K
8. Turok (Xbox 360, Touchstone) - 197.7K
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock w/guitar (PS2, Activision) - 183.8K
10. Rock Band (Xbox 360, MTV/Harmonix) - 161.8K

Added Frazier, "As one would expect moving into this portion of the console lifecycle, the focus is once again upon software sales. Software sales are up 47% for the month of February and 43% for the year on a comparable weeks sales basis. With several marquee titles still to come in the front half of the year, the industry is poised to achieve another year of record-breaking sales despite difficult economic conditions."