据《华尔街日报》报道，在社交游戏、手机游戏等新兴产业的两面夹击下，美国视频游戏在2011年1月份销量出现下滑的趋势。

尽管动视暴雪的《使命召唤：黑色行动》（Call of Duty: Black Ops）的假期季销量惊人，但美国视频游戏的硬件、软件和配件在1月份总体仍下降了5%，总销售额为11.6亿美元，去年同期的销售额却是12.2亿美元。

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市场调查公司NPD Group指出，视频游戏产业正面临来自在线游戏和手机游戏领域的挑战，Zynga等Facebook社交游戏开发商的崛起，已虏获了不少传统视频游戏的用户。

据游戏邦了解，视频游戏的掌机设备销量最受重挫，从去年的3.537亿美元降至3.24亿美元，降幅达8%。

实体包装游戏的销量也从去年的6.068亿美元，下降至5.76亿美元，损失了5个百分点。在市场表现最出色的游戏中，《使命召唤》高居榜首，其次是育碧公司的《Just Dance 2》，第三是EA公司的《死亡空间2》（Dead Space 2）。

不过游戏邦获悉，NPD的这份调查仍然不够全面，因为它只包含了新上市的实体包装游戏，并没有将之前推出的游戏和手机应用销量考虑入列。

唯一没有受到影响的是视频游戏配件的销量，这些产品的销量从去年的2.228亿美元增加至2.351亿美元，增幅达6%。这些抢手配件产品包括掌机控制器以及游戏储值卡等。

调查显示，微软Xbox 360的Kinect体感控制器在假期的出货量也超过了800万件，呈现了乐观的增长趋势；另外，索尼PlayStation 3的Move控制器在发布后也很有市场。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

US Videogame Market Sales Fall In January

U.S. sales of packaged videogames fell in January, a rough start for an industry struggling to compete with cheaper games available to consumers on social media sites and their mobile phones.

Sales of new videogame hardware, software and accessories in the U.S. fell 5%, to $1.16 billion in January from $1.22 billion in the year-ago period, despite continued success of Activision Blizzard Inc.’s (ATVI) “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” whose sales momentum carried over from the holiday season.

The results Thursday from market research firm NPD Group suggest this could be another tumultuous year for the industry, which suffered as recession-weary customers have sought cheaper ways to be

entertained. Sales of online and mobile games have soared as players look to alternative titles from Internet start-ups like Zynga Inc., which are available on smartphones and through social-network websites such as Facebook Inc.

Videogame consoles, were hit hardest, falling 8% to $324 million from $353.7 million a year ago, although individual console market share data are no longer publicly shared by NPD.

Sales of new packaged games also fell, dropping 5% to $576 million from $606.8 million a year ago. “Call of Duty” topped the charts, followed by Ubisoft Entertainment SA’s (UBI.FR) “Just Dance 2″ for the Nintendo Co. (7974.OK, NTDOY) Wii ranked second, with Electronic Arts Inc.’s (ERTS) sci-fi thriller sequel, “Dead Space 2,” ranking third.

NPD results are possibly skewed, however, because the research firm’s reporting method includes only retail sales of new packaged games. Used games and mobile app sales, for example, aren’t included in these results.

One bright spot has been the market for videogame accessories, which rose 6% to $235.1 million from $222.8 million a year prior. This category includes additional console controllers and prepaid cards that are used to purchase digital content for online games sold through Internet storefronts run by Nintendo, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Sony Corp. (6758.TO).

Accessory sales have also been bolstered recently by the runaway success of Microsoft’s “Kinect” motion controller for the Xbox 360. Microsoft said it shipped more than 8 million units over the holidays and that momentum was continuing in the new year.

Sony’s “Move” motion controller for the PlayStation 3 was also popular at its launch, potentially providing both companies with new platforms to publish more casual games that have become a cornerstone of Nintendo’s success with its Wii motion-controlled videogame console. （source:wsj）