Monthly sales figures: Xbox 360 retakes lead from PS3

After taking a back seat to the PlayStation 3 for the past few months, the Xbox 360 regained its footing in August, taking a slight lead over the PS3. Plus: Microsoft crows that the 360's sales have doubled since its recent price cut, but the Wii is still king of the console county.

According to the numbers from the NPD Group (via Ars Technica), the Xbox 360 sold about 195,200 consoles in August—down from 205,000 units in July (indeed, August was a sleepy month for the entire gaming industry, the Wii included). That said, the 360 still managed to sneak ahead of the PS3, which eked out 185,400 in console sales last month.

Now, NPD's August sales numbers don't take into account Microsoft's Sept. 5 price cut for the entire Xbox 360 line, but that hasn't stopped Redmond from crowing that 360 sales have doubled since the price drop took effect.

As Alex pointed out last week, Microsoft is hoping to hold off the surging PS3 and perhaps gain some ground on the high-flying Wii as the holiday season approaches.

Still, even with Microsoft's price cut (which brings the Arcade model down to $199, undercutting the Wii by $50), the 360 has a ways to go before it overtakes Nintendo's red-hot console. Even in the doldrums of August, the Wii still managed to sell 453,000 units, more than the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined.

So, (early) holiday shoppers out there, what's your pleasure: the PS3, the Xbox 360, or the Wii? Or how about the bargain-priced PS2, for that matter?

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Madden '09 owns, 360 moves back in front of PS3 in sales [Ars Technica]