Swings and roundabouts in the US games market, as the NPD figures for June show hard/software performing better than forecast but still a tad sluggish overall.

Console sales first, and the DS leads the pack by some margin – 766K sold in June (424K DSi/342 DS) compared to the second-placed Wii with 361K. That’s not especially surprising in itself, although it’s interesting to note the complete absence of DS games in the US software top ten. But no matter - the DS has still shifted more units than all other rival console formats combined. Add Wii sales back in for a picture of total market domination.

However that’s not quite the full story. 360 sales may lag behind at just 240.6K for the month, but the big ‘Box is actually the only console to grow it sales over the first six months of this year – up 20% over the same period in 2008. Sony’s trumpeting success for its formats too, all of which are showing improvements on last month’s (admittedly stanky) sales – PSP sold 63.1 more units, the PS3 33.7 and the PS2 35.7.

All told, and in spite of the platform holders each claiming triumph of one shape or another, the US market is still in its fourth month of overall decline and is 12% down year-on-year. Here’s how it all breaks down, hardware-wise:

1. Nintendo DS: 766,500
2. Nintendo Wii 361,700
3. Xbox 360: 240,600
4. PS3: 164,700
5. PSP: 163,500
6. PS2: 152,700

Game sales appear to be in good health with overall sales for the period up a fraction on forecast (but still down 31% year-on-year). The high-placing of Tiger Woods hides a success story for the Wii MotionPlus too. 205K were bundled with the game and 169K were apparently sold solo – watch that figure rocket with the launch of Wii Sports Resort in next month’s figures. Until then America’s top ten looks like this:

1. Prototype (Xbox 360) - 419,900
2. UFC 2009: Undisputed (Xbox 360) - 338,300
3. EA Sports Active (Wii) - 289,100
4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii) - 272,400
5. Wii Fit (Wii) - 271,600
6. Fight Night Round 4 (Xbox 360) - 260,800
7. Fight Night Round 4 (PS3) - 210,300
8. Mario Kart (Wii) - 202,100
9. Red Faction: Guerrilla (Xbox 360) - 199,400
10. Infamous (PS3) - 192,700