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For the fifth month running, the PlayStation 4 was the best-selling console in the United States – even though hardware sales tumbled year-over-year. According to tracking firm NPD, physical spend in the video games sector totalled $1.01 billion in September 2015 – a reduction of nine per cent compared to the same period last year.

As alluded, reduced console sales were to blame, as hardware slipped 27 per cent down to $313.5 million. It's possible that consumers are waiting until Christmas before stumping up, but we reckon that the disparity can probably be attributed to last year's Destiny bundle doing gangbusters for the PS4 – the console sold over 500,000 units 12 months ago.

Destiny: The Taken King still proved popular for Sony, of course, with the platform holder describing its limited edition bundle for the expansion as "highly successful". The retail version of the release only reached fifth in the software best sellers list, but we'd imagine that a chunk of its sales came through the PlayStation Store. That's actually reflected by comments from the Japanese giant, as it claims that last month was the highest grossing in PlayStation Network history.

NBA 2K16 topped the physical software charts, beating out last month's best seller Madden NFL 16. This means that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain could only manage third, as FIFA 16, Disney Infinity 3.0, Mad Max, NHL 16, and Minecraft rounded out the top ten. It's going to be interesting to see whether Hideo Kojima's stealth masterpiece can hold onto its place next month.

And even more fascinating will be whether Sony's system can make it six months in a row. October sees the launch of Halo 5: Guardians, the biggest release in the Xbox One's history. However, the PlayStation maker has countered with a PS4 price drop which could swing the balance. One thing's for certain: hardware sales are only going up as the holidays plod on.

Top Ten Physical Retail Releases: September 2015

  1. NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
  2. Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
  3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360)
  4. FIFA 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
  5. Destiny: The Taken King (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3)
  6. Super Mario Maker (Wii U)
  7. Disney Infinity 3.0 (360, Wii U, Xbox One, PS4, PS3)
  8. Mad Max (PS4, Xbox One)
  9. NHL 16 (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3)
  10. Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)

[source venturebeat.com, via venturebeat.com]