On the tails of yesterday's NPD numbers, Microsoft was all too happy to announce the Xbox 360 had sold 297,000 units. Sony gave its own response to the numbers, saying that PlayStation 3 sales had risen 13 percent year-over-year despite the ongoing PlayStation Network outage, which is now in its third week.

　　The Wii appears to have finished behind its rivals in April.

　　Noticeably silent was Nintendo, which did not issue an NPD-related press release alongside its competitors. However, the company has told GameSpot that sales of its new handheld were brisk, with it selling 194,000 units in the US in April, according to NPD figures. [UPDATE] GameSpot initially reported that the 3DS sold 620,000 units, and regrets the error.

　　Nintendo's other two platforms lagged behind its rivals. The House of Mario says that 172,000 Wiis were sold during NPD's monthly reporting period of US retail sales, behind the 257,000 units of the DS family. Both platforms were behind the Xbox 360, though the former was not behind the PS3, which sold 204,000 units according to Marketwatch. As of press time, Sony would not confirm or deny the figure.

　　Nintendo's shortfall comes just weeks before the company will unveil its next platform. Late last month, the game giant confirmed rumors it was working on a new console that would be released during 2012--and be playable at the Electronic Entertainment Expo next month. Speculation pegs the platform as having a hybrid tablet and button-based controller, which may be able to stream games onto an integrated screen, according to unconfirmed reports.