Sales of video games in the US have risen by 57 per cent compared to a year ago, industry data has shown.

Research by market research firm NPD showed that sales of gaming hardware, software and accessories hit $1.7 billion during March.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier said: "You'd never know that the US economy was under distress by looking at the video games industry sales figures."

The Nintendo Wii contributed to the increase in sales, with 720,000 consoles sold during the month. Its game Super Smash Bros: Brawl, sold 2.7 million units across the US in March.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 outsold Sony's Playstation 3, months after the former cited supply problems for previous poor sales. A spokesman for the company said that with its supply issues lifted the company is now "back in the game".

Electronic Arts announced this week that its Sims franchise of games had sold over 100 million units across the world.
It still trails behind the Mario franchise which Nintendo says has sold 201 million units across all platforms.