The NPD Group just released the North American sales numbers for 2006. The Wii sold 1.1 million units since launch, while the PS3 managed to sell 687,000 units. But that’s nothing compared to the Xbox 360, which sold a massive 1.1 million units in December alone. Another big winner was the DS, selling 1.5 million units in December, while the PS2 sold an equally impressive 1.4 million. The PSP was also present in the race, shifting 953,000 units.

All in all, millions of consoles were sold in December alone. NDP reports that the console business earned $12.5 billion in 2006, a 19 percent increase from last year. Hardware sales were up 42.8 percent. All in all, 2006 was a record year for the gaming industry.

On the software side, EA dominated with Madden 07, followed by New Super Mario Bros. and Gears of War. The Top 10 best selling games in 2006 were:

1. Madden NFL 07 (PS2), EA, 2.8 million
2. New Super Mario Bros., Nintendo, 2 million
3. Gears of War, Microsoft, 1.8 million
4. Kingdom Hearts 2, Square Enix, 1.7 million
5. Guitar Hero 2, Activision, 1.3 million
6. Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix, 1.3 million
7. Brain Age, Nintendo, 1.1 million
8. Madden NFL 07 (360), 1.1 million
9. Ghost Recon: AW, Ubisoft, 1.0 million
10. NCAA Football 07, EA, 1.0 million

Via Kotaku