The NPD Group has just released its monthly report for the performance of the US videogame industry. Since then Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have each responded to the market performance of their consoles and games during the month of September 2011, which we’ve taken a closer look at below.

Nintendo

Nintendo’s number one reason to celebrate was that the Nintendo DS passed the 50 million unit sales mark in the United States. The publisher sold over 647 000 hardware units in September, including 240 000 Wii and 145 000 DS units. Nintendo was also happy with the performance of the 3DS which sold 260 000 units to earn third place on the hardware chart, a 10% increase over August 2011.

Other interesting facts that Nintendo revealed were that nearly 450 000 3DS units have been sold since the price cut on the 12th of August, and that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D became the first 3DS title to pass 500 000 units sold in the US.

Also try to wrap your mind around this: 273 million software units have been sold for the DS family in the US, equating to over 107 000 games being sold per day, every day for almost seven years!

Microsoft

Microsoft also had reason to celebrate as it was the best-selling console for the month, with 438 000 units sold. This gives it 42% share of the overall current-generation console market, allowing it to keep the title of the number one console in the US for this year.

The publisher revealed that total retail spend on the Xbox 360 in September, including hardware, software and accessories, reached $534 billion – “the most for any console in the US and more than total retail spend from the current-generation console competition combined.”

Xbox 360 dominated the software side of things, holding six of the Top 10 console game titles, including Gears of War 3, Madden NFL 12, Dead Island, FIFA 12, NHL 12 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Sales of Gears of War 3 passed the 3 million sales mark globally in just one week, with Aaron Greenberg reporting sales of 2 million copies in the US for the month of September.

Microsoft took the opportunity to look ahead to a robust Kinect portfolio, the launch of TV entertainment on Xbox LIVE and the release of Forza 4, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports: Season 2 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary – making the publisher “confident that Xbox 360 will have another record year.”

Sony

Sony’s response was sweet and short. The publisher highlighted that the September report saw “double-digit growth for both PS3 software (52%) and hardware (20%), as increasing brand awareness continues to fuel interest with consumers.”

Sony reminded us that “first-party software sales remained strong this month, with boosts from blockbuster titles like Resistance 3.” Looking to the future, they’re also confident – “the lower PS3 console price point and the upcoming release of exciting titles – Uncharted 3, Everybody Dance and Ratchet and Clank – will continue PlayStation’s momentum into the holiday season.”