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US videogame hardware sales surged in January, with Sony's new-generation PlayStation 4 consoles leading the charge, according to figures released on Thursday.

People spent $241 million on videogame hardware, predominately consoles, in January compared to $205 million in the same month a year earlier, when a fifth "leap week" gave figures a particular boost, according to industry tracker NPD Group.

Sony's PS4 led overall hardware sales, followed by Microsoft new-generation Xbox One consoles, NPD reported.

PS4 sales were nearly double that of Xbox One in the month, Sony said citing the NPD report.

"Demand for PlayStation 4 remains incredibly strong," Sony PlayStation brand marketing senior VP Guy Longworth said in a release.

"It's clear gamers are choosing PlayStation as the best place to play."

Membership in the PlayStation Plus subscription service for games, films, and other digital entertainment has nearly doubled since the PS4 launched in November, according to Sony.

Meanwhile, videogame software sales sank about 40 per cent in November to $224 million, down from $373 million in January of 2013.

The decline was due to a big drop in the number of new titles released for play, said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.

Activision's military shooter game "Call of Duty: Ghosts" was the best selling game on a "top 10" list that included "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" and "Grand Theft Auto V."

Traditional format videogame sales overall for January were $664 million, down 21 percent from the prior January but nearly flat if the extra "leap" week is factored in, according to NPD.

When money spent on mobile games, rentals, digital downloads, subscriptions and social network play are added in, sales for January tallied $1.05 billion, NPD reported.

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