xbox1With the current console generation drawing to a close, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console returned to the top of the U.S. console market in October —reclaiming the No. 1 spot that Microsoft gave up temporarily to Sony’s PlayStation 3 last month after holding the title for 32 straight months.

The result represents the final month of sales before the kickoff of a new console generation, with the release of Sony’s PlayStation 4 tomorrow, and the debut of Microsoft’s Xbox One next week.

Microsoft said the Xbox 360 sold 166,000 units in the U.S. in October, topping the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii and Wii U. However, the Xbox 360’s result was down significantly from the 270,000 units sold by the company in the U.S. in October of last year.

Microsoft plans to continue selling the Xbox 360 after the debut of its new console.

In the handheld market, NPD said a surge by Nintendo’s 3DS resulted in the first increase in portable hardware sales since February 2012.

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