LOS ANGELES (AP) - U.S. retail sales of new video-game hardware, software and accessories fell 24 percent in September.

It marked the 10th-consecutive month of declining sales as the gaming world holds off buying ahead of the release of Nintendo's Wii U console next month

Research firm NPD Group says that sales fell to $848 million from $1.11 billion a year earlier.

Sales of video games themselves, excluding PC titles, fell 18 percent to $497.4 million. Sales of hardware such as the Xbox 360 fell 39 percent to $210.9 million, and accessories sales fell 11 percent to $139.9 million.

The best-selling title of the month was Electronic Arts' "Madden NFL 13," followed by Take 2 Interactive's "Borderlands 2" and EA's "FIFA Soccer 13."