U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell for the eighth straight month in July as the industry continued to look ahead toward the release of new equipment to cure the industry woes.

Overall sales fell 20 percent to $548.4 million, according to research firm NPD Group.

Sales of consoles and portable software - the video games themselves - fell 23 percent from a year earlier to $278 million.

Sales of hardware fell 32 percent to $151 million. Accessories sales rose 8 percent to $137 million.

Yet even with the anticipated launch of Nintendo Co.'s Wii U later in the year, NPD predicted full-year sales will be $14.5 billion, down from $17 billion last year.