New sales data was released on Thursday by the NPD Group, and for once, the Wii didn’t hold the top spot for every month. September’s sales of the Xbox 360 crossed 528,000 and surpassed the Wii’s 501,000, thanks to the impending release of Xbox-exclusive Halo 3.

Halo 3 released on September 25 and grossed $170 million worldwide in its first 24 hours, a new record for first-day sales, not only for video games, but for any form of entertainment. By October 6, Microsoft’s first-person shooter had shipped 3.3 million copies.

Unsurprisingly, Halo 3 was the best-selling video game in September, followed by Wii Play with Remote, which sold 282,000 copies and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which sold 224,000 copies.

This may be the Xbox 360’s chance to hold the top spot. Not only does Nintendo anticipate trouble keeping up with holiday demand for the Wii, but the Xbox 360 is about to see another hot exclusive—Mass Effect, which releases on November 20.

Sony, which has seen the sales of the PlayStation 3 drop from 131,000 consoles sold in August to only 119,000 in September, has lowered the price to $499. A new version, priced at $399, will launch on November 2. This decision may be based on the increased success of the Xbox 360 following its own price cut back in July.

It remains to be seen if the PS3 can catch up to its competitors.