Microsoft has just announced a couple of Xbox milestones – 10m of its Xbox 360 game consoles sold in the US now and 12m members globally of its Xbox Live online service.
The company says the 360 is the first next-generation system to pass the 10m mark in the US.
The latest figures from the NPD research firm, up to the end of March, showed the 360 leading with 9.9m units, the Nintendo Wii second with 8.8m and Sony’s PlayStation 3 in third with 4.06m units sold.
“History has shown us that the first company to reach 10m in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry,” said Don Mattrick, head of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, in a statement.
But given the 360 had a year’s head start over the Wii and only sold 262,000 units in March to the Wii’s 721,000, it seems only a matter of time before the 360 is overtaken.
Even so, Microsoft can boast that it does a better job of selling software with its consoles. It has a US “attach rate” of 7.5 game titles per console, compared to 5.3 for the Wii and 4.6 for the PS3.
That figure could increase with the new line-up of Microsoft Games Studios titles, which were previewed for the gaming press in San Francisco yesterday. Gears of War 2, Viva Pinata 2, Fable 2 and Too Human were among those demonstrated.
Microsoft is also well ahead of its rivals in online services, with the 12m figure for Xbox Live representing a doubling of membership in the past year. The company said the prospect of playing Grand Theft Auto IV online, which will include episodic content exclusive to Xbox Live, had given a recent boost to membership.
The best news for Sony is in Europe, where Kaz Hirai, head of its console division, told us earlier this month that the PS3 had overtaken the 360 with more than 5m units now sold.
