Microsoft Confirms Over 70 Million Xbox 360 Consoles Sold to Date
Despite the positive spin Microsoft tried to put on its latest financial report, it was a tough quarter for the Redmond outfit, which saw profits dip 22 percent. The cold hard truth is that the PC market is in a slump, and as computer sales stagnate, so too does Microsoft's business model, which is largely focused on software designed for PCs. As a bit of a silver lining to it all, Xbox 360 shipments crossed a new milestone.
Since debuting in November 2005, Microsoft has shipped and sold over 70 million Xbox 360 consoles, making it the eighth best selling console of all time. It sits just behind the PlayStation Portable (PSP) at 74 million units sold, and ahead of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) at 64 million. Just last year, Microsoft announced it had sold 50 million Xbox 360 consoles, so it's a good sign that the device is still reaching buyers after all this time.
At the same time, console sales appear to be slowing down. Microsoft said it shipped 1.7 million Xbox 360 consoles during the last quarter, compared with 2.3 million sales in the same quarter one year ago.
"Xbox 360 platform revenue decreased $418 million or 24 percent due mainly to lower volumes of consoles sold and lower video game revenue, offset in part by higher Xbox Live revenue," Microsoft said.
Nevertheless, crossing the 70 million threshold is a testament to Microsoft's ability to market, sell, and even reinvent an aging console, which it has kept in demand with incremental upgrades, such as a slimmer chassis, larger storage, and a motion controlled add-on (Kinect). Themed releases like the Star Wars bundle and upcoming Halo 4 bundle (pictured above) have also helped to boost sales for an otherwise dated piece of hardware.
Since debuting in November 2005, Microsoft has shipped and sold over 70 million Xbox 360 consoles, making it the eighth best selling console of all time. It sits just behind the PlayStation Portable (PSP) at 74 million units sold, and ahead of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) at 64 million. Just last year, Microsoft announced it had sold 50 million Xbox 360 consoles, so it's a good sign that the device is still reaching buyers after all this time.
At the same time, console sales appear to be slowing down. Microsoft said it shipped 1.7 million Xbox 360 consoles during the last quarter, compared with 2.3 million sales in the same quarter one year ago.
"Xbox 360 platform revenue decreased $418 million or 24 percent due mainly to lower volumes of consoles sold and lower video game revenue, offset in part by higher Xbox Live revenue," Microsoft said.
Nevertheless, crossing the 70 million threshold is a testament to Microsoft's ability to market, sell, and even reinvent an aging console, which it has kept in demand with incremental upgrades, such as a slimmer chassis, larger storage, and a motion controlled add-on (Kinect). Themed releases like the Star Wars bundle and upcoming Halo 4 bundle (pictured above) have also helped to boost sales for an otherwise dated piece of hardware.
