Microsoft Claims Xbox 360 Sales Double in Europe
Coming to you from Budapest, Hungary, this story caught my eye whilst speed-scanning a few feeds in a smoke-choked coffee shop (yeah, they actually still have those over here). According to Microsoft (by way of Pocket-Lint), sales of the Xbox 360 have more than doubled in Europe.
“Xbox 360 is truly the next-generation console of choice among consumers, and today’s numbers are proof that we are delivering on our commitment to achieve critical mass in Europe,” said Microsoft Europe VP Chris Lewis.
“The highly competitive ERP, coupled with entertainment content that’s appealing to everyone in the home, makes Xbox 360 the ultimate high-definition entertainment choice, and it’s clear that we’re already seeing this resonate with consumers.”
Microsoft's also claiming the Xbox 360 is officially the number one next-gen console in Europe, with 42 percent of the market in life-to-date revenue.
Microsoft cut the price of the 360 last month, dropping the Arcade to £160, the Pro to £200, and the Elite to £260. It looks like the company's hopes that those cuts would drive sales up dramatically have been momentarily realized. Now it's down to whether upcoming exclusives like Ninja Gaiden 2 -- plus a marketing team that's been working overtime to convince the public the 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV will rate superior to the PS3 version -- can maintain the system's formidable software sales momentum.
Alright, more soon, but right now I have to get out of this place. My eyes are beginning to feel like they've been tumbled in a bin of charcoal dust.
Re-Play
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If true, part of the reason may be Sony's back-pedal on backward compatibility with PS2 titles on the machines they sell there. Sony said one thing, then promptly delivered another. But then, I don't have a PS3 so I have no idea how backward compatible the machines they sell in any geographic region may, or may not be. I just seem to recall a big ruckus on the Web regarding the topic of Euro PS3s not being up to what was originally promised to them.
OTOH, good for the X-Box 360! That platform has more great games available for it than Wii or PS3 combined. I think that is the real answer here.
Well done Microsoft. Although I am already partial to the 360, I really don't think PS3 has anything to offer that is different. It has really nice and smooth graphics but that is about it. If I wanted a blu-ray player or anything of the sort I would go buy a unit that has that sole purpose. The amount of content the 360 delivers, be it via games or over XBL is completely unparalleled at this point in time.
I can comment on the Wii though as I do own one, and I am not shocked at all that the 360 is still surpassing that. It has only very few things going for it, and off the top of my head that'd be the 'family fun' aspect, and the inovative wireless motion sensing controllers. That is indeed a cool gadget to play with, but the console itself lacks power to call itself a next-gen console in that respect.
Go Xbox 360!