Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Microsoft Claims Xbox 360 Is King
Microsoft is making some pretty impressive claims about the Xbox 360, Kinect, and the system's place in the console market.
According to Official Microsoft Blog chief marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi, since its launch there have been 67 million Xbox 360 consoles sold worldwide at a total profit to Microsoft of $56 billion. He says this means that it owns 47 percent of the current-generation console market, and according to Mehdi these sales numbers have broken the traditional pattern for a home console. Instead of selling fewer consoles as it gets older, the Xbox seems to get better with age, selling more consoles each year.
However, Mehdi's math doesn't add up. If the Wii (approximately 90-plus million units sold worldwide) and PlayStation 3 (60-plus million) are also in the current-gen market, how can Microsoft claim almost half of the console market by itself?
He also mentions that the company has sold 19 million Kinect units and Xbox Live has 40 million members (although no distinction is made between the different membership tiers).
Mehdi attributes the platform's success to the fact that they are constantly adding new software and features to the Xbox platform. This claim is interesting, since the response to the announcement on GI's website about the new Amazon Instant app ranged from the apathetic to the openly hostile. Whether or not fans appreciate this newest addition to the Xbox platform, every Xbox user can agree that the 360 is more than just a gaming console.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
