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[Correction] Microsoft Shipped 2.4 Million Xbox Consoles In Q1 FY15
Microsoft’s fortunes are turning around with regard to the gaming division, shipping 2.4 million Xbox consoles in the company’s first quarter of the new fiscal year. This is up from 1.2 million in Q4 of last fiscal year and 102 percent increase from the same time last year.
No specific breakdowns were given between Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Microsoft did share that revenue for the Xbox group was up 58 percent year-over-year, largely on the back of hardware.
This quarter also marked the release of Xbox One in 28 new markets, including China. Microsoft reportedly sold 100,000 units in China on the first day of sales, September 29.
Microsoft reported revenue of $23.2 billion (an increase of 25 percent over Q1 FY14), with margins up, though operating income fell 8 percent to $5.8 billion.
Note: The headline and body of this story originally stated that Microsoft sold 2.4 million consoles. That is incorrect. The company shipped (sold into retail) that many units. The story has been updated to reflect the correct info, and we regret the error.
[Source: Microsoft]
Our Take
Despite the strong growth year-over-year, Microsoft is still right now behind where Sony was at Gamescom. The last reported number for PlayStation 4 was 10 million. Right now, assuming every Xbox console sold in the past six months was an Xbox One, Microsoft is only at 8.5 million (and it’s safe to say that there were some Xbox 360 shipped).
The gap is narrowing, and Micrososft needs to continue to be aggressive. This holiday season is extremely important, not just for hardware, but for software sales, which are still slumping.
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