Xbox 360 Sells Like Hotcakes
Aussies fork out the dough for Microsoft's console.
Australia, October 27, 2006 - It's been just seven months since the Xbox 360 touched down on Australian shores, and according to some recently released figures courtesy of Microsoft and GfK, the console is padding out Microsoft's global domination fund quite nicely.
Since launch, over 100,000 Xbox 360s have been purchased by Australian gamers - a record number for a full-sized video game console. Additionally, 400,000 pieces of software have been purchased since launch.
In a show of corporate muscle-flexing, Microsoft also noted that Sony's PlayStation 2 sold 78,000 consoles and 190,000 games over the same period of time after its own launch. Sounds impressive, but Microsoft failed to point out a rather important statistic.
When the PS2 sold its 78,000 units back in 2000, the total size of the Australian game market was significantly smaller than it is today. When looking at the launch of PS2 as a percentage of the overall hardware install base at the time, it was actually a faster selling device than the 360. It's also wise to remember that there are over 2 million PS2s keeping Australian thumbs busy. That's not to say that the 360 hasn't done very well in our region
but it's not quite the record breaker Microsoft would have us believe.
Regional director Xbox Australia and New Zealand, David McLean is obviously pretty chuffed about the impressive sales figures, saying, "Xbox 360 has taken off in Australia demonstrating that the game has changed and consumers are ready for the next-generation of gaming now. Xbox 360 provides amazing value for the whole family and with the biggest line-up of next-generation games and accessories, we are confident that there will be lots of Xbox 360s sitting under Christmas trees this year."
As the battle for Christmas sales intensifies, expect plenty more figure-tossing and 'he said/she said' remarks from all three major players
, sonst gehts euch gut?
