On Tuesday, Microsoft announced that its Xbox video game console was gaining significant market share growth as its competitors falter entering the crucial holiday selling season. According to a report by NPD group, sales of the Xbox rose 6 percent year over year (measured from August 2002 to August 2003), while sales of the Sony PlayStation plunged 36 percent and sales of the Nintendo GameCube fell 22 percent. According to the group, the Xbox now accounts for 27 percent of video game console sales in the US.
Likewise, sales of Xbox software continues to grow at a faster rate than that for the competition, Microsoft notes. In the same time period cited above, Xbox software sales grew 58 percent, with the Xbox accounting for two of the top four software titles, and four of the top ten, in terms of sales, for August 2003. Upcoming exclusive titles for the Xbox include "Ninja Gaiden," "Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy," "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3," "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge," "Project Gotham Racing 2," "Xbox Music Mixer," and the XSN Sports-enhanced "Amped 2" and "Top Spin."
Additionally, Microsoft's Xbox online gaming service, Xbox Live, grew 17 percent in August thanks to news of the company's new and upcoming XSN Sports titles that take advantage of online play. Microsoft also noted that eight new countries--Korea, Austria, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland--will launch the Xbox Live service in the coming weeks. To further propel system sales, Microsoft recently packaged its Xbox console with a two-month trial subscription to Xbox Live and two free games, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Tetris Worlds Live," for $180 in the US.
"The latest data is really a harbinger of what we expect to see this holiday season," says Mitch Koch, the vice president of retail sales and marketing for the home and entertainment division at Microsoft Corp. "With close to 400 games, a global Xbox Live community, 50 Xbox Live-enabled games, and a holiday promotion that offers tremendous value, Xbox is appealing to an ever-growing audience of thrill-seekers." Naturally, Microsoft still faces a daunting challenge in the PlayStation 2, which still commands over 50 percent of the market worldwide and will continue to dominate with this generation of systems. Erstwhile competitor Nintendo, however, has stumbled badly with sales of its GameCube dropping off the chart. Entering holiday 2003, it's now a two horse race between Sony and Microsoft.
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Likewise, sales of Xbox software continues to grow at a faster rate than that for the competition, Microsoft notes. In the same time period cited above, Xbox software sales grew 58 percent, with the Xbox accounting for two of the top four software titles, and four of the top ten, in terms of sales, for August 2003. Upcoming exclusive titles for the Xbox include "Ninja Gaiden," "Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy," "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3," "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge," "Project Gotham Racing 2," "Xbox Music Mixer," and the XSN Sports-enhanced "Amped 2" and "Top Spin."
Additionally, Microsoft's Xbox online gaming service, Xbox Live, grew 17 percent in August thanks to news of the company's new and upcoming XSN Sports titles that take advantage of online play. Microsoft also noted that eight new countries--Korea, Austria, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland--will launch the Xbox Live service in the coming weeks. To further propel system sales, Microsoft recently packaged its Xbox console with a two-month trial subscription to Xbox Live and two free games, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Tetris Worlds Live," for $180 in the US.
"The latest data is really a harbinger of what we expect to see this holiday season," says Mitch Koch, the vice president of retail sales and marketing for the home and entertainment division at Microsoft Corp. "With close to 400 games, a global Xbox Live community, 50 Xbox Live-enabled games, and a holiday promotion that offers tremendous value, Xbox is appealing to an ever-growing audience of thrill-seekers." Naturally, Microsoft still faces a daunting challenge in the PlayStation 2, which still commands over 50 percent of the market worldwide and will continue to dominate with this generation of systems. Erstwhile competitor Nintendo, however, has stumbled badly with sales of its GameCube dropping off the chart. Entering holiday 2003, it's now a two horse race between Sony and Microsoft.
http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=40330