Microsoft’s European Xbox team has announced its inaugural console offering has surpassed the five million sales mark since its launch in March of 2002. Although sales akin to the PlayStation family are but a distant dream, there is no denying that five million installed units firmly places the Microsoft machine on the map.
Neil Thompson, director of the UK home and entertainment division, said: “The 5 million console milestone is a major one and proves our strategy of offering consumers exactly what they wanted is the right one. The choice gamers had to make at Christmas was a tough one but the numbers show Xbox was the first choice for a significant number of people. We are looking forward to seeing our strong position in the market going from strength to strength, and we’re right on track to hit our worldwide shipment goal of 21-22 million units by the end of June 2005.”
Of course, this news breaks as Microsoft gears up to first out of the blocks with its next-generation offering, tentatively named Xenon at this time. The machine will launch late next year, as exclusively revealed by SPOnG in a leaked memo from Electronic Arts.
A solid showing at this year’s E3 is assured, complete with a decent amount of launch titles, finalised specifications and an overhauled Xbox Live service.
As to whether Microsoft’s console timeline, a completely new strategy in home machine releases, is accepted by the wider gaming public remains to be seen.
Neil Thompson, director of the UK home and entertainment division, said: “The 5 million console milestone is a major one and proves our strategy of offering consumers exactly what they wanted is the right one. The choice gamers had to make at Christmas was a tough one but the numbers show Xbox was the first choice for a significant number of people. We are looking forward to seeing our strong position in the market going from strength to strength, and we’re right on track to hit our worldwide shipment goal of 21-22 million units by the end of June 2005.”
Of course, this news breaks as Microsoft gears up to first out of the blocks with its next-generation offering, tentatively named Xenon at this time. The machine will launch late next year, as exclusively revealed by SPOnG in a leaked memo from Electronic Arts.
A solid showing at this year’s E3 is assured, complete with a decent amount of launch titles, finalised specifications and an overhauled Xbox Live service.
As to whether Microsoft’s console timeline, a completely new strategy in home machine releases, is accepted by the wider gaming public remains to be seen.
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Comments
schnide 1 Feb 2005 11:29
1/4
Still losing a ton of money on every console you sell though, aren't you boys?
Ha-ha!
Ha-ha!
saurian 1 Feb 2005 13:18
2/4
schnide wrote:
Still losing a ton of money on every console you sell though, aren't you boys?
Ha-ha!
Ha-ha!
Microsoft make more profit in 3 months than Sony do in a few years. The loss they make selling the console is chicken feed and when they make so much as a company its negligable.
Try thinking of it this way... would you rather have a top of the range console that is obviously worth well over what you pay for it (Xbox)
Or, pay over the odds for a second rate console that is obviously over the hill. (PS2)
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tyrion 1 Feb 2005 13:44
3/4
saurian wrote:
Microsoft make more profit in 3 months than Sony do in a few years. The loss they make selling the console is chicken feed and when they make so much as a company its negligable.
And that's the sort of behaviour MS was supposed to stop when it was convicted of illegal business practices in the US. Using a monopolistic position in one market to enter and dominate another, that's bad, but they get away with it.
saurian wrote:
Try thinking of it this way... would you rather have a top of the range console that is obviously worth well over what you pay for it (Xbox)
Or, pay over the odds for a second rate console that is obviously over the hill. (PS2)
Or, pay over the odds for a second rate console that is obviously over the hill. (PS2)
I'd rather have a console with more than three or four games that I want to play that are exclusive to it. The range of games on the PS2 is what sells it, not the quality or otherwise of the hardware.
NiktheGreek 1 Feb 2005 15:19
4/4
tyrion wrote:
saurian wrote:
Microsoft make more profit in 3 months than Sony do in a few years. The loss they make selling the console is chicken feed and when they make so much as a company its negligable.
And that's the sort of behaviour MS was supposed to stop when it was convicted of illegal business practices in the US. Using a monopolistic position in one market to enter and dominate another, that's bad, but they get away with it.
Of course, that's the problem - Microsoft's performance can hardly be seen as dominant. If they're looking to 21-22 million consoles by June, that's just over a quarter of what the PS2 has already sold, and not a giant leap over the Gamecube's 2004-end figure of about 18 million. Add that to the Home Entertainment division of Microsoft finally turning a profit, and things look a lot less dubious than they probably are.
This being said, I like my Xbox anyway. Between Jet Set Radio Future, Ninja Gaiden, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Halo 2, Outrun 2 and Fable I'm being kept pretty happy. Of course, what works for me doesn't always work for others.