Skip to main content

Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

2.2 million 360s sold in last quarter

Installed base must be around 22m.

Microsoft sold 2.2 million Xbox 360s in the three months ending 30th September.

That's according to the company's investor relations man Bill Koefoed, who told AFP, "We sold 2.2 million Xbox 360 consoles, representing over 20 percent growth, as retailers stocked inventory ahead of the holiday season."

Microsoft said at the end of the previous quarter that 360 system sales had reached 20 million, so from this we can assume they are now around 22 million. The original Xbox sold around 24 million by the time everyone stopped caring in May 2006.

In other words, if the Xbox 360 repeats the trick in the Christmas quarter, it will have beaten its predecessor's sales in three years on the market. Then again, Koefoed did say a lot of retailers were stocking up for Christmas, so perhaps it will take a little longer.

The strong performance of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division in the three months to the end of September wasn't unexpected, but the scale of hardware sales was, and helped the company to record sales of just over USD 15 billion across all ranges.

More numbers and percentages on the subject can be located over on GamesIndustry.biz.