Things you'll hear about at E3: Xbox 360 sells 30 million units to date, Xbox Live reaches 20 million

The first 45 minutes of a platform holder's E3 media briefing follows the same formula: 1) Talk about the platform's position using fancy $10 words, 2) Show Data, 3) Spin, spin, spin! Today, Microsoft issued a press release that will (almost certainly) be discussed during its June 1, Pre-E3 media briefing.

According to the press release, the Xbox 360 has sold 30 million units worldwide and the Xbox Live platform has reached 20 million active members (Gold and Silver ratios not specified). On the dollar side, Microsoft states the Xbox 360 is responsible for "generating $5.9 billion in sales to date at U.S. retail" for third-party publishers, while U.S. residents have spent a collective total of $14.5 billion on the Xbox 360 at retail.

Microsoft also notes that since launching the NXE (New Xbox Experience), Xbox Live membership has jumped 136 percent, video downloads have doubled and game related content (DLC, XBLA) sales have increased by 70 percent. While Microsoft's 30 million units sold milestone is impressive, we can't help but wonder how many of those consoles are still fully functioning.