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

by Xav de Matos on May 28th 2009 12:30PM

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.

Tags: microsoft, sales, xbox-360, xbox-live

Reader Comments (91)

*grumble grumble*

Studies show a striking correlation between Simpsons fanboys and the red ring of death.

(Slurs) The thing about my family is there's five of us: Marge, Bart.... Girl Bart, the One who doesn't talk, and the Fat Guy. Oh how i loathe him

I just can't imagine how people can not have xbox live

I'm assuming you mean gold level membership?

I did good for a long time with just Silver.

Now that I'm rocking the gold, I see the benefit in the online playing... which I do rarely, but mostly it's the stupid crap that probably should have been free anyway (demos at the same time and Netflix streaming being foremost.)

However Crackdown co-op made the cost of admission worth it... sigh, I feel like such a sellout paying for online play :(

I never had much of a problem paying for gold. 50 Bucks a year or something? It's less expensive then playing WoW and for how solid the experience is, I think it's not bad. Free would be better, but I'd wonder if the experience would still be the same. From what I've heard from friends, Wii's online play is just a disaster and the PS3 is allright, but not always the most practical experience.

Also, since Xav asked, I'm still on my first Xbox, never had any problems with it.

XBL LOVES ME LONG TIME

I imagine that most people don't have Ethernet port in the living room, and the wi-fi adapter is still an expensive purchase, you can arrange a cheaper solution than the official one but I think many people don't bother. In my opinion if they had put the wi-fi in the box their Live numbers would be pretty close to the number of XBox's even if most of them would be silver members

50 a year is rather paltry, especially compared to what MMOs will charge you for a single game, but with Microsoft's determined goal to one-up Sony, they might see them as more of a threat than most do.

I don't care what anyone says but I am happy to fork over my 50 bucks a year on my service to LIVE. PSN's service is...ok but it feels like a lazy fat boy eating bon-bons while watching Oprah.

Paltry, unless you're a skint just-finished-uni-student with no job and don't know when the next few pennies are coming from - like me.

I don't play online much anyway on XBL - I ha da 48-hour trial period included in Gears of War, community was mean-spirited and generally ignorant and abusive and it put me off it - at least it completely justified not spending the £40 as it is in the UK on a year's subscription to the online abuse service.

Seeing as how I do not own an xbox 360. I don't have it.

A well informed shopper can find the 13 month cards for 28 US dollars with free shipping and no tax. I generally pay 28-35 a year for my subscription and I can imagine why anyone would settle for a lesser service. I happily pay for Live. I'd pay for PSN if it was worth a damn. And Wii's online is just terrible.

can't*

......Followed by maniacal laughter.

ahem. sorry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTBhgv9RDWs

"According to the press release, the Xbox 360 has sold 30 million units worldwide and the Xbox Live platform has reached 20 active members (Gold and Silver numbers are not specified)."

Man only 20 people on XBL? No wonder it takes me 1hour 47min to find a multiplayer session in GoW 2...

P.S. Typo is typo lol

you know at least 7 of those people are Silver members hogging all the bandwidth that we 13 gold subscribers PAY for.

Oopz! Fixed.

WOW..."the Xbox Live platform has reached 20 active members" these numbers can't be right. Lol

Do you ever bother to read the comments above yours?

@ MystileArmor did you bother to look at the time stamps. You dick.

@Don

Just admit you didn't read the comments above you and that you wanted to hurry and get your comment in to make a funny. If we look at the timestamps like you suggest we see that Aaron beat you by 3 minutes.

@Don

Also,,,You dick.

@Don

BURN!

@ all the lames that care to comment. You guys are all dicks. The damn comments weren't there when I posted mine. I had to wait for the damn email to confirm the comment.

This is my last reply. Later for you lame dicks.

Wait...no...Don please don't leave us...I mean it hurts enough that you called us all "lame dicks" over the internet, but if you leave joystiq it just won't be the same...we need you Don.

So Don, I get the impression you think everyone is lame and a dick. How deep.

Don loves to eat my chode.

Dude, I almost lost my shit in the middle of class when I saw the Don comments. Well played, Gentlemen, well played.

Typo fixed. My apologizeZ.

LOOK WHAT YOUR TYPO HAS DONE XAV. WE'VE LOST DON.

"Who was that guy?"

"I dunno I think he said his name was joe."

"Yeah it usually is."

"Damnit, noooo Joe! Why do we hurt the ones we love!"

R.I.P. Joe. Joystiq will miss you.

For a second there, I misread that 20 mil in the second paragraph as only 20.

Never mine, it's a typo. lol

Woohoo! Mini sirloin burgers all around!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut0WDb-xzks

Heeeerrrrding cooowsss the size of schnaaauzerrrs but they're caattttllle!!!

Jack In The Box HQ is located here actually, and apparently when Jack was in the hospital they were laying flowers and wreaths at a 'reserved' parking space he has near the entrance.

hmmmm

Look guys, he only said 20! Did you notice ???

That's pretty impressive, but you know what's MORE impressive? A system with last years technology is whooping the unholy hell out of both the PS3 and the 360.

I don't know how they do it, but Nintendo know exactly how to market a weaker system. They did it with the Gameboy, the DS, and now the Wii. Yet if they try to compete head on like they did with the Gamecube (which was superior to the PS2) they get outsold 2:1.

Console wars are a strange mistress.

What most people fail to realize is that while Nintendo is winning in hardware sales, the are severely lacking in software sales (third party wise).

Yeah but what does Nintendo care? They make 8 jillion dollars in Software on the DS AND they make bank on every Wii sold since they sell the thing at a profit.

They are not losing in 3rd party sales. Not not not. Why do you keep asserting that which is untrue?

They are losing in 3rd party attach rate, which is patently meaningless, since publishers only care about the bottom line, not about percentages

Yeah, I'm sick of that BS argument. You're comparing apples to oranges. Xbox 360 and PS3 are hardcore game systems. Yes, both have seen Nintendo's success and tried to also market towards the same consumer, but it's not the same. Take a look at the software sales. You have games like Call of Duty, Gears of War, Killzone, Bioshock, Resident Evil 5, Halo 3 etc selling for the Xbox and PS3 and you have games like Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Mario Kart, Wii Play, and My Fitness Coach selling for the Wii.

You have to be completely naive to not realize these are completely different demographics. Yes, I realize there are gamers that reach across all systems, but overall these are clearly different demographics.

Khan, I've stopped trying to explain to your dumbass what sales/attach rates/etc mean. You're a fanboy, if I told you the sky was blue, you'd say no it's pink because Nintendo said so.

They're not marketing a "weaker" console, they're selling to a weaker market.

It's easy to track. Total 3rd party sales are higher on the Wii. More profit is to be had from Wii projects. Only attach rate is lower, and attach rate means nothing to 3rd-parties' bottom lines.

id say 24 of those systems still work

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/dark_inchworm/SCSB.png

.... what about the n64 and gamecube.....?

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

Reader Comments (91)

Posted: May 28th 2009 12:35PM MarkezJM said

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