Despite the fact that every console saw month-to-month losses in July, Microsoft has issued its own take on the somewhat depressing NPD numbers, claiming that the Xbox 360 is "the only console to show growth this year" and "the industry's sole bright spot in 2009". Readers will recall that Aaron Greeberg made similar statements last month, after which it was revealed that the Xbox 360 sales had grown by 21 percent since last June.

Microsoft now reports that number is down to 17 percent growth over the first seven months in 2009, as compared to the same period last year. Granted, the number isn't quite as remarkable, but given that the Xbox 360 is the only console to achieve any growth at all -- as long as you don't count those pesky handhelds -- it's impressive nonetheless.

Microsoft also touts that the Xbox 360 is the number one platform for third-party titles. The company claims that third-party game sales totaled $101 million in July, which "maintains the streak of leading third-party games sales for every month of 2009." See, little red arrows aren't all bad.