Approximatley a year into the PS2's life cycle, I recall the Xbox being announced. Shipping with a game called Halo, which no one had heard of, the Microsoft console was the butt of many jokes; 'Will my console blue screen?' 'If I need a Microsoft console, I will buy a computer.' The console couldn't stand on its side, but sported a nice clash of black and green, built-in network card and hard drive integrated with every system. After getting over the initial misgivings, the console went on to become pretty successful; the name Halo is now instantly recognizable, a lot of PS2 titles received a nice makeover for debut on the Xbox, and the system was the flagship console for Microsoft's amazing online service.
Well, today is quite a milestone; a department that was rather close to being scrapped for almost never turning a profit has now redefined what a console is and can be with the Xbox 360. Today, Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 has outsold the original Xbox in three years, less than the entire life of the original console.
Microsoft confirms console has outstripped predecessor's installed base of 25 million. Microsoft has told MCV that the Xbox 360 has now topped its predecessors installed base around the globe.
The company previously noted that it expected to achieve the feat at the end of this month but it has now confirmed to MCV that 360 has already overtaken the original Xbox's total sales of 25 million.
VP of interactive entertainment business for EMEA Chris Lewis told MCV:
Weve already surpassed the installed base of the original Xbox which is a really significant milestone. Weve been blown away by the appetite of people to consumer digital entertainment experiences."
As reported last week, a combination of blanket Q4 marketing and September's price cut have given Xbox 360 a huge sales boost prompting Microsoft to claim victory over PS3 in European territories as it announced 360 reaching seven million sales in EMEA.
Congrats Microsoft, and happy birthday Xbox 360. This is for you:
