Microsoft touts 30 million Xbox 360s sold, 20 million Xbox LIVE members
By Donald Melanson 
posted May 28th 2009 8:29PM
posted May 28th 2009 8:29PM
Sony may have been the first to claim the 20 million users number, but most will no doubt agree that Microsoft has a considerably stronger claim to that title, as their just-announced 20 million users apparently includes only "active members," and doesn't include users that have simply signed up to use their online forums. Even less debatable are Microsoft's latest sales numbers for the console, which now officially top 30 million worldwide. As Microsoft points out, that translates to a whopping $14.5 billion in sales across all Xbox 360 categories, or an impressive $5.9 billion in game sales for third-party publishers. Other tidbits include the fact that Xbox 360 users own 8.3 titles each on average, and that Xbox LIVE has seen a 136% increase in new members since the launch of the New Xbox Experience last year.
do the numbers include returns to Microsoft due to RROD?
"Microsoft touts 30 million Xbox 360s sold, 20 million Xbox LIVE members"
"Microsoft touts 30 million Xbox 360s sold,"
"30 million Xbox 360s sold,"
"Xbox 360s sold,"
"sold,"
Additionally, if you 'return' your RROD360 to Microsoft... You get it back...
I'm hoping that you're legitimately confused rather than an idiot.
Then again, it is Engadget... :P
Yea what that other guy said... *eyes shift back and forth*
I know of a few people who instead of waiting 3-9 weeks just bought another...
@Verified Insanity
Dude, you're a dick.
It's a legitimate question. Many times, manufacturers consider "sold" to mean "shipped" usually because the number of units shipped is larger than the number of units they've actually sold. It usually also includes those replaced under warranty, too, and considering the Xbox 360's reputation for abyssal hardware reliability, it's a valid question.
But Microsoft is obviously releasing this statement as a counter-point to Sony's previous press release touting the number of users the PSN has, so warranty-replaced units included or not, it's not even a close call.
Even if the numbers included people who bought another 360 cause theirs' RRoD, the point is, if the console RRoD the consumer just went out and bought a new unit. That is repeat business, even dispite the hardships of the product. I knew that once someone posted sales numbers for the 360, some jackass would come on here and bring up the RRoD. I almost died laughing when i seen it was the first commener. You sir are a douche for even trying to bash microsoft sales numbers by even thinking it was boosted by RRoD.
@Mike
The article didn't say number of 360's shipped or replaced, it says sold so i presume it does not include units replaced under warranty or shipped to licensed vendors.
Why should people forget about and stop commenting on RROD. It did happen, if it still doesn't. It was/is a major reason why sales aren't much higher. Sure I can understand it's a sore point, and one that's brought up frequently, but it's still a legitimate subject that should not be forgotten about. Personally I won't buy a 360 with one of the major reasons being the reliability of the machine. This will also stop me buying any future xbox release unless it is shown to have outstanding reliability.
Well, your choice for not purchasing a console based solely on the reliability of the first year consoles proves that you will not be satisfied with the console. Microsoft has proved the new consoles have outstanding reliability by redesigning the interior, using lower power consumption components, voluntarily extending the console's hardware failure warranty for 3 years on all consoles. Microsoft spent millions, if i recall they set aside a billion dollars for their warranty program, on research and development of the newer consoles to make them have outstanding reliability. Consumers took notice and acted accordingly. I wanna see Sony do something like that.
I bought 3 PS2s during its first three years of life. Why? Sony's warranty sucked. I bought one 360. Still works. But if it had failed like others, I enjoy the fact that it actually had a REAL warranty and that they updated it after problems were found. Say what you will, but not many companies do this.
I still enjoy my PS2 more though, sadly.
INITIATE MICROSOFT FANBOY SLOBBERFEST!
Non-enthusiastic commentary will not be tolerated. This is an official Microsoft astroturfing fanboy site. You have been warned.
Now if you'll excu....*RROD*
Any statistic for "units sold" almost always includes hardware in homes, *and* in the channel; i.e. those units hooked up to our TVs, those on store shelves and those in trucks on the way to stores. Basically, any 360 that isn't in Microsoft's possession anymore, which also includes replacement units for RROD'd hardware.
This is typical of *any* hardware maker, it's not Microsoft being evil (unless they're stuffing the channel, but that's probably not happening this time of year). Nintendo's numbers will also include replacement Wiis, and Sony's will include replacement PS3s.
"Nintendo's numbers will also include replacement Wiis, and Sony's will include replacement PS3s."
The numbers of which are likely *miniscule* compared to the number of replacement 360s. So Microsoft's padded numbers (if they indeed include RROD replacements, likely a vast number) still get destroyed by the big N. Making Microsoft's performance in this generation's console battle (with the added advantage of a year's head start) even more failtastic.
@Mike
Shipped would also not include returns, shipped would imply being shipped to stores.
Hahahaha! Verified Insanity, classic.
Of the 30 Million, how many have been modded to play backups?
I say 10 million.
No wonder every good gamertag is taken...
Yeah, but I'm the only one with the gamertag WifeIgnorer!
"Yeah, but I'm the only one with the gamertag WifeIgnorer!"
And she's probably the only one with an affairmatch.com user name of "FKCNARNDONMYHSBND"
Zing!!!
Way to go MS and XBOX360 now bring on the ZuneHD
indeed! ftmfw!
you forgot to mention all the e74 returns too
you know the only thing I don't like about consoles is that you get something good going and then you have to buy a new one in about 3 years starting all over again
just like you have to buy a new tv when the old is outdated. or upgrade to bluray when dvd doesnt cut it.
its called innovation in technology.
`People use the same stereo type with computers. Why bother buying one at all, it will be outdated in six months time... A consoles life span is longer than 3 years, and you dont need to take out a second mortgage to afford PC gaming either.
no pc's can be up graded gradually
and tv's usually last longer consoles are not that innovative they are becoming more like computers now a days
This excruciating dilemma can be made less painful by getting a fucking job.
I got my Xbox (1st gen) in 2005. I still have it, still use it (I play vice city, kotor 2, forza, and some others), it's also my media center. I paid about €130 for it at the time, and it's still worth every penny. That was 4 years ago, and at the end of this consoles lifecycle. Keeping a console beyond it's lifecycle is not without problems, since I originally bought it to use mostly as a media center I never bothered with getting an extra controller, or buy that many games: now I go to the electronics/video game stores, and there are controllers or video games for my old xbox.
At my work we have a lot of gaming computers (xbox 360s, ps3, wii, and the handheld stuff), and 90% of the games we play here are the xbox stuff: halo 3 teamgames, CoD4 team games, etc.
Ever since I started playing with the new one, I've slowly started wanting one, and I came quite close to buying one this week, but while wandering around the store, thinking if I should spring for it, pondering all the RRoD stories, and thinking about how annoyingly loud they are, I came across an extra controller for my little old xbox! So I'm keeping my old one around for another year or so, I believe.
Anyway, long yammering post and boring story aside: How can anyone stand the loudness of the 360? My old xbox was loud, I did replace the fan with a more silent one (a nasty operation, as they use a 70mm fan.. and I replaced it with an 80mm one), but the few things I've read online about silencing the 360 seem even more complicated.
Now with the launch of some VOD services for it (which is great), I'm really quite perplexed how people expect to enjoy watching a move with the xbox blaring away under their tv?
"This excruciating dilemma can be made less painful by getting a fucking job." - rofl nice, dan.
btw- 360's been out for almost 4 years... i don't think the Xbox 720 or whatever will be out for at least another 2-3. these consoles were supposed to have a much longer lifecycle. the PS3's is supposed to be something ridiculous like 10 years(?).
either way, ctfd. go buy a 360 and enjoy your face.
"Something ridiculous like 10 years"? lol PS2 = 10years and still selling.
Not surprising, 360 has a better game library then the PS3 (I don't have a Wii yet so I don't know much about it). Yes the PS3 has some good titles but the library is still seriously lacking. Go to walmart and go take a look in the game iles.
Of course, because the 360 is released a year (?) before the PS3.
It's like a race car that had a head start of a whole 5 minutes than the others, of course it will be ahead. But eventually, if you keep going, everyone catches up.
Agreed, the only reason/time I'll buy a PS3 is when Gran turismo 5 is out... that is if it ever comes out for PS3. Sony might decide it's already too late to save PS3 all together and roll it for PS4 launch title.
I hate it when the fanboys keep touting PS3 superior "firepower". Face it douche bags, nobody cares how awesome your GPU is, it's all about the games. Or else how do you explain the Wii?
Oh come on the ps3 doesn't have any games excuse is just not valid anymore, I mean maybe if you talking just about arcade games yes the ps3 suffers, but as a person who has owned both, and then sold them both the each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Yes xbox live is better than psn but psn is free, and the difference is small enough that I think that makes them about equal. Back to number of titles, I know I'm gonna get low ranked for this but...the 360 doesn't have any exclusives that excite me, played gears of war wasn't a fan, not really a fan of halo either, and most of the 360 "exclusives" are available on the computer. I know it sounds like soemthing every sony fanboy has said before, which I am not, but I don't see how the xbox can win the e3 war, ps3 has a ton of strong titles coming up and I may just pick one up again once they release the slim ps3. I also believe to date as long as you don't count games that the 360 shares with pc it really doesnt have that many great exclusives. Personally the only games I would play on the 360 that's the ps3 doesn't have at this point in time are forza and pgr4.
So it all depends on where your coming from, what types of games you like, if your will benefit from a blu-ray player, if you have a decent computer to play games on, if you don't mind paying fifty dollars a year for online. I just don't believe that there is a definitive winner so far this generation, and I think in the end it will be even closer than it is now. The only definitive winner of this generation is the consumer.
I forgot to mention, I did owned a PS3... when it first came out. Yes, I'm one of the lemmings who actually camped out and wait for the system. After more than a year of collecting dust, I sold it off to my mate at half price.
I do go through PS3 section every time i went to a gamestore and the titles selection are woeful. Every good game on PS3 is avail on X360 (and in some cases better on 360, like GTA). And their exclusives is just not good enough. I'm sorry but I played MGS on my mates system and I'm not impressed.
People still talking about PS3 got strong library/selections coming up... and that's all I kept hearing about... coming soon, coming soon. What about NOW?!! Sometimes having free stuffs is meaningless unless you have someone to play with (strength of Live).
I dont consider myself a fanboy as I owned all dreamcast/PSone/N64, PS2/Xbox/gamecube and now X360/wii/PS3 (of all those, only PS2, X360 and wii is still in my possession). But right now PS3 just doesn't justify it's existent in my console cabinet... again.
But make no mistake, I'll buy the PS3 again when GT5 comes out.
So 2/3rds of xbox owners are xbox live members... I find that very hard to believe.
1 moth free with every xbox so maybe
And a silver account is free. They are counting that as an active account. I live my xbox!
That most likely includes Gold AND Silver members.
this does not include silver members. do the math if every xbox360 comes with a free silver mebership then that would mean a 1 for 1 ie 30 million sold = 30 million subscribers.
You aren't a member if you don't go online...
That means 1/3 of all xboxes haven't connected to the internet yet.
no, it means ACTIVELY USED because they are only counting ACTIVE accounts.
Xbox Live is the selling point of the 360 and it will always be that way. I have played and watched my friends on the ps3 and the 360 is far superior with online play. Saying that i won't deny that this year i'm liking the ps3 lineup for first party games.
ANY new gamertag that you create gives you 1 month FREE gold XBL membership provided that you link it to an email address that hasn't yet been registered to a GT.
Good job Microsoft. As sure as I am that many of us were upset when getting RROD you can't deny the fact that the 360 is great console with by far the best software.
My Elite that I bought at launch in May(?) '07 RROD'd a month ago. They sent me my console back and now it's much quieter both with the internal fans and the DVD-Drive. I think I may have gotten a Valhalla mobo. :)
You know what's odd is even though the Xbox 360 might be one of the most hacked system out there. it still manages to outsell and have more residual income from attached sales than the PS3. I wonder if the ability to hack a PS3 is possible could the sales go up?
Why don't you ask Sony PSP developers is video game piracy is helping them.
What developers? @.@
HomeBrew = increase in sales and increase in profits but when backup loaders and iso loaders are made thats when you see developers stop developing and dramatically decrease in game sales (PSP).When sales on games go down console makers take a huge hit since that's where they get most of their revenue not on the actual console.