Given the number of users and $50-a-year subscription fee, it's hardly a surprise that Microsoft is pulling in a ton of cash from
Xbox Live, but it looks like the service has recently crossed a significant milestone: the $1 billion mark. That's what
Bloomberg estimates for the past fiscal year, at least, based on the number of paid users (about 12.5 million), and a recent statement from Microsoft's Dennis Durkin, who said that sales of downloadable content had topped subscription revenue for the first time. That translates to about $600 million from subscription revenue, and
at least $600 million from other sales, for a grand total somewhere north of $1.2 billion. Can't really blame Sony for
following its lead, can you?
Update: Credit where credit is due -- turns out
Forbes also arrived at
similar numbers back during E3. It "conservatively estimates" that Microsoft raked in $625 million selling downloadable content in the past year, resulting in more than $1.25 billion in total revenue.
posted July 7th 2010 5:52PM
This is why I hate consoles.
Consoles hate you back.
@xyrec
Yeah why hate consoles because of this?...
I love consoles. No hang ups. No constant tweaking of video settings. A ton more support from 3rd party developers.
@xyrec How can you hate consoles?!
Do you sell board games? (which are still awesome)
@xyrec
Because PC Games don't require subscriptions*cough*MMO's*cough or have DLC *cough*Dragon Age Origins*cough*?
@xyrec Its worth 1 Billion but they cant stop the glitcher's in MW2!!!
@liftedngifted1
If you make something that stops the glitchers, you only make a better glitcher... But yes, I know what you mean and I hate them too.
@BlackedOut In soviet russia, consoles hate you
@xyrec lol how much is playstation network worth? seeing that its free and has been for years?
@okok only Apple Fanboys bought i
I hate the UI. Too Too TOOOOOO many ads. No one can argue against this. On every single screen you flip to, there are ads. Ads all over the place, ranging from contests, to videos and movies to games and even products such as deodorant.
The PSN network barely has any if ads, if any. All they promote are the things they sell. Didn't know I could buy a Ford on a console until I used the Xbox.
Overall, they both have their differences. I love the simplicity and ease of use of the XMB. All the Xbox UI has is the colors, large panels and what seems to be tons of info at your hands, although its mostly apps.
To that person who said the Xbox has Zune integration, so does the PS3. you can connect any peripheral to the PS3 and it will detect it. I didnt even have to buy the PS3 camera or blue-tooth or keyboard or mouse. I used my own that I already owned. I also didnt have to purchase proprietary HDD, just used my own and installed a 750 GB
@pintonion
Plugging in a Zune doesn't count as "integration." In fact, that's the opposite of the definition of integration.
@PBB Actually you can bridge your connection with your 360 through an Ethernet cable and use your PC wi-fi connection to get Xbox live, providing you have a wi-fi card in your PC and a subscription on live.
After that you just go into the zune marketplace software, settings and under the Xbox 360 tab, choose to share media, name your collection.
Then go into music library on you 360 and you should see you PC with that said zune collection name.
zune marketplace has to be open, not playing for you to stream music over to your 360.
I do it all the time when playing Super street Fighter 4, and the best part, it gets rid of the crappy music that comes with SSF4
Peep this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbRL37DGfCo
@pintonion
Is this a regional thing?
The only advert I saw on my Xbox, through heavy usage of the Dashboard tonight was the Predator movie on the Inside Xbox channel.
Depends what you call ads, If you regard the panels where they show what deals are going on, and promote new games then definately - but these are things that they should be advertising anyway IMO.
If you are talking about things you would normally see on TV, then I disagree, the ad isn't there now but it was earlier, film looks alright too.
@Feff
Do you need some cough syrup dude. I could donate some Walgreens points or something...
@Dig Deep & no interrupting phone calls!
@xyre/c
Jeebus Crust! Talk about a pofitable console!
@xyrec
I Read the first line and I was like WoW only 1 Dollar? Lol, it was a nice trick by engadget.
@xyrec Stupid reason, though I'm not exactly fond of them...
With the sales that Steam has had in the past, I likely saved enough money on games to buy an Xbox and a half. It's great when $20 games go on sale for $2-5.
$7 got me Red Faction: Guerilla and Flatout: Ultimate Carnage :)
Sometimes I forget that Microsoft is still good at doing some things.
@sacguy
I hate to sound like a fanboy (because I'm not), but Microsoft has shown us it's good at quite a few things recently.
MP3 Players (sales don't represent quality)
Consoles
Operating Systems
Their Office software
Peripherals (the Arc Mouse is one of the best I've ever used)
And we all know how good MS is at scrapping awesome looking concepts (I'm looking at you, Courier)... :P
They use this money to undercut the competition by throwing it at developers.
I contribute.
@sacguy
Your an idiot if you actually think that way.
@sacguy
Man get with the times, apple is the man now. Microsoft bashing is so last decade
@maddawg579 Too bad the courier got cancelled.....
@maddawg579 let's not forget batteries!
@TheSunman89
Hence my saying it got scrapped....
There are companies that are synonymous with new, compelling and innovative products. And to me, Microsoft is not. My point was that its easy to forget that they do make some products I use and enjoy daily when it's most noticeable the areas in which they are falling behind in innovation to Apple and Google.
I don't own an Apple product, so save your fanboy rhetoric.
sacguy,
Windows 7
CE7
Windows Embedded Compact 7
Xbox 360
Kinect
Just because they aren't in the center of the public eye does not mean they aren't bringing out new, compelling or innovative products and platforms.
That second one was meant to be Windows Phone 7. My bad.
@sacguy The amazing thing is that Xbox Live is basically the modern mutation of the pretty kick-butt Microsoft Gaming Zone that existed way back in the 90's!!! Using LAN emulation it let people play Warcraft II and Quake against each other well before Battle.net existed.
@BlackedOut Don't you think that's a pretty short list for a company that size that got such a head start?
@sacguy
u mean unlike Apple which has.... let me see...
1. iPhone
2. Big iPhone
@Joeyjoejoe Shabadoo
I would say Google is more of the man since they insist on entering every single industry that touches your life. They know where you are at all times, who you are talking to, what you are searching for, and what you are watching. They have the influence of a small country. Look how they played the telecoms on the wireless spectrum bidding, Look at the stand off going down in China. Personally, it creeps me the hell out.
hmm keep in mind that microsoft was doing xbla long before we saw the app store, the iPhone was essentially a pocket pc with phone capability and the ipad is Microsoft's Oragami project they were pushing hard for years. From this perspective Apple doesn't look as innovative, just good at rehashing old concept with good advertisement. Microsoft has actually been quite innovative in many areas. Execution is their problem.
Go big SOFTIE !
better network on PSN and its free
@audi2009
Not if you want entertainment features
@pufflye Just out if curiosity how many people prefer the social and entertainment features of the PS3 over those of the Xbox 360?
Audi, Protip:
It doesn't become true the more you say it.
@pufflye
You mean not if you want any features.
I kid, I kid. In all seriousness though, Xbox Live's network blows away PSN. Free =/= better.
@Xcrucio
both networks have the same entertainment features
PS3 does not charge you to play online = PSN better
@Xcrucio
Kid I was saying that the entertainment features on ps3 aren't free and not better than the quality of the 360
@Xcrucio Though I generally believe that price is not an indication of quality and there are many cases where free is better, when it comes to Xbox Live and PSN I think its a case of "you get what you pay for"
@audi2009
Don't be surprised if Sony tries to have players pay to play eventually.
@audi2009
It doesn't have last.fm (which is awesome), it definitely lacks Zune video/music marketplace, the overall feel of LIVE is so much better compared to PSN, which feels detached and uninteresting.
Xbox LIVE is an entertainment hub.
@ChrisSsk Not necessarily, there are very few things on the 360 I can't do on ps3. The only one being cross-game chat. People who say psn isn't nearly as good haven't used it as much. I'd say PSN is Dammit near as good as XBL and free to boot. This coming from an owner of every console and a gaming PC.
XB Live: xXscots79Xx
PSN: scots79
@pufflye Except you have to have a gold subscription to watch netflix on xbox 360. Granted, the experience is superior, but c'mon! I already fucking pay for netflix!
@audi2009
free =/= better
i.e OpenOffice
Where you at ps3??
@pufflye
Playing Xbox Live.
I like PS3 but their online is just god awful