As analysts continue to predict one of the worst retail holiday seasons in recent history, Microsoft announced Monday that the Xbox 360 is apparently the exception to the rule. Recent price drops and some solid marketing have combined to create plenty of hype surrounding the console this holiday season and the result has been tremendous. Xbox 360 didn’t just beat Playstation 3 in terms of sales over the Black Friday shopping weekend, it trounced it. Microsoft is reporting that it outsold Playstation 3 by a huge three-to-one ratio and amidst the troubling economic downturn in 2008, sales over Black Friday weekend were estimated to be up a whopping 25%. Game titles are also hopping off the shelves as Xbox continues to hold the top average of 8.1 games per console. Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, had this to say:
We entered into the Black Friday sales period with cautious optimism, knowing that dollar for dollar, Xbox 360 offers more social entertainment value than any other console on the market. Record Black Friday sales in the U.S., coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox LIVE members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009.
Microsoft might be losing market share in the computer OS market but there’s no question that it’s strengthening its position in the gaming market. So kids, Xbox 360 is definitely the console du jour this holiday season and if you want to be as cool as your friends come January, you better start nagging your parents for one now – assuming they aren’t able to find a Wii, of course.
