Microsoft ha diffuso con orgoglio il comunicato stampa che abbiamo allegato di seguito nella lingua originale. In accordo all'azienda di Redmond, la console Xbox 360 è risultata la prima della sua generazione - che, lo ricordiamo, include le soluzioni concorrenti Wii di Nintendo e PlayStation 3 di Sony - a superare la soglia dei 10 milioni di unità vendute nel solo territorio degli U.S..
Ma il dato è significativo anche in un'ottica più generale: Don Mattrick, che in Microsoft è tra i personaggi più influenti nel settore dell'Interactive Entertainment, osserva che "la storia ha dimostrato che la console che supera per prima i 10 milioni di esemplari venduti (negli U.S., ndr) è anche quella che vince lo scontro generazionale".
Microsoft conclude il comunicato, mediante il quale in maniera più o meno velata rivendica la leadership del mercato nell'ambito del gaming su console, sottolineando le dimensioni, senza eguali, della libreria di game attualmente esistenti per Xbox 360 e che "i giochi sulla Xbox 360 non soltanto vendono di più ma sono anche eseguiti meglio". Ma Sony e Nintendo sono d'accordo?
REDMOND, Wash. — May 14, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system has sold over 10 million units in the U.S., making it the first current-generation gaming console to break the 10 million mark in the U.S. The U.S. install base contributes to global sales of over 19 million, more than any other current-generation console.
“This year will be the largest in the history of the video game industry, with Xbox 360 leading the charge in the U.S. and abroad,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry.”
This announcement comes on the heels of one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, “Grand Theft Auto IV,” on April 29, 2008. Gamers eager to experience “Grand Theft Auto IV” online helped boost Xbox LIVE global membership to over 12 million this month. Fueled by an unparalleled combination of access to friends and family, the best online gaming features, and the best entertainment content, the Xbox LIVE service has doubled in membership in only one year’s time.
“Reaching an installed base of 10 million consoles in the U.S. is a significant achievement and an essential milestone on the road to market leadership,” said Billy Pidgeon, research manager at IDC. “Perhaps more important is the Xbox 360 worldwide online base — 12 million Xbox LIVE gamers is the largest community in the connected console games sector, which represents the greatest growth opportunity in the console market and where Microsoft has been the leader for two generations.”
Xbox 360 leads with the industry’s highest software attach rate, more than any other console this generation, and is home to the best-selling games. With the launch of “Grand Theft Auto IV” in April, Xbox 360 is now the home to more than 16 platinum titles that have sold through 1 million units or more, including hits such as “Halo 3,” “Madden NFL 07” and “Madden NFL 08,” “Gears of War,” “Guitar Hero II” and “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” and “Call of Duty 2,” Call of Duty 3” and “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,” giving Xbox 360 two times more platinum-selling titles than the Wii and a 16:2 lead over the PlayStation 3 in game titles topping one million in sales. Games not only sell better on the Xbox 360, they play better, too: Xbox 360 has 91 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher, compared with just 22 titles for Wii and 50 titles for PlayStation 3.
Source: Microsoft Press Release
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