Microsoft Xbox 360 Sales Top 30 Million

[Meusli]

From the Mirror (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology/2009/05/29/microsoft-xbox-360-sales-top-30-million-115875-21399115/):

Microsoft has announced that its Xbox 360 console has sold over 30 million units worldwide. And that two thirds of owners are “active” users of Xbox Live. In total, those 20 million Xbox Live users have accessed nearly one billion items of downloadable content.

And one for TeeCakes,

And Microsoft also claims the highest “attach rate” for all consoles, with each console owner having purchased an average of 8.3 games.

While the Mirror is not good for anything apart from toilet paper they ask a good few questions, like.

1. How many Xbox 360 consoles have Microsoft had to manufacture to achieve 30 million sales (given warranty replacements)? 2. What proportion of those “active” Xbox Live gamers are Xbox Live Gold members (and therefore able to play multi-player over the service, but paying £35 annually for that)? And what proportion are merely active free Xbox Live Silver members (and have therefore been on to Xbox Live and perhaps downloaded a game demo or two)? 3. When will the next Xbox be launching?

So a few good points to walk into E3 with, lets hope they walk in with a few good game announcements!

[Metal Jesus]

I currently have 18 Xbox 360 games that I consider "keepers"...but have probably owned twice that over the years and traded half for credit at Gamestop.

[Evil Avatar]

I currently have 18 Xbox 360 games that I consider "keepers"...but have probably owned twice that over the years and traded half for credit at Gamestop.

Attach rate is based on how many new games are sold, not how many you keep and it is based on the total number of system sold.

We have run through this before... most people around here own a TON of 360 games (I have around 100 myself).

On the other hand... my PS3 collection is slowly starting to grow.

[geckokidd]

Does having gone through four 360's myself due to red rings count towards the 30 mil total?

[Evil Avatar]

Does having gone through four 360's myself due to red rings count towards the 30 mil total?

Only if you purchased a new 360 every time your old one broke.

[drakkarim]

i've always been curious about the fuzzy math behind the attach rates.

i don't need all fingers on one hand to count the number of retail games i have between my 3 consoles, since i usually sell them as soon as i finish em.

[Philip J. Fry]

The last question that the Mirror asks is just kind of wasted space. Microsoft is not going to give out any info on the next Xbox for another two years at least. There's just no reason to, especially with the way the current one is selling.

[Sammael]

i've always been curious about the fuzzy math behind the attach rates.

i don't need all fingers on one hand to count the number of retail games i have between my 3 consoles, since i usually sell them as soon as i finish em.

Initial new puchases...
How many of those do you have?

That's how it's measured.


If I average the number of consoles I have went through, vs how many new titles I have owned, I think it actually works out. :(

That is pretty sad actually. I have somewhere between 40 and 50 games.

[Syl]

my attach rate is typically insanely above the average. 70 PS2 titles, 60 gamecube titles, 100+ PC titles...

I only have one 360 title, but that probably won't last long.

[bean19]

We should either not allow Mirror as a source or expect them to answer their own hypothetical questions with at least a minimum amount of reporting. It's not that difficult to find out that Microsoft gets this number from consoles sold in stores. This means that repaired consoles and new consoles given to replace broken consoles aren't counted.

Also, I know that EvAv has fewer writers and submitted news now, but picking on an EvAv user in a news post and using a bad source when plenty of good sources have commented on this Microsoft press release is bottom of the bucket writing. (Not trying to pick on Meusli, he usually does better).

[lost]

All users have always been welcome to post news. Just in case anybody thinks they aren't allowed to or something.

[bean19]

All users have always been welcome to post news. Just in case anybody thinks they aren't allowed to or something.
I hope I didn't give that impression. I was speaking to what I think the news guidelines should include:

1. not calling out other users.
2. Referencing good sources.

[geckokidd]

Only if you purchased a new 360 every time your old one broke.

I did not. It would be interesting to see how many units were used to replace defective ones.

[Mephistopheles]

I hope I didn't give that impression. I was speaking to what I think the news guidelines should include:

1. not calling out other users.

I agree. I'm cool with the whole news with attitude aspect of the site, that's part of its schtick. Attempting to antagonize a particular member of the site by name in a news item is, in my opinion, poor form and shouldn't pass the approval filter.

[Meusli]

I apologise if I came across that way bean19, it's just that the attach rate issue has been mentioned in a few hundred posts lately. I should have left the TeeCakes part out though as it serves no point to the story, so I will in future take that on board and refrain from antagonising other members. As for the Mirror being the source, it is only reporting a Microsoft press release so they can not go far wrong there, can they?

[bean19]

I apologise if I came across that way bean19, it's just that the attach rate issue has been mentioned in a few hundred posts lately.
No apology necessary. We both know that TeeCakes can take much more of a beating than that. I'm glad that you agree users shouldn't be antagonized in front page news though.

As for the Mirror being the source, it is only reporting a Microsoft press release so they can not go far wrong there, can they?
You quoted an incredibly uninformed rhetorical question that several users here quickly answered. I expect people who are calling themselves game journalists to do at least enough game journalism that they are as informed as me (a game news reader but not a game journalist). Journalism is not just about asking the right questions but also answering them (especially when the answers are widely known).

[Pumped'Up]

30 mill? skewed big time....real numbers more like a third of that ~ 10 mill....considering every owner has returned their unit atleast once, due to shady hardware and the red ring 'feature'.

[the soUL TRAder]

30 mill? skewed big time....real numbers more like a third of that ~ 10 mill....considering every owner has returned their unit atleast once, due to shady hardware and the red ring 'feature'.

Kids, this is what happens to your brain on fanboyism ;).

[bean19]

Pumped'Up - Read the thread.

Meusli - This is the danger of a newspost that quotes idiots. People will assume they know what the fuck they are talking about.

[Meusli]

Yeah, I hear ya. :o

[shadow763]

We have run through this before... most people around here own a TON of 360 games (I have around 100 myself).


How you even found that many good games on there is beyond me.

[lost]

Really? I think I've probably played about that many. I don't tend to keep quite so many.

They weren't all good mind. Fucking Bullet Witch.

[the soUL TRAder]

..........is beyond me.

I'm sensing a theme here. :D

[TeeCakes]

For the record, I never claimed 360 didn't have the highest attach rate of all the consoles-- I only speculated on why PS3 was able to prove higher console-to-software purchase ratios on "big name titles" (http://evilavatar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1741488&postcount=55) versus the competition.

[bean19]

For the record, I never claimed 360 didn't have the highest attach rate of all the consoles-- I only speculated on why PS3 was able to prove higher console-to-software purchase ratios on "big name titles" (http://evilavatar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1741488&postcount=55) versus the competition.
That's easy, the PS3 has fewer total titles and fewer big name titles.

Every year so far, the Xbox 360 has had more exclusives than the competition and more big name exlclusives.

This year the PS3 has some killer exclusives though. They are not only in the game this year, but may beat the 360 in the ever important games arms race.