Xbox 360 Outsells Everyone
The hardware shortage seems to be well and truly over as Microsoft's new box outdoes the competition with ease.
Microsoft has suffered through a lot of hardships since the Xbox 360's launch last November, but it seems that the worst is now behind it. The latest sales figures from North America are out and they tell a happy tale for the company's new box.
For the first time since it launched, the Xbox 360 outsold all other consoles. During April the Xbox 360 sold 295,000 units in North America, dealing a good thrashing to perennial top-seller, Sony's PlayStation 2, which came in second with 205,000 units sold. This is according to numbers from tracking firm NPD Group, as reported by IGN.
Things got off to a slow start for the Xbox 360, as sales were held back by stock shortages month after month. After finally acknowledging the problem, Microsoft sought to rectify it by bringing on board a third hardware manufacturer.
The complexity of modern consoles means that initial shortages are the norm, and this was only made worse by Microsoft's decision to launch the Xbox 360 nearly simultaneously around the world at the end of last year.
Sony will be paying particular attention as it's also planning a worldwide launch of its next-generation PlayStation 3 this November.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games