Merry Christmas for Microsoft in Oz

Microsoft has announced that last week was a record breaker for Xbox 360 sales in Australia - despite the fact that the Nintendo Wii launched there on Thursday.

In the week ending December 10, AU$ 5.8 million (3.4 million Euro) worth of Xbox products were sold, according to GfK data. That figure includes consoles to the value of AU$ 2.6 million (1.5 million Euro) along with games and accessories.

The Wii launched on December 7 but according to David McLean, regional director for Xbox Australia and New Zealand, the arrival of Nintendo's new console had little impact on 360 sales.

"In terms of retail revenue, Xbox 360 has generated around AU $145 million [86 million Euro] in ANZ this year. Weâre pleased to report that despite new competition in the market, sales are showing no signs of slowing down," he commented.

"I put this down to a combination of three things - demonstrable value for money backed by powerful hardware, plus a huge range of next-generation games and accessories."

McLean went on to observe that Xbox 360 is the fastest-selling home console in Australia, with more than 100,000 units and 400,000 games sold since its March launch.

"The attach rate on Xbox 360 has reached a staggering 4.8 - around twice the attach rate of any console in history at this stage of the life cycle," McLean added.

Nintendo has yet to announce figures for Wii sales in Australia.