Xbox 360

50 million Xboxes sold worldwide, Ballmer a very happy man.

News by GamesIndustry.biz Contributor

Published on Jan. 14, 2011

We predicted that we would sell 5 million Kinect sensors by the end of holiday. So how did we do? Well, we beat our forecast. In the first 60 days, we’ve sold 8 million Kinect sensors worldwide. Capping off six consecutive months as the best-selling console in North America, Microsoft revealed more than 50 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide – double the amount of the previous generation Xbox. The Xbox LIVE community continues to grow and grow every day. We have reached a new milestone, with now 30 million active Xbox LIVE members. In fact, a new member joins Xbox LIVE every two seconds Xbox Transforming Fun and Entertainment … RIGHT NOW

A decade ago, Microsoft launched the Xbox which transported people into a new world of social games and entertainment. Shortly thereafter, Microsoft introduced people to the cloud, launching Xbox LIVE and connecting millions through the games and entertainment they love. In 2010, Microsoft launched a new world of controller-free experiences with Kinect for Xbox 360, allowing everyone to experience how Xbox transforms fun and entertainment in the living room.

Keynote Announcements

Steve Ballmer showcased the breadth of controller-free entertainment with Kinect on Xbox LIVE, including movies and music on Zune and live global sporting events through ESPN. An exclusive look at Kinect-enabled Netflix and Hulu Plus experiences, coming Spring of 2011, reinforced that Xbox is the only place to experience thousands of movies and TV shows, controller-free, in the living room, on the biggest screen in your home.

Ballmer demonstrated ESPN on Xbox LIVE, an exclusive partnership which was announced last November. You can watch over 3500 live and on-demand sporting events from ESPN3.com plus highlights from ESPN.com. The launch of College Bowl Showdown added social experiences to sports like never before and set the bar for the future of live TV.

Microsoft also previewed a new social entertainment experience on Xbox LIVE that brings your Avatar to life – Avatar Kinect. Everyone who’s enjoying Kinect knows it listens to your voice, and tracks your body. With the power of Kinect, you will be able to control your Avatar’s movements and facial expressions. Avatar Kinect will be available this Spring for FREE to Xbox LIVE Gold members.

Other news from Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business

Microsoft Mediaroom is also powering the TV you love anywhere, anytime by enabling broadband service providers to drive TV and video service experiences forward to more than 6 million subscriber households around the world. At CES, Mediaroom is sharing a sampling of these new connected entertainment scenarios on Xbox, Windows Phone 7 and other Microsoft platforms. As an example, with AT&T’s U-verse Mobile now available for Windows Phone 7, any AT&T wireless customer nationwide can download and watch hit TV shows on the go.

2010 was certainly a transformative year for entertainment -- and the biggest year ever for Xbox and our partners. But 2010 was just the beginning. Stay tuned for more developments in the living room from Xbox and our partners in 2011.

Read this next