Yesterday's British console sales charts showed two things: one, that the Wii is an unstoppable force of nature. And two, that the PS3 is playing tortoise to the 360's hare, as it starts to play catch-up following its late European launch. So Microsoft will be breathing a sigh-and-a-half of relief today to read that, since their latest round of price cuts, 360 sales in Europe have shot through the roof (up 214%), and the console is now outselling the PS3 across the continent by "more than two-to-one". Shame we don't get some hard numbers to show just how awesome that is for Microsoft, but hey, that's how GfK and ChartTrack roll. Mysteriously.
LONDON - 30 September 2008 - New figures announced today by ChartTrack saw sales of the Microsoft® Xbox 360 increase by 214% in the last two weeks<1>, outselling Sony’s PlayStation 3 by more than two-to-one and reaffirming its strong momentum in Europe in the wake of its recent reduction in estimated retail price (ERP). A reduction in the Xbox 360 ERP last week has brought the entry-level price point for Xbox 360 down to£129.99. The reduction is only part of the story though, as the largest marketing campaign in the history of Xbox also launches, inviting everyone to live their music, movies and family gaming‘moments’ with Xbox 360 through new television, print and poster ads as well as a totally new look for Xbox.com. Combined with new launches to add to its already impressive line-up of games, movies and wider entertainment content, Xbox 360 is set to drive forward the success that saw sales reach over 6 million in Europe last week. Through an incredible line-up of games in time for Christmas, including the new singing game Lips and the chance to star in your own B-movie with You’re in the Movies among many others, an ever-growing library of downloadable movies, a revolutionary new interface and new interactive games soon to be available through Xbox LIVE, the Xbox 360 is truly becoming the home of mass-market entertainment with something to offer every interest and budget. Chris Lewis, Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business EMEA, said:“This data shows that the Xbox 360 trajectory continues upwards, and not just in the UK. We’ve seen uplift in all countries in Europe and are confident that even at this rate of growth we can keep retail satisfied with a steady supply of consoles throughout the Christmas season. Our commitment to continuously improving and innovating new content, our new high-profile marketing campaign and the fact that we’re now the best-value next-gen console on the market with an entry-level ERP of£129.99 combine to make Xbox 360 the right blend of gaming and wider experiences at the right price to offer unparalleled entertainment for everyone. And these figures prove it.” From last Friday, 19th September, Xbox 360, which includes a 60GB hard drive and one wireless controller, has an ERP of£169.99. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace as well as their own music, has an ERP of£229.99. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, has an ERP of£129.99. <1> Figures based on ChartTrack published results for UK 29 September 2008