Xbox 360 S Tops Charts
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 ‘Slim’ or ‘S’ enjoyed an amazing UK launch over the weekend – even out-performing the release of Sony’s PS3 Slim in 2009. The hardware was released at retail on Friday – with a host of sellers discounting the SKU or offering it as part of a cash-saving bundle.
The 250GB console is smaller than the Xbox 360 Elite, and comes with WiFi capability under its hood. It also contains one fan instead of the previous model’s two – something Microsoft guarantees will help kill off the Red Ring Of Death. It’s also very shiny. According to official UK industry data monitor GfK-ChartTrack, the XBox 360 S achieved the biggest ever launch in the UK for a “revised” home console – surpassing the launch sales of both PS2 Slim and PS3 Slim.
Over its first two days, the console sold around the same as the original Xbox 360′s launch sales total back in week 48 of 2005. Xbox 360 was the bestselling home console in the US in June as total monthly hardware sales increased five per cent year-over-year to $401.7 million. It was Microsoft’s largest non-holiday month ever following the launch of the new slim version and $50 price cuts on older models, but DS retained first place on the rankings. Wii sales comfortably topped PS3s, but Sony will be happy that its system recorded an eleventh consecutive month of year-over-year unit increases.
June US console sales:
DS: 510,700
360: 451,700
Wii: 422,500
PS3: 304,800
PSP: 121,000
With the upcoming Kinect, sales for Xbox are again set to increase later this year. Accessorise for the Xbox 360 as well as other platforms will be available on GamingZap.com.
