Microsoft: Xbox Live To Hit 10m Users In June 2008

As the second anniversary of the Xbox 360 approaches, Microsoft has released a list of stats on the console, providing figures on sales of both the 360 and its games, details on Xbox Live, social networking and more. Microsoft says that it has sold more than 11.6 million Xbox 360 consoles in the 37 countries where it is currently available; of these, 25 have access to Xbox Live. In addition, US NPD data says gamers have bought more Xbox 360 software (24.3 million units) than for either of its competitors, PS3 and Wii, who together have sold 19.8 million games. Xbox Live, having over 7 million members to date, is expected to reach 10 million members by June 2008, Microsoft says, adding that the numbers work out to one new Xbox Live member every 8 seconds. Xbox 360: The Games Microsoft says there are over 250 games currently available on the 360, which includes 86 Live Arcade games. Additionally, the company says, of the next-gen consoles, these numbers give the 360 the largest games attach rate, with 6.3 games sold per console owner. The company also estimates that members of Xbox Live have spent over 3.2 billion collective hours playing online, unlocking more than 600 achievements and creating a total combined Gamerscore of more than 14 billion. In total, Microsoft says Xbox Live has hosted 2.5 billion game sessions since launch, with more than 5.6 million hosted each day thus far in 2007. Nearly 70% of consoles download and play Live Arcade titles, and at 200 free downloadable demos, Microsoft claims more free playable content than its competitors. Finally, Microsoft added that 2.6 million IM, text and voice messages are sent over the service daily, with the average Xbox Live Gold subscriber maintaining 23 friends on their Live friends list. Xbox 360: The Top 10 Countdowns Microsoft also provided a list of the top 10 games played over Xbox Live worldwide since the console's launch in November 2005: 01. Halo 2 02. Gears of War 03. Hexic HD 04. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 05. Call of Duty 3 06. Call of Duty 2 07. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 3 08. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion 09. Crackdown 10. PGR3 The top 10 Xbox Live Arcade downloads worldwide since launch are as follows: 01. Aegis Wing 02. Uno 03. Texas Hold ‘em 04. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 05. Bankshot Billiards 2 06. Street Fighter ‘II Hyper Fighting 07. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade 08. Worms 09. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 10. Contra The top 10 Xbox Live Marketplace Demos downloads worldwide were also listed: 01. Crackdown 02. Lost Planet E3 2006 03. Dead Rising 04. BioShock 05. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 06. Forza Motorsport 2 07. Sonic the Hedgehog 08. Saints Row 09. Superman Returns 10. Colin McRae: DIRT Xbox 360: The Entertainment Microsoft also provided stats on its movie and television library, estimating the count of such content provided by twenty-nine movie studios and television networks to total 2,800 hours. The company says there have been 290 million total downloads from Xbox Live Marketplace including non-gaming entertainment content.