Xbox 360 Beats PS3 Black Friday Sales 3 to 1
Like those pesky dentists from the chewing gum ads, it looks like three out of four holiday shoppers preferred the Xbox 360 to the PS3 on Black Friday. The 360 had record-breaking console sales on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year over the Black Friday weekend. According to Microsoft, the 360 outsold its PlayStation 3 competitor by a 3:1 ratio, with an estimated 25 percent increase from Xbox 360 Black Friday sales figures over last year. 360 sales were also bolstered by strong software sales, with the console maintaining its record as the console with the highest game attach rate of any console, clocking in 8.1 games per console.
“We entered into the Black Friday sales period with cautious optimism, knowing that dollar for dollar, Xbox 360 offers more social entertainment value than any other console on the market,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Record Black Friday sales in the U.S., coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox LIVE members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009.”
Xbox 360 sales have also surged worldwide since the September price drop, outselling the PlayStation 3 week over week across Europe. Console sales in Europe are up as much as 400 percent, with sales nearly double year over year and reaching 7 million consoles sold this generation. With a starting price point of $199.99 worldwide (estimated retail price) for the Xbox 360 Arcade, a strong game lineup, the launch of the New Xbox Experience, and the addition of Netflix integration to the console, it’s looking more and more like the 360 may be the console to beat this holiday season. Well, at least until Nintendo amps up its shipments of Wii consoles to retail.
