360 outsells original Xbox worldwide

Tops the 25 million mark in 3 years

26 November 2008 11:33 GMT / By Verity Burns

Microsoft has announced that sales of its Xbox 360 console have beaten the total sales of the original Xbox, just days after the 360 celebrated its third birthday on 22 November.

The original Xbox managed to rack up 25 million sales during its time on the market, but the installed base of the 360 has topped that even before Microsoft expected it to.

The company had previously said it expected the 360 to top the 25 million figure by the end of the month, but instead it managed it around a week early.

Vice president of interactive entertainment business for EMEA Chris Lewis, said: "We’ve already surpassed the installed base of the original Xbox – which is a really significant milestone. We've been blown away by the appetite of people to consume digital entertainment experiences".

No doubt this milestone has been reached with the help of a Q4 marketing boost, and price cuts worldwide.

Lewis added: "We're at a price point that is uniquely placed – not least of which because we’re in somewhat of a challenging economic time. Ever since we dropped the price seven weeks ago, we’ve outstripped PS3 on a weekly run rate in all the territories we care about in EMEA – specifically the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Russia".