Microsoft: Supply Constraints Still Hampering Xbox 360 Sales

Microsoft has commented on its performance in the February NPD results, again claiming that a constrained supply of Xbox 360 consoles explains the system's fall in the hardware charts, but adding that the system is "extending the lead" it has on Sony's PS3. While the bulk of NPD data Microsoft is quoting is available in our story on overall market performance, Microsoft has also presented some interesting numbers of its own. Microsoft claims that Xbox Live has attracted 10 million users globally, against 2.9 million U.S. users of Sony's PlayStation Network, and the Wii's four million online users across North America and Japan. Without full globally comparable data, it's difficult to draw any solid conclusions -- besides the fact that millions of gamers are embracing networked gaming on every console, in every region. Microsoft also claims that $9.0 billion has been spent on the Xbox 360 in the U.S. to date -- with the PS3 chalking up $3.0 billion in sales and the Wii $4.5 billion. Microsoft also claims that third party publishers currently make 60% of their next-generation retail revenue with the Xbox 360. Finally, following Microsoft XNA manager Chris Satchell's announcement that several of its community-developed XNA games were being released to Xbox Live Arcade as free downloads, Microsoft has said that though they were only available for less than a week, the games were downloaded 750,000 times by Xbox Live users.