NPD Reaction: Microsoft Reveals 8.2 Tie Rate, 53 Percent Sales Jump

Microsoft is celebrating a 53 percent year-over-year spike in Xbox 360 sales following the release of February's NPD results, which saw sales of the console hit 391,000 units. The company says Xbox 360's "record-setting" sales pace is largely due to its lower price and value proposition, plus its software library. Comparing Metacritic scores, the company says 135 Xbox 360 games score 80 or higher, versus 94 for rival PlayStation 3. Microsoft says third-party game sales for its console amounted to $162 million in February, and the company claims says Xbox 360 users own an average of 8.2 titles each. The company continues to claim the highest attach rate among current-gen consoles, although the ratio is up only slightly over last month, when Microsoft reported an attach rate of 8.1. Four out of ten best-selling software titles on February's NPD charts were Xbox 360 games, Microsoft adds, touting Street Fighter IV, F.E.A.R. 2, Skate 2 and Call of Duty: World At War. Notably, the company pointed to exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable add-on Lost & Damned, which it says "set a record for first day sales" on Xbox Live -- while declining to provide any sales numbers. Gamasutra also spoke in-depth with Microsoft product manager Aaron Greenberg alongside this month's NPD results. Greenberg highlighted the Xbox 360's retail lead over the PS3, claiming its competitor is "hemorrhaging at retail."