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[Xbox-Scene]

Microsoft's Reply to February NPD Numbers Posted by XanTium | March 20 21:36 EST | News Category: Xbox360

From the press release: February NPD results are in and Xbox 360 highlights include: · Xbox 360 system sales hit 391,000, up 53 percent from a year earlier, as the best value in the industry continues to win over consumers · Xbox 360 claimed four of the top 10 video game titles in February · "Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned" set a sales record for Xbox LIVE Xbox 360 sustained its record-setting pace this year as U.S. retail sales jumped 53 percent in February from a year earlier to hit 391,000 units. With Xbox 360 starting at just $199, the system offers a compelling buy for consumers looking to make their entertainment dollars go further. Xbox 360 is home to the most top-rated games of any current-generation console, with 135 titles earning a score of 80 or above on Metacritic, versus 94 for PlayStation 3 and 43 for Wii (Metacritic data). Xbox 360 also features a vibrant online community with Xbox LIVE and takes entertainment beyond games with more than 30,000 pieces of content available for download, including more than 12,000 movies and TV shows for instant watch through a partnership with Netflix. Games on Xbox 360 Xbox 360 claimed four of February's top 10 console games, including "Street Fighter IV," "Call of Duty: World at War," "FEAR 2," "Skate 2." (February NPD data). Each game was from a different publisher, underscoring Xbox 360's role as a driver of the entire industry. Sales of third-party games on Xbox 360 hit $162 million in February, more than either competitor (February NPD data). Xbox 360 owners continue to buy more games than owners of other systems, having bought an average of 8.2 titles each. "The Lost and Damned" Sets Xbox LIVE Sales Record On February 17, "The Lost and Damned," the first highly anticipated Game Add-on for "Grand Theft Auto IV," was released exclusively on Xbox LIVE. This all-new chapter in the "GTA IV" world set a record for first-day sales on Xbox LIVE and highlighted Xbox 360 as the only console where you can play additional episodes of the game. Setting the Stage for Sustained Growth Xbox 360 rolled out more hits in March with the release of "Halo Wars," which put a strategic twist on one of the best-selling franchises of all time. As announced earlier today, sales of "Halo Wars" have already hit 1 million copies worldwide. Also, Capcom's globally popular "Resident Evil" franchise came to Xbox 360 for the first time with the release of "Resident Evil 5" on March 13. Xbox and Capcom further stoked fan enthusiasm by releasing a red "RE5" limited edition Xbox 360 console. Consumers Get More Entertainment on Xbox LIVE · Xbox 360 is the leading console for online play and is used by fully half of people who play console games online(NPD Online Gaming 2009) · Xbox 360 owners spend an average of 8 hours per week playing games online, more than any other platform, including the PC (NPD Online Gaming 2009) · The top five movie downloads on Xbox LIVE in February included "Body of Lies," "College," "Eagle Eye," "My Best Friend's Girl," and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" (Microsoft internal data) · Game Add-ons give Xbox 360 owners the ability to extend the life of their favorite games, with examples ranging from the wildly successful "The Lost and Damned" for "Grand Theft Auto IV," to extra tracks for music games.

[Serious Sam]

I have all 3 consoles and I would have to agree that the Xbox 360 is the best of the bunch. I own more first and third party games for the 360 than I do the rest of the consoles combined.

[K1LLERHORNET89]

QUOTE(Serious Sam @ Mar 21 2009, 04:30 AM)

I have all 3 consoles and I would have to agree that the Xbox 360 is the best of the bunch. I own more first and third party games for the 360 than I do the rest of the consoles combined.

could that be due to Gamescore?
i know its the reason i get multiplat games for the XBOX 360.

[radoman]

QUOTE(K1LLERHORNET89 @ Mar 21 2009, 12:15 PM)

could that be due to Gamescore?
i know its the reason i get multiplat games for the XBOX 360.

That, and I prefer the 360 controller. I also prefer xbl over psn.

[tummybanana]

i renewed my mobile contract and got a free ps3 despite my misgivings on the console...i only went for it as i already had a laptop (also on offer) and now you cant get  hd dvd's anymore so i took primarily for blu ray.

it had gt5 bundled in, so i thought id give it a go....

after being told it had to be installed, which iwasnt impressed at, that took about 15 mins to do...then i had to wait again for the updates...so it was about 25 mins or so before the game would start......very unimpressed.

call me picky but i like games to run a damn sight sooner than that.

initial impressions of the game was ok, but no improvements over what i get on the 360 graphically speaking, as it was the missus played the game and even she wasnt impressed.

delete......



downloaded kz2 demo....after god knows how long to download, install and several cups of coffee later....its call of duty!!!.......delete

double dipped on pan's labyrinth (got the hd dvd).....7.1 on hd dvd / 5.1 on blu......hmmm....
a lot of grain on the blu Vs a very clean hddvd..hmmmm
i followed the setup for playback on my pioneer so ive not checked anything that my tv isnt capable of.....to my surprise it does come up with 1080p where as my hd dvd player is capable of 1080p for some reason the tv wont display it..........

walle seemed very sharp tho , but in some places it comes across a bit soft in places.....

i cant help but feel that with warners move, it has robbed movie fans of a format that really did deliver the goods right from the start.....

im sure a few will take a pop on this based on one game and one movie....but ive had to accept blu, but the games will always be on the 360 for me

This post has been edited by tummybanana: Mar 21 2009, 07:52 PM

[trentdadi]

They both hard their ups and downs.  I went with HD-DVD as my format of choice just because Microsoft came out with the addon, but since it's been abandoned, I bought a blu-ray player and have been happy with my purchase.  My only dislike so far is for some reason... a few of the blu-ray titles I bought did not come with a Dolby TrueHD or DTS-MA/HR or PCM soundtrack (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)


I do enjoy hearing Microsoft toot their own horn... but honestly 4 of the top 10 games is not that great when they are all multi-platform.

Out of curiousity, is it your fault that you downloaded the Call of Duty demo or is it mis-labeled on PSN for some reason?  That is really odd.

As for you not being able to watch Pan's Labyrinth, I could not really understand the paragraph, but it is possible that your actual player may be incapable of playing the blu-ray.  There might be a firmware update to straighten that out.

[spinr34]

QUOTE(trentdadi @ Mar 22 2009, 03:51 PM)

Out of curiousity, is it your fault that you downloaded the Call of Duty demo or is it mis-labeled on PSN for some reason?  That is really odd.

i think he is trying to say that killzone 2 reminds him of call of duty.

[Chancer]

QUOTE

downloaded kz2 demo....after god knows how long to download, install and several cups of coffee later....its call of duty!!!.......delete

If you mean it's a FPS then yes it is.
the storyline and even the POv is nothing like COD. It plays way different for me and I play both extensively.

MS must be well pleased so far, apart from the hardware issues to begin with. A successful console for them.

[tummybanana]

QUOTE(trentdadi @ Mar 22 2009, 11:51 PM)

They both hard their ups and downs.  I went with HD-DVD as my format of choice just because Microsoft came out with the addon, but since it's been abandoned, I bought a blu-ray player and have been happy with my purchase.  My only dislike so far is for some reason... a few of the blu-ray titles I bought did not come with a Dolby TrueHD or DTS-MA/HR or PCM soundtrack (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)
I do enjoy hearing Microsoft toot their own horn... but honestly 4 of the top 10 games is not that great when they are all multi-platform.

Out of curiousity, is it your fault that you downloaded the Call of Duty demo or is it mis-labeled on PSN for some reason?  That is really odd.

As for you not being able to watch Pan's Labyrinth, I could not really understand the paragraph, but it is possible that your actual player may be incapable of playing the blu-ray.  There might be a firmware update to straighten that out.

not saying i couldnt watch pans labyrinth, not at all....just saying that i didnt find it as good as the hd dvd transfer, and seeing how that blu was touted as the better, its only got 5.1 when the hd dvd has 7.1

as for killzone, no its not misslabeled, as soon as it started, the boat coming in, it came across as call of duty.
watched cars last night and it was a different story to be fair...beautiful copy without a doubt.

but it remains that the 360 will be my games console of choice, and the ps3 will stay just for films

[trentdadi]

I do have to agree, I just bought the Bourne Trilogy on Blu-ray and I decided to try and compare bourne ultimatum on blu-ray to the one i have on HD-DVD.  There is a noticable difference for me and I am no videophile so I think that is saying a lot.  I also tend to prefer the Dolby TrueHD track over the DTS-MA.