GFK Chart-Track has told GamesIndustry.biz that sales of Xbox 360 hardware rose 32 per cent over the weekend of Microsoft's latest price reduction.
In comparison, sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 were down eight per cent on the previous weekend.
Last night, Microsoft announced that sales of the Xbox 360 have hit six million units across Europe. Microsoft's latest aggressive hardware pricing now puts the Arcade Xbox 360 unit at GBP 129.99 in the UK, making it the cheapest of the current generation home consoles.
The Premium console retails for GBP 169.99 and the Xbox Elite, complete with 120GB hard-drive, sells for GBP 229.99.
"[360] sales are up 32 per cent and PlayStation 3 sales are down eight per cent," confirmed Chart-Track's Chris Poole.
It was a better week for software sales too, as the effect of Morrisons drastic games promotion – where the supermarket sold chart titles for half price – wears off and revenues begin to climb in the run up to Christmas.
"We've had quite a big release with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed but we're on the back of the Morrison's promotion so we've had a drop in units but a rise in value," offered Poole.
LucasArts' title shot into the charts at number one, and although it was released on six formats, the Xbox 360 accounted for 48 per cent of sales.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/xbox-360-sales-up-32-per-cent-following-uk-price-cutMicrosoft has made the single largest marketing investment in Xbox history for its largest global ad campaign, spending more money on a series of promotions that it did for the launch of the Xbox 360 or Halo 3.
The campaign theme is “Live your Moment” and is targeted at “the casual and social segments”, illustrating Microsoft’s desire to evolve the Xbox 360 from a gaming platform to a mainstream entertainment platform. According to the company, “It’s about real people having emotional and connected Xbox gaming and entertainment experiences with their friends and family.”
The pre-Christmas marketing blitz is set to include television, billboard and print ads, as well as retail displays and digital marketing around the world, supported by PR outreach, social networking and direct customer communication efforts.
The marketing kicked off on Friday in the US and will debut in Europe this Thursday, emphasizing the relatively cheap Xbox 360 entry price of $199 / £129.99, the “New Xbox Experience” launching this fall and the system’s lineup of upcoming titles.
Microsoft said in a press release that “the campaign will be particularly critical in EMEA, where we are focused on shifting brand perception and driving re-appraisal of the platform in a very competitive region with entrenched competition.”
As in the US, European ads will air during top-rated shows across TV networks in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.