Häromdagen kom ett intressant pressmeddelande från Microsoft. Jag har markerat det mest intressanta i det sista stycket:
EUROPEAN CONSUMERS PUSH THE BUTTON ON 10 MILLION XBOXES
Stockholm, 12th November 2009. Xbox 360 today announced that it had achieved console
sales to 10 million consumers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in just four
years. Reaching the landmark number has meant that Xbox 360 is the only console to
achieve year-on-year growth across the region this year[1]. The launch next week of
instant streaming HD movies, Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday 17th November 2009
transforms Xbox LIVE into the largest social network connected to the TV and
strengthens Xbox 360's already impressive line up of interactive entertainment
services.
"Xbox 360 continues to pull ahead of the competition when it comes to delivering on
a complete home entertainment experience and we think that Xbox LIVE currently is
about 12 to 18 months ahead of its main rival Playstation Network when it comes to
offering service and content beyond traditional games," said Martin Olausson,
Director of Digital Media Research at Strategy Analytics. "By introducing innovative
new services and content such as Natal, instant streaming of full 1080P HD video,
and integrating social media features such as Twitter and Facebook, Xbox will likely
attract a wider audience than its rivals and is in a great position to maximize
sales in the next few years".
2009 has been a pivotal year in Xbox's journey from its gaming origins to now
changing the way people consume and share entertainment content, interact with each
other online and continue to play great games. It's a change that people are
embracing; there are more than 20 million Xbox LIVE active members worldwide and
there have been over 1 billion downloads of gaming and entertainment content, with
movie downloads doubling in the last year alone.
"Reinventing entertainment through, play, watch, connect and share. This is the
vision that we have for Xbox 360 and today that vision is the reality for 10 million
Xbox owners. European consumers are very discerning and demand a connected
entertainment experience. That's why we focused on providing content that is right
and relevant for them and entertainment beyond just gaming to movies, music and
social networking. We have delivered on this promise and next week will bring real
innovation into the living room through instant streaming high definition movies,
connecting with friends on Facebook and Twitter and a personalised music channel.
Together, this represents a real shift in the way people are entertained every day,"
said Chris Lewis, vice president Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft
Europe.
This reinvention of entertainment has already seen a shift in where the Xbox lives
in the home, with the majority (60%) of Xbox's now becoming integrated into the
family living room. It has also caused a shift in Xbox's customer base as now 35% of
Xbox customers are women and 64% are over the age of 25[2]. The arrival of the much
anticipated 'Project Natal' will create a new category of gaming and entertainment
experiences through controller-free gaming that makes Xbox 360 more inclusive and
relevant to an even wider audience.
[1] Xbox 360 remains the only console showing positive year-on-year growth in 2009
so far, both across EMEA as a whole and in each of the 5 main markets within the
region (UK, FR, DE, ES, IT) - Microsoft estimates based on Gfk ChartTrack data
[2] April 2009 Microsoft Internal Research Study
