Xbox Becomes the Middle Child

[Bond]

The big 'box now firmly in second place behind PS2.

Guess who's pushed past the GameCube? After the holiday season has been tallied and all tales told, Xbox is clearly in second place in the console race, though far behind PS2, with GameCube trailing (but not too far behind).

According to NPD numbers for December, Microsoft's console now owns 24% of the overall market with GameCube taking in 14%. Xbox had a huge surge in December, which saw a record number of Xbox consoles and software fly off the shelves and into the homes of happy gamers. Console sales were 43% higher than the previous record month of November 2001. Compared to December 2001, the final month of 2002 saw console sale increases of 48% for Xbox, 39% for PS2, and 8% for GameCube. Microsoft projects there will be over nine million Xbox owners by the end of their fiscal year in June.

Even more impressive than the skyrocketing console sales were Xbox software sales in December, which were 80% higher than the previous record month of December 2001. Leading the software pack was Splinter Cell, which sold a million units in six weeks and has gone on to become the second best selling Xbox game in the U.S. Splinter Cell also outsold Nintendo's Metroid Prime by 19% in their first two months.

Nintendo's greatest problem is clearly with third-party titles. Xbox has seen 56% greater third-party sales than the GameCube in just over a year of existence. Xbox even has some bragging rights over the PS2, with a 70% higher attach rate for multiplatform titles. Note, that's not 70% higher sales. The attach rate merely means units per console sold. So, while there are less Xbox owners out there, percentage-wise they are favoring the Xbox when it comes to cross-platform titles.

"We are very please with the holiday results," said Robbie Bach, Chief Xbox Officer. "Xbox is the next-generation console of choice and the clear No. 2 across the United States, Canada, and throughout Europe."

Of course, PS2 continues to be the number one Next-Generation choice, far outselling Xbox and GameCube in both hardware and software sales.

On the foreign side of things, the Xbox continues to perform strong in Europe, doubling GameCube sales in the UK. And Europe as a whole has strongly supported Xbox, which is now the number two console behind PS2. However, things still look gloomy in Japan, where Xbox continues to struggle. Xbox Live just launched in Japan, but sales numbers are not yet known.

While Xbox continues to battle GameCube for second place, Sony is running away with the show. We'll keep an eye on the numbers and keep you informed, so stay tuned.

Source: IGN

Welcome to the big dance.