Microsoft says sales of Xbox 360 reach 28 million through 2008

Microsoft Corp. said sales of the Xbox 360 video-game console reached 28 million units since its introduction three years ago.

Xbox sales were more than 8 million ahead of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 as of year-end, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said today in an e-mailed statement. Nintendo Co.'s Wii has the lead in the current generation of consoles.

Microsoft cut the price of the entry-level Xbox to $199.99 in September, giving the console an advantage over the PS3 with strapped holiday shoppers. The Sony machine costs $399.99. More than 17 million people subscribe to the Xbox Live online service that allows customers to play games against competitors in other locations or rent movies and television shows.

Sales through Xbox Live rose 84 percent in 2008 and surpassed $1 billion in three years, Microsoft said. Shares of the company, the world's biggest software maker, gained 19 cents to $20.52 today in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. They fell 45 percent in 2008.

Through November, U.S. consumers have purchased 3.3 million Xbox 360 machines in 2008, according to Port Washington, New York-based NPD Group Inc., which tracks video-game sales. Wii sales totaled 8 million, while PS3 sales stood at 2.8 million.