The Xbox is a sixth generation video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed directly with Sony's PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo GameCube. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Europe and Australia. It is the predecessor to Microsoft's Xbox 360 console.
Production costs
According to iSupply, initial production costs for the Xbox was $323 for the package.[1] It was estimated that Microsoft lost between $100 and $125 per console sold. It budgeted $500 million to market the new console.The business of culture p.84
Xbox launch
Microsoft sold 550,000 units of hardware in its first week of release in 2001.[2]
Xbox sales figures
Microsoft's Xbox division was only profitable in one financial quarter, the quarter in which Halo 2 was released.[3]
Every six months, Microsoft releases Xbox hardware sales/shipment numbers for each region. (source)
| Xbox sales figures (based on official financial reports)[1] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Half-year sales | Total sales | Source | |||
| Jul-Dec 2001 | 1.5 million | 1.5 | [4] | |||
| Jan-Jun 2002 | 2.4 million | 3.9 | ||||
| Jul-Dec 2002 | 4.1 million | 8.0 | ||||
| Jan-Jun 2003 | 1.4 million | 9.4 | ||||
| Jul-Dec 2003 | 4.3 million | 13.7 | ||||
| Jan-Jun 2004 | 1.8 million | 15.5 | ||||
| Jul-Dec 2004 | 4.4 million | 19.9 | ||||
| Jan-Jun 2005 | 2.0 million | 21.9 | ||||
| Jul-Dec 2005 | 2.1 million | 24.0 | ||||
- Cumulative sales figures from around the world (shipped only)[2]
- North America
- Dec 2001 - 1.5 million
- Dec 2002 - 5.4 million
- Jun 2003 - 6.2 million
- Dec 2003 - 8.6 million
- Jun 2004 - 10.1 million
- Dec 2004 - 13.2 million
- Jun 2005 - 14.6 million
- Dec 2005 - 16 million
- Europe
- Dec 2002 - 1.8 million
- Jun 2003 - 2.2 million
- Dec 2003 - 3.7 million
- Jun 2004 - 3.9 million
- Dec 2004 - 5.0 million
- Jun 2005 - 5.5 million
- Dec 2005 - 6 million
- Japan / Asia Pacific (including Australia)
- Dec 2002 - 850,000
- Jun 2003 - 1 million
- Dec 2003 - 1.4 million
- Jun 2004 - 1.5 million
- Dec 2004 - 1.7 million
- Jun 2005 - 1.8 million
- Dec 2005 - 2 million
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- United States
- United Kingdom
- Launch: 52,000 [8]
References
External links
| Sixth generation of video games | ||
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 2 · GameCube · Xbox · Dreamcast · Game Boy Advance | ||