Xbox 360 console sales have exceeded 30 million worldwide, Microsoft has confirmed.

The number was reached after what MS is calling "the biggest year" in Xbox history - 2008 - which saw console growth swell up 28 percent.


The Xbox Live community has grown to more than 20 million active members, it says, making it "the world's largest global entertainment network", putting the online service in more homes than "any satellite television provider".

Before the end of the year, the number of Xbox Live members will surpass the number of subscribers to the largest cable provider, the company says. It's not afraid to boast this afternoon, is it?

In more stat news, over the course of this console generation US consumers have apparently spent $14.5 billion on Xbox 360 at retail and MS claims to hold the best game purchases per console with an average of 8.3 titles each.

Since the launch of the New Xbox Experience in November MS claims a 136 percent rise in new Xbox Live members, with purchase of game content up 70 percent.

"We've always been confident that Xbox 360 offers more entertainment value than any other console on the market, and these latest numbers show that consumers agree," said Xbox man Don Mattrick.

"We expect our growth to continue to accelerate. Our news at E3 next week will underscore our commitment to bringing blockbuster entertainment experiences to everyone and to growing the Xbox entertainment brand globally."

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