Natal set for Holiday 2010 release

Microsoft has confirmed that Project Natal, the motion sensing peripheral for the Xbox 360, will be released in time for Christmas 2010.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in the US, Microsoft's Robbie Bach claimed "2010 is going to be the biggest year in Xbox history."

Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, confirmed that the Xbox 360 has now sold over 39 million units worldwide, with the original Xbox and its successor generating over USD 20 billion in revenue and 500 million pieces of software.

The news of Natal was originally leaked before the keynote address when a video interview with Robbie Bach was aired ahead of time, with a power cut also holding up proceedings.

Ballmer also noted Xbox Live experienced its busiest week ever between Christmas and New Year, with a new member joining every second and more that 2.2 million concurrent users.

Nearly 10 million people have logged into Xbox Live's non-gaming applications, which include Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm, Sky, Canal and Zune, with over 20 million users registered on the Live service.

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