10.4m Xbox 360s sold

As part of Bill Gates's keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Robbie Bach joined his boss on stage to reveal that Microsoft has managed to shift 10.4 million units of the Xbox 360 console.

The milestone, which the company had been confidently predicting it would reach last year, is the proof that a full-year head start over rival console manufacturers has paid off for Microsoft.

"We're setting records every step of the way for a console at this stage of its lifecycle," declared Bach.

The console is now available in 37 different countries, with 160 titles on shelves, with Bach promising the machine will benefit from 300 games by the end of 2007.

Console units weren't the only figures bandied around the stage by a jubilant Microsoft. It also revealed that Epic Games's Gears of War has sold over 2.7 million copies, making it "a Halo-like franchise", according to Bach.

Gameindustry.biz