NEWS - Tuesday, May 11, 2004
US Xbox sales expected to pass PS2
Significant sales milestone for Microsoft’s ambitions as price-cutting stirs US retail Market watchers in the United States expect the Xbox to have outsold Sony’s PS2 in monthly sales for the first time ever in April’s sales figures, as the effects of Microsoft’s recent price cut continue to boost the console. Just as Nintendo’s GameCube saw a huge sales boost towards the end of last year when the company slashed the price of the console, Microsoft’s price-cut at the end of March has driven sales of the Xbox to new heights in the USA. If, as expected, it did outsell the PS2 in April, this would be the first time since the system launched in late 2001 that it has managed to surpass Sony’s sales on a month to month basis - a significant milestone for Microsoft, even if it took a significant price drop, and as such a revenue hit, to achieve it. The sales rankings are likely to return to normal in May, however; Sony is expected to follow Microsoft’s lead and cut the price of the PlayStation 2 this week, with an announcement expected at the E3 show in Los Angeles.Source: http://www.gameindustry.biz
