Xbox Stomps On Playstation As Live Takes Off

Microsoft has experienced a massive growth on its Xbox Live service, with Australians and New Zealanders clocking up 101 million hours online during the 2009 financial year.

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In addition to this, the company has also experienced console sales growth of 83 percent year on year to date in 2009, making it the fastest growing console in the total market.  According to GfK data, over 734,000 consoles have been sold throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Nearly 400,000 Aussies and Kiwis have connected to the Xbox LIVE network, with each user averaging five hours online each week, connecting with friends, squaring off in multiplayer games and downloading music tracks for hit titles like Lips and Guitar Hero.

Compared to the same period last year, Xbox LIVE content downloads increased by 39 per cent, with over 6.4 million downloads of free game demos, trailers and other content occurring in the last 12 months.

Head of Microsoft Entertainment, David McLean has promised that there will be more to come for Xbox Live.

“Before Christmas, Xbox 360 users will have access to high definition movies-on-demand, Facebook, Twitter and a host of other features through our console. This will give families even greater freedom to share, socialise and interact online, as some of the world’s largest social networks move from the PC to the TV, and into the heart of the family living space,” says McLean.