By Jonathan Charles | Jul 20, 2012 10:05 AM EDT
Microsoft's Xbox 360 console continues to dominate the U.S. market, the company revealed in the latest NPD numbers, in July. The console claimed over 40 percent of the console market in June, the 16th consecutive month.
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Specifically, Microsoft achieved a 47 percent control of the console market in the U.S. and sold 257,000 units during June 2012. The total retail spend - covering hardware, software, and accessories - reached $272 million, is the largest of any console in the U.S. according to Microsoft. Actually, it's a greater amount than what consumers spent on the PlayStation 3 and Wii combined.
Four of the top 10 games appeared on Xbox 360: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, Max Payne 3, and NBA 2K12.
"Xbox continues offering more ways to play with the launch of Kinect PlayFit, a new fitness dashboard that aggregates and tracks the calories your burn from playing Kinect games, including "Dance Central 2," "Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012" and "Kinect Star Wars,"" Microsoft also revealed.
Microsoft's Chief Financial Officer, Peter Klein, also said 1.1 million consoles sold during Q2 2012, and Xbox Live membership has grown by over 15 percent. However, as GamesBeat reported, year-over-year sales are down by 39 percent during Q2. The Entertainment and Devices Division grew by just 8 percent, compared to 45 percent during Q2 2011. Microsoft also had a 20 percent increase during Q4 2011.
"Robert W. Baird & Co. analyst Colin Sebastian told GamesBeat via e-mail he believes a price cut on the 360 would help stimulate hardware sales in a lackluster console game market, particularly ahead of the next-generation launch," GamesBeat added. Microsoft hasn't announced a price cut yet: the Limited Edition Halo 4 console retails for $399.99 in the U.S., while the $99 Xbox 360 is available on a two-year contract. Sebastian also said he expects Microsoft will continue to add services to Xbox Live.
The Q2 2012 to Q3 2012 period always becomes difficult for console manufacturers, because releases are slow. Microsoft's bigger games, like Halo 4, won't release until Nov. 2012 with other titles - Borderlands 2, for example - launching mid-September.
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