November US sales: Microsoft's spin
"We wouldn't trade places with anyone."
The best-selling console in North America right now is Xbox 360, and November's Kinect-powered 1.37 million haul marks six months of game-machine dominance. What's Microsoft got to say about that?
"I don't see any reason why it wouldn't continue," group product manager David Dennis told GameSpot.
"For us, it's about continuing to innovate and bring new experiences to the platform through Live. We're always talking to partners about ways we can bring other types of entertainment experiences, as well as reinvent the platform overall so it continues to feel fresh and new. And you couple those Live services with amazing games.
"The more services, games and experiences you bring to a platform, the more reasons you give people to buy it, but also to turn it on day after day. To the extent we can continue to do what we're doing, I think the trajectory is poised to continue.
"We're the only console showing double-digit growth," he added. "We feel great about where we're at, and we wouldn't trade places with anyone at this point."
Exact Kinect sales for November aren't specified, Microsoft doesn't "break those out", but we know the motion-sensing camera moved 2.5 million units in 25 around the world. That number, David Dennis said, "blew [third-party] expectations away".
"Third parties are generally pretty excited about the potential for Kinect.
"In general," he went on, "I'd say we feel really great about the momentum we've got fuelled by Kinect and the catalyst for growth it's pushed for us this holiday."
Looking ahead, David Dennis touched on the spring 2011 arrival of Nintendo's 3DS. While everyone battles for a "share of wallet", Dennis noted that the decision to buy a handheld is typically made by an individual whereas the green-light to getting a console "is more of a family decision".
Dennis also noted the "solid" launch of Kinect in Japan, a region that Microsoft feels "good about where [Xbox 360] is at" - i.e., the bottom of the pile. Regardless, MS will "continue to invest" there.