2009 is the year the Xbox 360 practically vanished in Japan, however in the US it is a completely different story. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has managed to stand its ground and maintain mediocre sales despite the recent removal of the Xbox 360 Pro. Nevertheless, this was spawned from Microsoft’s marketing tactic to solely compete with the Wii and PS3 price points at $200 and $300, respectively with their Xbox 360 Arcade  Xbox 360 Elite consoles. However, the PS3 has recently exhibited a price drop to the $300 mark with blu-ray functionality whereas the Wii denounced its price drop to $200 to compete with the Xbox 360 arcade.

Ever since the Xbox 360 was unveiled in 2005, one year before the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3, the system has made a clear imprint in the industry as one that is venerable and here to stay. There were plenty of skeptics that doubted the 360’s ability to retain marketshare, however they were proven wrong after sales nearly rival that of the PS3.

Now the Xbox 360 is contending in it’s 4th year and since then Sony has quintessentially redesigned the Playstation 3 and lowered the price of the system from a whopping $599 to $399 then down to the present price point of $299. Following the price drop, the elegant PS3 Slim skyrocketed to the top of the hardware sales chart topping even the sales juggernaut, the Nintendo Wii. The PS3 has reigned victorious ever since its release only to get dethroned by the Wii this past Thanksgiving due to Nintendo’s “family-time” inducing marketing approach. The Xbox 360 however is where this story stems from as even with all the hype derived from PS3 Slim with industry insiders grumbling about the aging design of Microsoft’s box, it still stands firm head-to-head with the competition. This is proven by examining the latest sales forecasts from the industry’s leading analysts and the true staying power of the Xbox 360 is revealed.

Here are Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter’s November hardware sales predictions:

Webush Morgan:

Wii – 1,050,000

PS3 – 700,000

Xbox 360 – 650,000

PS2 – 175,000

PSP – 290,000

DS – 1,535,000

As noted, Pachter wasn’t the only analyst making known his forecasts, Electronic Entertainment and Research (EEDAR) analyst Jesse Divnich also passed along his estimates, albeit with similar results.

EEDAR:

Wii – 1,200,000

PS3 – 725,000

Xbox 360 – 700,000

PS2 – 200,000

PSP – 270,000

DS – 1,580,000

As you might gather from the above numbers, even when Sony’s flagship console has received a face-lift in the form of a slimmer design and a more attractive price-point, the Xbox 360 which has received nothing but a price cut with a less than stellar DVD format in comparison to the PS3’s Blu-ray disc capabilities and the fact that the 360 has been around for 1 year longer than its chief rival, is a testament to the popularity and brand recognition the console has garnered over the years.

- XboxLifeStyle.com

The official numbers will be unveiled tomorrow, Thursday, and we know they will be neck to neck. The Xbox 360 may be aesthetically aging and not necessarily matched up to the Ps3 Slim at $300, however it will maintain its position in the industry and prove to the other contenders that Microsoft still has what it takes to produce a flagship console.

Microsoft announced a new update to Xbox Live scheduled for release on August 11th during EEE. Last week preview builds were sent out to members of the press for an early review of the service.  There are numerous changes, some less significant than others, such as the Timestamps on the game saves or faster account recovery but a few of the changes are so important, or have the potential to be, that they might change the way Xbox Live is used.

Microsoft Stated:

Earlier this morning, the Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection Game Add-on was briefly made available on Xbox Live for 800 Microsoft Points. The content has since been removed and will launch on Tuesday, July 28th worldwide as planned, together with the Dark Corners Game Add-on. Pricing will remain as originally intended (1600 Microsoft Points). The small, lucky group of Xbox Live members who were able to download the content during the short window it was available will be able to retain the content for the price at which it was purchased as well as keep all related Achievements. There won’t be any penalties for those who purchased this content early. Think of it as a lucky treat for those with quick reflexes!

Look at that, look at what Microsoft is doing. 1600 Microsoft Points for a Map Pack! 1600! That is $20! Do you have $20 to throw at a Map Pack? I know I don’t. So, why don’t you just get your points for Free like me. I am already waiting for my 1600 Points Card to come in the mail and will definitely be getting this Gears of War 2 DLC when it comes out on July 28th.

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“Earlier this morning, the Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection Game Add-on was briefly made available on Xbox Live for 800 Microsoft Points. The content has since been removed and will launch on Tuesday, July 28th worldwide as planned, together with the Dark Corners Game Add-on. Pricing will remain as originally intended (1600 Microsoft Points). The small, lucky group of Xbox Live members who were able to download the content during the short window it was available will be able to retain the content for the price at which it was purchased as well as keep all related Achievements. There won’t be any penalties for those who purchased this content early. Think of it as a lucky treat for those with quick reflexes!”