Microsoft has today announced that, according to statistics from research firms Chart-Track and GfK, the Xbox has established itself as the second most popular console in Europe, ahead of Nintendo's GameCube. According to today's press release, the Xbox outsold the GameCube by a ratio of two to one in the month of December, and more than a million Xbox units have been sold in the UK, France, and Germany alone.

　　"We are pleased that this Christmas was the Xbox-green we predicted," said Neil Thompson, director of marketing, Xbox Europe. "Our increasing market share is great news for us. The steady increase in Xbox gamers over the year proves our strategy of offering consumers exactly what they wanted has paid off--a well-priced console, with more power than any other console on the market, a killer games portfolio, and a built-in broadband adapter for instant online gaming with Xbox Live. The choice gamers had to make at Christmas was a tough one, but the numbers show that the Xbox was the first choice for a significant number of people. We are looking forward to seeing our number-two position in the market going from strength to strength."

　　Contributing to the console's success at the end of 2002 was the introduction of the Sega Christmas Pack, which bundled copies of Jet Set Radio Future and Jet Set Radio Future with the console, while the Xbox-exclusive launch of Jet Set Radio Future shortly before Christmas gave gamers another very good reason to choose Xbox over its competitors.