Microsoft has announced that, since the price cut of the Xbox, which the saw the price of the system drop to 299 euros (approximately $272, the sales of the system in that territory have increased). According to Microsoft, Xbox sales represented 49 percent of the all console sales that occurred in the UK, 46 percent of the sales in France, and 55 percent of the sales that occurred in Germany after the cut. The number of games sold with each system has also increased, with an average of nearly four games being sold with every system.

　　"I'm glad that more gamers in Europe are able to experience the Xbox for themselves," said Sandy Duncan, vice president of Xbox Europe. "Our strategy is to give outstanding value to as many consumers as possible, and the increased Xbox sales since the price reduction indicate that strategy is on track. The new price allows us to be more competitive and make serious inroads into the hearts of European gamers leading up to Christmas 2002."

　　"As we've said before, this is a marathon, not a sprint--and these initial figures are extremely encouraging," Duncan continued. "But it is delivering great games and great experiences to hundreds of thousands of happy consumers in Europe over the long term that is our most important goal, and we will continue to drive initiatives to continue this cycle of success."