Xbox Live to Earn Over $1 Billion

By Ryan Fleming July 7, 2010

Although it is standard practice for Microsoft to withhold actual sales results of products, Bloomberg is reporting that the Xbox Live sales have generated around $1.2 billion in revenue this year.

According to Microsoft, about half of the 25 million XBL users paid the annual fee of $49 to play online games, which would amount for about $600 million. The rest was generated by movie rentals and purchases, avatar additions and XBL arcade games. If the estimate proves accurate, it is good news for Microsoft, who have seen sales beginning to slip compared to rivals Sony. Microsoft is also banking heavily on the release of the Kinect gesture–free controller, but judging by the low pre-orders of the Kinect, the early indications are not looking great.

Sony recently debuted its own online subscription model, the PlayStation Plus service, which will also run $49 per year. It will take some time for the Sony service to reach anywhere near the levels of the XBL, and Microsoft is taking full advantage of the head start they are currently enjoying.

“When it comes to online gaming, they’re [Microsoft] the only significant alternative to us,” Activision CEO, Bobby Kotick, told Bloomberg. “We’re driving a lot of the subscription interest and certainly hours of game play.”

Planned in the near future, Microsoft will introduce ESPN streaming to the Xbox 360, are considering an exclusive television channel, have introduced new family membership plans, and have struck an exclusive deal with Activision, distributor of the Call of Duty series, that will give it a month of exclusivity on any upcoming expansions for the series. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 currently holds the record for the highest grossing download ever on XBL.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

PlayStation Portal 2: 8 features we want in Sony’s next-gen handheld

A PlayStation Portal boots up.

After the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, there wasn't much hope that Sony would create another handheld system. Both consoles failed to establish themselves as meaningful parts of PlayStation's ecosystems despite having passionate fan bases. That's what made the initial reveal of the PlayStation Portal so surprising, at least until we knew exactly what it was. As an accessory, the PlayStation Portal is a decent device for some situations. It makes remote play easy and combines all the cool features of the DualSense controller with a great display. However, it does leave a lot to be desired for those hoping for a bit more from a new PlayStation device. Should Sony decide to iterate on this novel idea, there are a few features we think it needs to have to be a true success.

We're not going to ask Sony to completely overhaul what it established with the PlayStation Portal. For as much as we'd love for a fully dedicated handheld like a Vita 2, that's just too far beyond what we can hope for.
Wi-Fi 6

Gaming

PS5 Pro: news, rumored release date, price, and specs

A PS5 standing on a table, with purple lights around it.

Rumors are running rampant about a supposed PlayStation 5 Pro, or PS5 Pro for short. Just like we got a mid-generation upgrade with the PS4 Pro during the last console cycle, many people are expecting PlayStation to release an incrementally more powerful machine to bridge the gap between the launch unit and an eventual PlayStation 6. Leaks have been coming out from some fairly credible sources, with a lot of juicy and very specific details about what a hypothetical PS5 Pro could look like. As credible as these sources may be, we do still need to take everything we see with some skepticism until Sony officially confirms that this system even exists. Until then, here are all the rumors out there regarding the PS5 Pro.
Rumored release window

A constant release window that all leaks have pointed to is sometime in Fall of 2024. That's right around the corner, probably in the September through November range, meaning we should be getting an official announcement on the console if that is indeed the plan. It appears that PS5 Pro dev kits are now in the hands of more developers, who have been asked that PS5 Pro-enhanced games be submitted for certification in August. These developments point toward a 2024 release.

Gaming

I was a PlayStation Portal hater. Now it’s one of my go-to gaming devices

A PlayStation Portal plays Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

In November, I reviewed the PlayStation Portal. I was mixed on Sony’s streaming handheld at the time, frustrated with a corner-cutting execution of a good idea. It seemed like a poor value compared to simply slapping a cheaper Backbone controller on a phone. As is often the case with tech reviews, though, I only had a short window to test it out where I was more focused on the more objective side of what the Portal does and doesn’t do. Would my feelings change when I was using it naturally?

I’ve gotten the answer to that question over the past few months. While I barely touched my Portal after reviewing it in 2023, it’s quickly become a go-to device in my home as of January. I’m now breaking it out at least once a week, finding some practical use cases for it. Though my overall assessment of it hasn’t changed, I have a more tangible understanding of where it can be a useful -- if superfluous -- PS5 companion. It’s a needless luxury, but one that I’m finding that I'm happy to indulge in.
Second screen
The PlayStation Portal’s launch just so happened to come right before a major life change that would shift my perspective. After living alone for three years, my girlfriend moved into my apartment last December. It’s been a natural change that’s working great so far. That shift does come with some lifestyle changes, though. We’re both crammed into a one-bedroom apartment, which means we’re sharing a tight space. We remotely do our jobs feet apart in the same room, and most evenings are spent lounging on the couch.