Microsoft Xbox boss sees 'green' christmas
Reuters | at | by Mike
The head of Microsoft's year-old video game business said on Wednesday he is confident a raft of new games and the launch of online gaming will jumpstart sales of its market-trailing Xbox console. For J. Allard, general manager of Microsoft Xbox, the optimism comes amid mounting pressure to boost sales. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Tuesday added pressure on the unflappable Allard, saying he "expected" Xbox to overtake Nintendo's GameCube to become Europe's second-best selling console.
To do so, Microsoft would need to have a banner Christmas. The veteran console specialists Nintendo said last month it expects to have shipped three million units to retailers by year-end while one leading research firm, ScreenDigest, estimates Microsoft will only sell 1.3 million Xbox units this year.