It’s true, Microsoft told everyone. 17,700,000. Really, though, why should we care? Why does Microsoft bother telling us its console is selling in the millions? To prove the success of the thing or just to irritate Sony? To demonstrate Japan its folly? Is this thing part of an advertising campaign? Is it just a way to keep them fanboys from abandoning the forums and turning the Internet into a slightly better place? I mean, as most of us probably aren’t MS stock-holders and definitely wouldn’t want to go around chatting with each and every of the 17.7 million Xbox 360 owners, that’s quite a bit of useless info. Exactly as uninteresting as the number of Wii consoles that have been shipped. Or the unimpressive PS3 sales. Or the fact that people actually think there’s a console war.

Pointless stuff. As far as video gaming is concerned it’s not the numbers that count. Well, not for me at least. I thoroughly enjoyed -and frankly still enjoy- the Dreamcast and it didn’t sell half us much as the PS3, while Beyond Good and Evil is still a million times better a game than the million selling Halo 2. No, it definitely isn’t numbers. It’s quality, flair, beauty, horror and originality. Artistry if you will. Trouble is that numbers usually go against it. When talent and care are lacking, advertising money makes the difference, and when people start caring for the well-being of this or that game producing corporation, well, frankly that’s all for the worse.

So, yes, there are 17.7 millions of Xbox 360 consoles around, but do you care?

</short rant off>

Posted on January 5th, 2008 by konstantinos