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Microsoft has announced that global sales of the Xbox 360 have now surpassed the 30 million mark, with the Xbox Live community swelling to 20 million active members, all swearing at each other.
The new statistics arrive with the announcement of record growth for the console so far this year, celebrating a 28 percent jump in console sales over the previous year - the highest percentage growth of any console in 2009. Over the course of this console generation, U.S. customers alone have spent $14.5 billion on the console, including hardware, games, and downloadable content, which Microsoft's Don Mattrick attributes to offering more entertainment value than anyone else, while teasing next week's E3 announcements.

"We've always been confident that Xbox 360 offers more entertainment value than any other console on the market, and these latest numbers show that consumers agree. We expect our growth to continue to accelerate. Our news at E3 next week will underscore our commitment to bringing blockbuster entertainment experiences to everyone and to growing the Xbox entertainment brand globally."

On the software side of things, the Xbox 360 has generated $5.9 billion in sales for third-party developers to date, which according to the NPD group is more than the PlayStation 3 and Wii combined.
With more than 20 million active users, Microsoft is calling Xbox Live the world's largest global entertainment network. The service now reaches 26 countries, with an install base larger than any satellite television provider. More than 1 billion pieces of content have been downloaded from the service to date.
Live has been generating particularly amazing numbers since the launch of the New Xbox Experience last year, with a 136% increase in new members, TV and movie downloads doubling, and game add-on downloads increasing by 70 percent.
The official announcement ends with another E3 tease, promising more exciting announcements to come, as long as they don't blow the whole thing several days before the show, like everyone else seems to have been doing lately.

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Is Hulu Coming to Xbox 360?

By Mark Wilson, 9:40 AM on Fri May 29 2009,

Olivia Munn, geek goddess of Attack of the Show, posted an interesting tweet last night. "Just finished promos for hulu/microsoft event I'm doing on june 8!" Just what hulu/Microsoft event could she be referring to?

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/image...5/huluxbox.jpg

To us, it seems likely that this event is supporting a Hulu on Xbox 360 announcement coming at E3. Why? Because Hulu on the 360 makes a lot of sense. Quite simply, it's the best internet service you can bring to a TV. So if Microsoft were to pick just one piece of internet entertainment to offer Xboxers (and with no web browser, they need to pick and choose), Hulu (and maybe YouTube) would be top on the list.

Also note that in Europe, Microsoft is supporting the Sky Player. It's a media content service somewhat like hulu but with support for live shows. And it's being integrated right into the XMB. We could see hulu arrive to the platform in a very similar manner. (So it'll probably look a bit different from our tongue-in-cheek artist's rendering.)

But the biggest reason that we're betting on Hulu 360 is because Microsoft's Shane Kim admitted months ago that the company was investigating Hulu connectivity on the platform. So don't be surprised if we hear more next week at E3. Microsoft's press conference is on Monday and we'll be there liveblogging. [Thanks Jake!]

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May 29, 2009 10:25 AM PDT
Xbox 360 to get Hulu? (Update: Probably not)

by David Carnoy (Credit: Gizmodo)

Ah, there's nothing like a little random tweet to start a rumor.

"Just finished promos for hulu/microsoft event I'm doing on june 8!" Olivia Munn of G4's "Attack of the Show" wrote on her Twitter feed last night.

Seems harmless enough on the surface, but put it in the hands of some zealous bloggers, their antennas on high alert for any E3 related news (Microsoft's press conference is on Monday), and the rumor wheels start churning. Could Microsoft be planning to announce Hulu support for the Xbox 360?

Sounds good to me--and a lot of other people, too. Some folks are already streaming Hulu to their Xbox 360s using a little software program called PlayOn, but the idea here is an integrated Hulu application along the lines of the Netflix video streaming plug-in that's currently available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers who also have a Netflix account.

Those keeping score between Microsoft and Sony will be quick to note that the PS3 already has Hulu support via the PS3's built-in Web browser. If Microsoft were to add Hulu as well, it would be a small coup, and it wouldn't be a shocker considering Microsoft has been looking at possible XBox 360 tie-ins to Hulu and YouTube for several months. However, at yesterday's All Things D conference, NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker reiterated Hulu's , anti-Boxee stance saying that, "Right now we're committed to Hulu being an online experience, and that's where our vision is today, and I think that will continue." So, take this rumor for what it's worth.

Comments?

(Source: Twitter via Gizmodo)

Update: Alas, Ms. Munn's Hulu-Microsoft connection is related to Microsoft's new Bing search engine and a Bingathon on Hulu June 8. Ms. Munn refers to the event on her Web site, calling Bing a "Web browser." (Thanks to commenter Ninjatuned for pointing this out). Of course, Microsoft could still announce Hulu support for the Xbox 360 on Monday, but we wouldn't bet on it.

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