NEW YORK -- Microsoft Corp. Tuesday confirmed its forecast for shipments of Xbox 360 video game consoles and said its ability to convert occasional online gamers into console users would be key to growth.
Peter Moore, vice president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division which oversees Xbox, confirmed the company's expectation that Xbox 360 shipments would reach 10 million by the end of 2006, and 13 million to 15 million by the end of its 2007 fiscal year.
The software company's fiscal year ends June 30, 2007.
In October, the company said it had shipped 6 million consoles worldwide.
"The real growth here is getting to that moderate gamer. We need to bring them to the box," Moore said at a BMO Capital Markets video game conference in New York.
He was referring to users who occasionally play video games online but have yet to spend at least $400 to buy the next-generation Xbox console for their homes.
Microsoft believes its head start in connecting video game consoles to online gaming through its Xbox Live service will prove an advantage in tapping future growth, Moore said.
Moore cited data from tracking firm DFC Intelligence that forecast the number of video game consoles connected to the Internet to quadruple by 2010.
Console-connected online gaming services are opening up new revenue streams, such as advertising and additional content sales for device makers and video game publishers.
Microsoft has 4 million Xbox Live subscribers, who can download game demos, chat and compete with friends, buy new maps and weapons and, soon, download TV shows and movies.
Sony Corp. said 3 million of the 106 million PlayStation 2 owners use its online service. The company is revamping the service, called PlayStation Network, for its PlayStation 3 console that makes its U.S. debut on Nov. 17.
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