A record number of Xbox 360 console sales, as well as the quick-selling Kinect for Xbox 360, helped fuel record revenue results for Microsoft for the first quarter of 2011. Last quarter Microsoft saw a 13% year-over-year increase for the first three months of 2011.
2.7 million Xbox 360 units were sold, up from 1.5 million for the same period last year, representing a new quarterly record for the console. The Kinect for Xbox 360 motion-sensing accessory sold 2.4 million units during the quarter, putting it well over 10 million units sold to date. Revenue for the entire Xbox 360 platform was up $712 million (69%).
"We delivered strong financial results despite a mixed PC environment, which demonstrates the strength and breadth of our businesses," said Microsoft CFO Peter Klein. "Consumers are purchasing Office 2010, Xbox and Kinect at tremendous rates, and businesses of all sizes are purchasing Microsoft platforms and applications."
Overall profit for the quarter across the entire company was reported at $5.71 billion, up 10% for the same quarter in the previous year. According to Microsoft, its Windows 7 operating system has sold 350 million licenses to date, though revenue for its Windows division declined 4%, which is in line with current PC sales trends.