"Microsoft only shifts 600,000 consoles in the US - another five million to flog before it reaches sales targets

Last week Microsoft admitted that it wouldn't meet its "3 million Xbox 360 unit sales within 90 days of launch" figure. New figures suggest however that the company mightn't meet its revised estimate either.

According to analyst group NPD, Microsoft has managed to sell only 600,000 Xbox 360s in the US since its November launch, a long stretch away from the 5.5 million console sales worldwide the company hopes to shift by the end of the current business year, ending in June.

Industry analysts blame the lacklustre sales on a shortage of console over the Christmas period and, given that 360s are still hard to track down even now that mince pies and eternal turkey sandwiches are nothing but a nauseating memory, a prompt upturn doesn't look imminent. However, Microsoft hopes that its new partnership with manufacturer Celestica will help quench the console drought.

Let's be honest though, you probably couldn't give a monkeys whether Microsoft is going to meet its sales targets though, right? The question on everybody's lips really is WHERE'RE OUR BLOODY XBOX 360S??" [link]