“Microsoft’s new, improved, slimmer Xbox 360 console, the Xbox 360 250GB (or Xbox 360S) achieves the biggest launch in the UK for a ‘revised’ home console, surpassing the launches of both PS2 Slim and PS3 Slim and recording over two days around the same as the original Xbox 360’s launch sales total back in week 48 2005."

“This is even more impressive when you take into account that the original Xbox 360 was launched across two versions (Pro and Core).”

Microsoft’s redesigned box accounted for 40% of the 451,700 Xbox 360s it sold in June, said Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter in a note to investors on Friday.

But, he pointed out, nearly as many sales — 35% — were of the inexpensive Arcade model, which Microsoft reduced to a clearance price of $150. The retailer Wal-Mart offered a $50 gift card with each Arcade purchase, thus temporarily lowering the effective price of the hardware to a rock-bottom $100.

The balance of Xbox 360 console sales were made up of Pro and Elite units, which were also reduced in price by $50 as Microsoft clears them off shelves to make way for the $300 Slim box. So the price drop that spurred the majority of Xbox sales last month won’t last.