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Microsoft sells 1 million Xbox Ones in first day

Microsoft sold a million Xbox Ones on the first day, it's announced, matching launch day sales of the PS4.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

The Xbox One has sold a million units on its first day, matching launch day sales of Sony's PlayStation 4. Microsoft said on its Xbox Wire site that the One surpassed first day sales of its predecessor, the Xbox 360, making yesterday the biggest launch in Xbox history.

I mean look at these happy chappies, holding their consoles aloft. They seem pretty chuffed to me.

According to Microsoft, in the last 24 hours Xbox One gamers have slain more than 60 million zombies in Dead Rising 3, driven more than 3.6 million miles in Forza Motorsport 5, pulled off more than 7.1 million combos in Killer Instinct, and defeated more than 8.5 million enemies in Ryse: Son of Rome.

"We are humbled and grateful for the excitement of Xbox fans around the world," said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing and strategy at Xbox. "Seeing thousands of excited fans lined up to get their Xbox One and their love for gaming was truly a special moment for everyone on the Xbox team. We are working hard to create more Xbox One consoles and look forward to fulfilling holiday gift wishes this season."

If you haven't got one yet, you might be in for a bit of a wait. The console has sold out at Amazon, Asda and Tesco.

Microsoft neglected to mention the console's teething issues, which have resulted in plenty of bad reviews over at Amazon.com. As well as the crunching noise (like a robot vomiting, according to one user) some Xbox Ones are suffering from a frozen green screen, nicknamed the Green Screen of Death. Basically, when the console starts up for the first time, it can't get past a blank green screen. If yours is suffering from this, check out this tip from the support forum.

The PS4 has had issues of its own. Some consoles have been bricked, in what's imaginatively been called the Blue Light of Death. Sony blames this on damage during transit.

Did you pick up an Xbox One? Or are you waiting for Friday, when the PS4 goes on sale in the UK? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.