600,000 Xbox 360s Sold Since Launch

Research firm NPD Group announced Friday that Microsoft has sold 600,000 Xbox 360 consoles in the U.S. since the device's launch in November. Despite holiday shipments falling below analyst expectations, Microsoft still expects to sell between 4.5 and 5.5 million Xbox 360s by the end of June.

NPD Group numbers include two-thirds of retail outlets in the United States. The figures do not include Xbox 360 sales in Japan, where initial launch figures were disappointing, and Europe, where Microsoft blew through its 300,000-console inventory within days. Sales in all regions could accelerate later this month when more game titles hit store shelves.