Microsoft attempts to put positive spin on Xbox 360 sales

With 360 sales lagging behind its competitors, Microsoft is stressing the strength of its games and accessories market as evidence that there is nothing to worry about.

For the second month in a row, Xbox 360 sales according to NPD Group fell below those of the Wii and PS3 in February. About 432,000 Wii's were sold, and 280,800 PS3s. During the month, Microsoft only managed to sell about 254,600 consoles.

In response to this poor showing, Microsoft again offered up the official line that the company was still experiencing shortages in availability of its consoles. It claimed that it was selling out at retail as soon as it was being stocked.

This latest mea culpa comes a month after the company admitted that it was having trouble keeping up with console demand. At the time, it said it could take until spring before the company is able to ramp up its manufacturing to adequate levels.

Possibly in an attempt to divert attention away from its supply issues, Microsoft pointed to a very strong accessory and game market, saying that it maintains a lead there in comparison to other indicators.

For example, the Xbox 360 title Call of Duty 4 again led sales of all video games, and games for the console held five of the top 10 games for the month, the most of the next-generation systems.

However, of course the other two companies used their success to play up their own business. Sony made it a point to stress that sales of its PS3 console are up 120 percent year over year, while Nintendo grouped its DS and Wii systems together, trumpeting that 48 percent of all hardware sold in the US was produced by the company.