This news article is not surprising at all to me as Microsoft has done a great job with the design and platform of XBOX 360 in fact this is good for Microsoft considering their continued decline and nervousness in Windows Vista sales. I myself don't own any of the XBOX game consoles but have studied the reaction from true game fans and sales of the units and again thats why I am not surprised.

"Japanese consumers purchased 53,547 Xbox 360 units during September, while only 33,071 PS2 units were sold during the same period."  That's pretty damn good for PS2s!  Considering how old the PS2 is, I's say it's holding its own.  Go Sony!!!

sony dont you think its time to leak a article, on how to mod your console ?, cos thats what every one is waiting for. then the xbox 360 will be dust..............nuf said

Geez, everyone making a big deal about the 360's sales. HELLO people, PRICE DROP. And CJF1983, Microsoft has NOT "done a great job with the design and platform of XBOX 360" as you put it. Considering the unit has been constantly failing with the dreaded Red Ring of Death syndrome (which would explain why Microsoft's numbers sales-wise are inflated), how do you account for them having a great design? 

But it doesn't matter in the end, the Nintendo Wii is outselling both Microsoft and Sony combined so I guess consumers are "meh" to all the next-gen gaming systems heh.

I think MS is doing ok with the 360.  They have a different business model that Nintendo.  From what I've read, Nintendo has always made money off every console sold.  However they're not selling many games compared to the 360, so the big bulk of their profit comes from console sales.  360 is almost the other way around, it started at a loss on consoles, and now it probably breaks even (makes a little $ maybe), but they sell alot of games, and thats their bread and butter, game sales.  So Wii makes money off the casual gamer buying their consoles, and the 360 makes it off the hardcore gamer buying lots of games.  The PS3 with its limited titles (some really good ones, but still a small library), is losing money hand over fist.

The X360 hardware design is quite questionable, not to mention the fact it is still not fixed after 3 years... but the games are selling well /I mean developing and titles are much better than on the PS3, which to be honest also has its week points, I just got mine back from $ony, it broke down 3 months after the warranty expired / Still I say it's good to see some competition between those three companies, it's much better than having $ony alone earn the big money, hehehe..

Regardless of the Xbox 360 RRoD issues, considering Sony doesn't appear ready to drop the PS3 price any further, expect Xbox 360 sales to be higher through the next couple of months. 

(I'm not trying to say that the Xbox 360 is a better console, or the PS3 is inferior, but the sales numbers will likely speak for themselves come January.)

It goes without saying the 360 has truly horrendous reliability (although consoles released this year are meant to be doing well) it stomps all over the ps3 for games (quantity and in most cases quality). If the ps3 is technically better hardware (and many doubt it is), it is yet to harnessed by the game developers. The ps3 is saved by a blu-ray player but that is under threat now it is no longer the cheapest out there.