retail chains

Contrary to a ChannelNews and SmartHouse report that retail chains in Australia are the dumping the Xbox 360, Microsoft said in a statement that Australian retailers "are excited about our current and upcoming offers, and we're looking forward to another bumper year." "We are happy with where we are in the market right now.

We're significantly ahead of where we planned to be this financial year, and selling well both on the software and hardware side," Mariana Cidade, PR Manager of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft Australia said.

A new survey conducted by ChannelNews and SmartHouse of 10 retail chains who operate more than 2,000 stores across Australia has revealed that the Xbox 360 is "on the skids," as the retailers see growth coming mainly from the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

According to the survey, retailers claimed that the PS3 was selling well because of its Blu-ray drive, while the Wii appealed to women and children.

Other retailers said the Xbox 360 has suffered as a brand since its Red Ring of Death problems last year.