Researchers have published a report etestimating that Microsoft will sell greater-than-anticipated amounts of its Xbox 360 console, eclipsing even the company's own sales estimates. The system looks likely sell 6 million units by the end of June 2006, and from 10 to 12 million by the end of the year. Senior analyst P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research says the numbers exceed those given by Microsoft corporate VP Peter Moore, who outlined a goal of 4.5 to 5.5 million systems sold by June at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show, though McNeely's estimates remain in line with previous estimates of the system's first-year goal of 10 million units. In addition to the optimistic view for Microsoft, McNealy also painted a brighter picture than most for third-party publishers' chances with Xbox 360 titles. The analyst said that negative effects on game sales as a result of the system shortage were likely over, presumably since stocks of the console are shortly to be more bountiful.
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