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  Internet 
surfers flocked in late October to Xbox.com (http://www.xbox.com), 
the Web site dedicated to Microsoft Corp.'s new video game console, according to 
a new survey. Xbox.com drew 589,000 unique visitors to the site during the week 
ended Oct. 28, soaring 71 percent from the previous week, according to Internet 
audience measurement service Nielsen//NetRatings. Microsoft's new video game 
console is set to launch Nov. 15.  
At-home surfers accessed more than 5 million pages on the site, more than 
double the 2.4 million page views in the previous week. Males comprised 65 
percent of the site's audience, NetRatings said. Surfers spent more than 5 
minutes at the site, with three-quarters of the visitors clicking on the page 
featuring the Taco Bell-Xbox Instant Win Sweepstakes.  
Meanwhile, PlayStation.com (http://www.playstation.com) 
attracted 113,000 unique visitors in the week ended Oct. 28, up 64 percent from 
69,000 visitors in the prior week. Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s new GameCube console, 
featured at NintendoGameCube.com, will 
launch on Nov. 18.  
``The number, variety and type of games offered by the various video game 
systems are critical to the success of the systems themselves,'' said Jarvis Mak, 
senior Internet analyst for NetRatings. ``With the holiday season right around 
the corner, game console Web sites are playing a critical role in marketing new 
game titles and releases to consumers.'' 
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