The company described it as the biggest launch in Xbox history, setting a new sales record for the company, adding that Xbox One consoles were sold out at most retail shops.
"We are humbled and grateful for the excitement of Xbox fans around the world," said Xbox corporate vice president of marketing Yusuf Mehdi.
"Seeing thousands of excited fans getting their Xbox One was truly a special moment for everyone on the Xbox team," he continued. "We are working hard to get more Xbox One consoles into the market."
Sales of the keenly-awaited system began in more than a dozen countries including New Zealand, Australia, France, Britain, Brazil and the United States.
Xbox fans had queued at consumer electronics shops to be among the first to get their hands on Microsoft's beefed-up console that extends to online films, music, social networking and more.
"It's a big upgrade, a big change," said 23-year-old Jonathan Guerrero, who staked out a spot at the front of the line at a Best Buy electronics shop in Northern California 13 hours before the consoles went on sale a minute into Friday.
Sony last week launched its new PlayStation 4.
The Xbox One, successor to the Xbox 360, the top-selling console in North America, debuted at US$500 while Sony's PS4 is priced at US$400.
Sony said it sold more than a million PS4 consoles in North America alone in the 24 hours after its release on 15 November .
Both consoles boast upgrades which provide richer graphics and more immersive game play than their predecessors. Social features for online play have also been enhanced, along with the ability to share games with friends.
Analyst firm Gartner forecast that the console segment of the video game market will grow from US$44bn this year to US$49bn next year, while that of mobile games will climb from about US$13bn to US$17bn.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
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