Xbox Series X/S Was The Biggest Launch In Xbox History

The Xbox Series X and Series S didn't end up launching with Halo Infinite, but the two consoles are still off to a huge start. According to head of Xbox Phil Spencer, more units were sold in the first 24 hours than in any other Xbox console launch.

As analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed out, this means the systems sold more than 1 million units, but it's not clear what the exact figures were.

Spencer said the two systems were also sold in more countries than ever before, with Microsoft shifting to a simultaneous launch instead of a staggered launch like it did with the Xbox One. More consoles will be available "as quickly as possible," so there's a chance you could still receive one by Christmas--or give it as a gift.

The Xbox Series S added the "highest percentage of new players," according to Microsoft, and nearly 3,600 different games were played. About 70% of Xbox Series X/S owners have Xbox Game Pass, as well.

Aside from it being impressive to break a sales record during a pandemic, the Xbox Series X and Series S also managed to do so when a competitor, the PS5, launched just two days later. In 2005, the Xbox 360 launched as the sole next-generation console that year, with the PS3 and Wii not arriving until 2006.

If you're still looking to track down an Xbox Series X, you can check out our Xbox Series X order guide to help. You can also read our full Xbox Series X review and Xbox Series S review to help you decide which one is worth getting.