The Xbox 360 may be approaching the end of its lifecycle, but Microsoft still has some plans for the console at it hits a new milestone.
Microsoft has revealed to IGN that the Xbox 360 Games With Gold program that gives players two free games to play each month with their Xbox Live Gold subscription will continue indefinitely. Previously, the program was confirmed only until the end of 2013, but it looks as though the program will continue for quite some time. No word on if the program will come to the Xbox One, however, so those planning to update to the new console may not be able to continue to take advantage of this program. Currently, the free game that Xbox 360 owners can play is Halo 3.
In addition to this news concerning the Games With Gold program, it has been revealed that Xbox 360 sales surpassed 80 million units. However, one important distinction is that Microsoft has sold this amount of consoles to retailers, and not necessarily to consumers. While the company may not have sold all these consoles to users, retailers would not be buying up the console if the demand was not there. The announcement places the console as the seventh best selling console of all time. Microsoft also announced that the Xbox 360 continues to be the top selling console of 2013 so far, with 1.6 million units sold so far.
Finally, a new way to get credit for Xbox Live subscriptions and buying games on the console has been announced. Rixty, the company behind the Coinstar kiosks that allows people to take their change and redeem it for cash or vouchers, has revealed that users can now change their coins into Xbox Live currency and Gold subscriptions.
Rixty CEO Ted Sorom had this to say about the announcement, "Rixty is already an established alternative payment platform for online games, and we're proud to be selected as one of the few approved Xbox Live Gift Card and Gold Membership wholesalers...By expanding our channels to nontraditional resellers such as loyalty and incentive programs, we're giving these partners access to lucrative new products and consumers more convenient ways to obtain their favorite entertainment content."
Coinstar machines previously allowed users to transform heir change to Amazon.com gift cards or cash, but now users can choose to get gift cards ranging from $5 to $100 for the Xbox Live marketplace.
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