xbox Series X – Xbox Series X|S break console records in Microsoft’s Q4 2021 earnings report

With its most recent financial results, Microsoft is giving us an update on how well the Xbox Series X|S are selling. Of course, Microsoft stopped reporting exact Xbox sales numbers partway through the previous generation, and while it doesn’t look like the company will start reporting specifics in this new generation, it is still nonetheless sharing big milestones for its latest consoles.

In a call with investors after delivering its Q4 2021 financial results (as transcribed by the folks at Seeking Alpha), Microsoft boss Satya Nadella revealed that Xbox Series X and S are the fastest-selling consoles in company history. Even without precise sales numbers, that’s enough to say that Xbox Series X|S are off to a strong start.

Nadella also had good things to report about Xbox Game Pass, though again, we weren’t treated to exact subscriber numbers. Nadella did say, however, that Game Pass is “growing rapidly and it’s transforming how people discover, connect, and play games.” According to Microsoft’s own metrics, Xbox Game Pass subscribers play “approximately 40% more games and spend 50% more than nonmembers.”

That metric about playing more games makes a lot of sense, but at first blush, it’s certainly surprising to learn that Xbox Game Pass subscribers spend that much more than those who aren’t subscribed. Then again, Xbox Game Pass subscribers are offered a discount on all games that are available that are through the service, so perhaps subscribers are finding games they want to add to their own libraries more often and taking advantage of those discounts as a result.

We’ll likely never know the precise sales numbers for Xbox Series X|S, but if nothing else, we can say that the consoles are off to a good start. They face stiff competition, though, as Sony confirmed today that the PS5 has hit 10 million sales worldwide, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation in Sony’s history.