Microsoft announced today that - surprise, surprise - they had a great holiday season and a great 2007 in general. Halo 3, which was released last September, has sold over 8.1 million copies by now and BioWare’s sci-fi RPG Mass Effect has done good as well, with 1.6 million copies sold since its release six weeks ago.

As for the hardware, Microsoft has sold 17.7 million Xbox 360’s worldwide to date and as we imagine they’re pretty pleased with the record-high software attach rate of 6.9. Continue reading for the full press release.

Christmas 2007 proves a blockbuster season for Xbox 360

Christmas 2007 was a blockbuster season for the gaming industry, and Xbox 360 has hands-down emerged as the industry leader. Consumers spent more holiday dollars on the Xbox 360 total gaming experience: a great variety of consoles, the best games and a unique online community with Xbox LIVE.

Here are some breaking sales figures:

• Microsoft has sold more than 17.7 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide
• Microsoft has sold more than 8.1 million copies of “Halo 3” since its launch on September 26 2007
• “Mass Effect” reached 1.6 million units sold, in just six weeks since it went on sale on November 20 2007
• Consumers spend more on Xbox software and accessories, with a record-high software attach rate of 6.9, according to NPD

Microsoft is proud of the contributions Xbox 360 is making to the gaming industry, and looks forward to an even more successful 2008.