Xbox may not be playing too well in Europe, according to a report at Heise News. Quoting figures from Markt für Computer- und Videospiele, the report suggests that only small quantities of the machines were actually sold in the immediate post-launch period in FRance and Germany.

In the first three days in Germany MCV says only 10,000 Xboxes got into the hands of consumers, and this position was mirrored in France. In the UK it chalked up a healthier 48,000 in the first three days. MCV speculates however that large quantities of machines will have been bought by dealers; so although they might show up in any sales claims Microsoft makes (it hasn't, yet), they're only real say when (or if) they go out of the shop door.

MCV compares the Xbox European rollout to the Playstation 2 launch. In November 2000, around 140,000 units were sold in Germany and the UK. Meanwhile, recent Japanese sales figures have shown Xbox sales flattening fairly swiftly after a post-launch spike. ®