Microsoft announced their quarterly results recently, with some very good news for their Interactive Gaming division (Xbox, Xbox 360). Their gaming division were happy to see their results more than double thanks to the Xbox 360 momentum, inferring that Microsoft’s head start this generation is helping them create a solid customer base in anticipation of the PS3.

Some finer of the finer points from Microsoft’s Gamerscore blog after the jump..

· Xbox 360 will be available in 36 countries for the holiday and our installed base through September is 6 million consoles worldwide (3.6 million in North America, 1.7 million in Europe and approximately 700,000 in the rest of the world.)

· As such, Xbox 360 is in an excellent position for the second quarter. By holiday 2006, we expect to have sold more than 10 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide and have a catalog of 160 high-definition games. Our yearly guidance still implies that by the end of the fiscal year we expect to have sold 13 to 15 million Xbox 360 consoles since launch.

· Key profit drivers for the platform include Xbox 360 software and accessory attach rates, which remain very strong relative to previous console launches. The Xbox 360 accessory attach rate remains the highest ever for the first ten months after a console launch in the US, holding at 2.9 accessory units sold per console (Source: NPD). Software attach rates rose to a record 5.1 units per console (Source: NPD).

· With the impending releases of the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset, and the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing wheel accessory attach rates are expected to continue their momentum into the second quarter and beyond.

· Xbox Live now boasts a community of more than 4 million members worldwide, with more than 6 million expected by June 2007. Xbox Live Marketplace, the one-stop digital download center, has seen more than 70 million downloads since launch including Xbox Live Arcade games, content packs, demos, and other media. To date, there have been a staggering 12 million Xbox Live Arcade downloads. All told, more than 2 billion Microsoft points have been sold to date.

Read more: Microsoft results at Gamerscore blog

Microsoft’s online service, Xbox Live, announced yesterday that they’ve reached the 4 million subscriber mark, with projections showing more than 6 million by June 2007. Yet still it takes me ±15 minutes to actually get an online Street Fighter match going. Currently, Xbox Live is the largest platform for high-def, on-demand content and pulls a 24% trial-to-purchase rate. Not too shabby, but Microsoft has always led the way with their online service and I seriously doubt Sony or Nintendo will be able to build a better system.

Read more: Xbox Live reaches 4 million subscribers

The almighty Dig Dug is now available on Xbox Live Arcade, sporting some enhanced new features which almost makes you not feel bad paying to play a 24 year old game on a next-generation gaming console. The game features enhanced graphics including HDTV support (480p & 720p), 12 Xbox Live Achievements and an online leaderboards, so you can compete against your friends and family for only 400 Xbox Live points.

Read more: Dig Dug on Xbox Live Arcade

Several weeks ago, Microsoft launched their Xbox 360 console in India and though the price is outrageous in relation to India’s GDP, their marketing campaign is accessible to everyone, even me! Featuring Akshay Kumar and Yuvraj Singh, everything about this commercial is great. The cinematography is beautiful, with exaggerated colors to match the exaggerated people running, jumping and er, stretching around the “homeland”. It sure beats the Austrian and German ads, which have to be the dryest, most boring ads I’ve seen.

Watch the Indian Xbox 360 commercial after the jump..
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Alan Wake, the follow-up from Remedy after their hit releases of Max Payne, is beginning to look like the tech demo / postergame for Microsoft’s next-generation gaming platforms. With more information starting to surface about the game (well, minus any real gameplay information), the screenshots being released are starting to look more and more amazing with every new shot released. This time, we have a few new environment shots, though, no official word on whether they are for the Xbox 360 (we’d be REALLY amazed if they were for the 360) or Vista PC. Showing some of the greatest environmental lighting I’ve ever seen, I’m getting more excited about this title every time I see it. Let’s just hope Remedy does a little bit more with their character animation this time around, cause, come no, no next-gen title can be feature a main character as stiff as Max Payne.

Screenshots after the jump..

Read more of “New Alan Wake screenshots are absolutely breathtaking“