Microsoft are delighted with the figures released yesterday for sales of their Xbox 360 console. According to NPD, a data collection and analysis researcher in the US, January has resulted in an 18% rise in sales over the same period last year.

The figure for January stands at 294,000 consoles sold.

"Xbox 360 had a fantastic January, and we feel great about our position in the marketplace," said Molly O'Donnell, a group manager from Microsoft's entertainment division.

The figure is less remarkable when you take into account that the Xbox 360 was notoriously difficult to get hold off in January 2006 as it was only a few months after the launch date.

The figures still don't beat opposition sales, with Wii selling more than 436,000 units, while Sony's PlayStation 2 sold 299,999 units.