There's a countdown on the Xbox home page, one that is ticking down the days until the latest version of Microsoft's popular gaming console is available, and one can almost hear the accompanying "chaching." As the holiday season looms large, the release of Xbox 360 is music to the industry's ears.

That's because sales of video game consoles have been flat for the past two years as all three platforms took breaks from releasing new versions. In 2002 and 2003, sales of game hardware stalled at just under $2.3 billion according to the Consumer Electronics Association, although the sales slump wasn't because of waning popularity. Game con soles sold out in most retail locations well before the holidays in spite of the lack of new models as manufacturers failed to keep up with demand. But with Xbox 360 hitting stores in time for the Thanksgiving weekend, the CEA expects 2005 sales to come in closer to $3.7 billion, with 2006 really benefiting from the new release---sales for that year are being projected to reach more than $5 billion.

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