Microsoft has just released a statement showing that 360 sales are in the very rudest health. That they should announce such a thing less than 24 hours after Sony issued a shocking profits warning is, we’re sure, a mere coincidence.

“We sold 2.2 million Xbox 360 consoles, representing over 20 percent growth, as retailers stocked inventory ahead of the holiday season,” boasts Microsoft’s general manager of investor relations, Bill Koefoed, adding for good measure that the Xbox 360 also outpaced sales of the Playstation 3 by over 100,000 boxes in the financial quarter ending September 30th.

Doubtless the next quarter will be one to tell the grandchildren about too - Gears 2, Fable 2, a fistful of truly compelling titles aimed at the casual and hardcore sectors and, of course, the el-cheapo Xbox 360 Arcade to play them all on etc. For all that, though, Microsoft is still a tad gloomy about the year-end profit forecast. Not to the same devastating extent as Sony, you understand. Instead the profits are expected to settle between 64.9 - 66.4 billion dollars, down from previous estimates of $67.3 - 68.1 billion. Aw, shame…

But back to the 360. Add these 2.2 million new sales to the previous best guess and it looks like The 360 now has a total global user base of 22 million, or thereabouts. That’s still second fiddle to the Wii at 34 million, but, crucially, is around 6 million sales ahead of the Playstation 3. We imagine that Sony is certainly not enjoying the taste of them apples…