'Great all-round entertainment’: that’s the Microsoft catch-phrase for Xbox 360 in the run up to Christmas following a new sales milestone.

Good news for games today, not just Microsoft. Six million Xbox 360 consoles sold across Europe to date means there’s a lot of people enjoying traditional (non-Nintendo) gaming out there. But, uh-oh, it looks like Microsoft is using this as its opportunity to branch out and reach the ‘mass-market’. Well, okay.

Six million sold is the kind of momentum Xbox needs to cruise through Christmas and successfully make the stride from hardcore gamer’s toy to mass market living room entertainment centre thingummy wotsit. The new price points ranging from £129-£229 ought to help, and Microsoft reports that this is already making a positive contribution to sales. However the biggest change will be the introduction of the New Xbox Experience – a software update that makes the browser screens funkier and more user-friendly.

As for games, there are no new surprises in the latest announcement. Gears of War 2 is the event we’re most looking forward to here at Yahoo! UK, but broader-appealing titles such as Lips (karaoke), Scene It? (I spy); You’re In The Movies (what’s my line) and Fable 2 (once upon a time…) are blockbuster hopefuls too.

The battle is very much between Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this Christmas. Wii and DS are in another galaxy.