Microsoft announced in the latest NPD numbers that its Xbox 360 gaming console has sold over 200,000 units, becoming the top-selling console for the month and continuing its strong momentum (June 2012 marked 16 months as the best-selling console).

Xbox 360 sold 203,000 units in July 2012, eclipsing PlayStation 3 and Wii to take a 49 percent worldwide share of current-generation gaming consoles. Xbox 360 also took 40 percent of the U.S. market share; July is the XBox 360's 17th consecutive month as the best-selling console in the U.S.

Total retail spending on Xbox 360 - including hardware, software, and accessories - totaled U.S.$218 million. "Consumers spent more money on Xbox 360 in July than they spent on the other two current-generation consoles combined," MIcrosoft said. NPD numbers have displayed the trend throughout 2012.

Xbox 360 titles also took 6 slots on the top 10 chart for games, with NCAA Football 13, The Amazing Spider-Man movie tie-in, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Assassin's Creed Revelations, and Batman: Arkham City are. Revelations, Black Ops, and Arkham City are all 2011 titles. Consumers may be flocking to known titles during the quiet summer period.

Microsoft also highlighted upcoming releases, including Halo 4 and the Kinect title Fable: The Journey, as well Kinect "experiences" including Nike+ Training Kinect and Kinect Nat. Geo. New software for Xbox 360 included Internet Explorer 10 - announced at E3 2013 - and Xbox Windows, bringing Xbox Live support to Windows 8, along with second screen app SmartGlass. SmartGlass provides contextual information on games or television shows, such as showing a character's location on a map.

These impressive numbers prove that the console is not suffering from next-generation console speculation. With November 2012 and February 2013 packed with triple-A releases, it would not be a surprise to see record sales again.