Following the launch of Halo 3, Microsoft quickly and righteously crowed about that game's first-day sales. Estimated at some US$170 million, Halo 3's inaugural was, as predicted, the most lucrative launch in entertainment history, topping even the $150 million best first day boxoffice of Spider-Man 3. However, it's a silly comparison, because movie tickets only cost, say $12, as opposed to $60, $70, or $130 a pop -- plus, you can't "pre-sell" a movie like you can a videogame.

Still, it's a notable achievement, an incontrovertible triumph within the videogame industry itself. James Brightman, game industry journalist extraordinaire over at GameDaily Biz (biz.gamedaily.com), estimated that $170 million in sales equates to approximately 2.34 million copies of the game sold in one day, factoring in the various Halo 3 packages, including the Standard edition ($60): 1,333,800 units, Limited edition ($70): 678,600 units, and the Legendary edition ($130): 327,600 units.