Microsoft’s senior vice president of Interactive Entertainment Business Yusuf Mehdi has stated that given the broad multimedia focus of Xbox One, there’s no reason why it can’t shift between 400 million and 1 billion consoles in its lifetime. He said the company is also angling for 100 million Xbox 360 console sales in the next five years.

Speaking with OXM, Mehdi said of Microsoft’s hopes for Xbox 360, “We believe over the next five years we can break a 100 million unit installed base. That’s something we’re shooting for, it’s not a financial plan as such, it’s just rough numbers if you will.

“To sell another 25 million, half of those will probably come from replacements, but half will come from new buyers. And the way we’ll break into those segments is by hitting new price points, getting new classes of entertainment to come with the Xbox, and breaking into new customer segments. So you’ll see the Xbox 360 continue to exist, even as we launch the next generation Xbox One.”

On the subject of Xbox One sales and the growth of the market with the herald of next-gen formats, Mehdi continued, “Every generation, as you’ve probably heard, has grown approximately 30%. So this generation is about 300 million units. Most industry experts think the next generation will get upwards of about 400 million units. That’s if it’s a game console, over the next decade.

“We think you can go broader than a game console, that’s our aim, and you can go from 400 million to potentially upwards of a billion units. That’s how we’re thinking of the Xbox opportunity as we go forward.”

That’s a lofty goal, but how do you think recent chat about £35 pre-owned fees and Kinect DRM might impact Microsoft’s chances? Let us know what you think below.