The NPD Group numbers for November were released on Friday and the three big home console markers rushed to show off their power. Microsoft has all the reasons to be happy, seeing how the Xbox 360 sold twice the number of consoles the PlayStation 3 from Sony managed to move. To add salt to the injury, the Microsoft console sold more than the PS3 and PS2 combined.

Microsoft points out that this is the most successful November and the most successful Black Friday for the games division as it registered 298 million dollars in third party videogame sales. The Redmond giant claims that third party developers are getting more revenue from the Xbox 360 market than from the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3 third party markets combined.

In addition to the success of its gaming console, the Microsoft published and Epic Games developed Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 2 is the best sold videogame of the month in North America, with 1.6 million copies sold.

Following the November 19 release of the New Xbox Experience, the usage levels of Xbox Live have gone up significantly, with more people downloading movies and TV series. Also, Avatars have managed to make Xbox Live Arcade games more popular than ever, with A Kingdom for Keflings leading the way.

Don Mattrick, who is the senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business division of Microsoft, stated, after the release of the NPD figures, that “We’ve created the optimal line-up of experiences this holiday season for families seeking lasting entertainment value, particularly during rough economic times in the U.S. and abroad. We have the largest library of games, TV and movie content and the most expansive and rewarding social experiences. We’re confident Xbox 360 will continue to drive record sales around the world this holiday and beyond”.