Xbox One pre-orders a record-breaking hit for Blockbuster

Pre-orders of the Xbox One console in the last week have broken all previous pre-order records in Blockbuster's 24-year history, according to a report out of the U.K. today.

This news, courtesy of MCVUK, is great for Microsoft, which has faced a wave of criticism from gamers about the Xbox One unveiling a week ago today.

While the company's stance on used games and its always-on Xbox One needs to be clarified, Blockbuster in the U.K. seems encouraged by the pre-ordering trend so far.

"We are delighted by the huge number of pre-orders that we have received so far for the new Microsoft console," said Blockbuster's head of games, James Morton.

"With Sony releasing the PS4 in the near future, the next few months are going to be an exciting time for our staff and customers at Blockbuster and we can't wait to hear more details from both Sony and Microsoft at the E3 Expo next month."

Pre-orders better than PS4?

What's interesting is that while Blockbuster went on the record to talk about its enthusiasm for Xbox One pre-orders, some unnamed retailer has gone one step further.

Xbox One pre-orders in the first 24 hours after Microsoft's reveal event were already besting those of Sony's PS4 console, according to the one retailer who spoke to MCVUK.

What makes this interesting is that PS4 was announced all the way back in February.

Not too surprisingly, PS4 pre-orders are said to have increased after the Microsoft event, too, likely because gamers were holding out to see which of the two consoles they prefered more.

However, there are several months to go before the U.K.'s £20 pre-orders and Australia's AUD$50 pre-orders need to be fulfilled.

On top of that, U.S. stores have yet to start accepting pre-orders, meaning the Xbox One vs PS4 pre-order war will go on.

• Learn how to pre-order Xbox One by keeping up-to-date with our handy guide.