NPD: More gamers play online through Xbox 360 than PS3

Nearly 50 percent more online console gamers use Xbox 360 for playing games online than PlayStation 3, according to data from the NPD Group's 2013 Online Gaming report released by Microsoft today. Of note, the NPD Group tracks data for the United States only.

In addition, Microsoft said in the past 12 months, the company has delivered more than 20 billion hours of online gaming and entertainment through Xbox 360. This represents a 17 percent year-over-year growth, the company said.

Microsoft did not say how those 20 billion hours were divided between games and entertainment services, like Netflix or Hulu. The company announced in March 2012 that Xbox Live users in the United States spend more time with entertainment services than they do playing games through the online service.

The new statistics are part of Microsoft's "Week of Xbox Live" campaign that began today. Microsoft will share more news and information about what is in the pipeline for Xbox Live throughout the week.

Today's update on the Xbox Wire touched upon previously announced Xbox One features like the system's new Friends and Followers tabs, as well as the new Achievement system. Check out the video below for a first look at how the Friends app will work on Xbox One.