Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says not to worry: despite the bad economy, the company is poised for big growth.
"I believe our digital lives will only continue to get richer," Ballmer told attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Ballmer is particularly high on the new operating system, Windows 7, and pumped up additions to the Halo franchise. Halo Wars will be on-sale February 28 and Halo 3: ODST will be available in the fall. The acronym stands for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.
"This year is going to be a blockbuster year in the Halo universe," exec Robbie Bach added. He also said that the Xbox Live Marketplace virtual storefront has grown big-time since the debut of the NXE -- the New Xbox Experience -- in November. Content downloads are up 60%.
Bach also demonstrated the Xbox Live game show 1 vs. 100, a multiplayer game that can be played remotely.