Microsoft has recently reported its fourth quarter earnings (Q4) for 2009. The company has filed revenue figures that represent a decline of 17 percent over the same quarter in the previous year.

Revenue in Q4 2009 dipped 17 percent compared to the revenue in Q4 2008. More troubling for Microsoft is the fact that profit in Q4 2009 dipped 29 percent compared to profit in Q4 2008.

The massive decline in Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division (EED) in Q4 2009 has been primarily attributed to the underperforming Zune and other devices.

Over the quarter Microsoft shipped 1.2 million Xbox 360 consoles, compared to the previous Q4 which shipped 1.3 million units.

Although 2009’s Q4 was not quite as strong as the same quarter in the previous year, the company still managed to record a $161 million profit for the year. Between June 2008 and June 2009 Microsoft shipped 11.2 million Xbox 360 consoles. In the same period in the previous year Microsoft shipped just 8.7 million units, showing a marked increase in hardware sales compared to the previous fiscal year.

Although Microsoft recorded an increase in sales over its recent fiscal year, its total revenue figures were lower. The company attributes the fall in revenue to decreased “revenue per console due to price reductions during the past 12 months”

As part of its recent financial report, Microsoft has stated that its console now enjoys an attach rate of 8.6. This means that for every console sold, 8.6 games have been sold. Furthermore, Microsoft has stated that its Xbox Live membership is now sitting at 20 million users, which is around two thirds of the total Xbox 360 owning population.

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