Microsoft confirmed the rumors about its Xbox 360 Arcade consoles, which will be available from now on with an internal 256 MB memory, upgraded from only 16 MB. Until now, gamers had to use a removable memory card.

“We are constantly updating the console’s more than 1700 internal components. We can confirm that we are moving to internal memory for the Xbox 360 Arcade. The physical internal memory is the same size as the previous external memory units - 256MB” said a Microsoft spokesperson, as quoted by Slashgear.com.

The company is looking to upgrade the console’s hardware and considering that the holiday season is just a few weeks away, every effort is important for the overall sales.

The move will be greatly appreciated by the console’s users, as there have been many reports about errors and lost memory cards and also about removed cards at certain untimely moments. In addition to that, the New Xbox Experience demands significantly more storage space to load its settings.

At this point, Microsoft registers more than 14 million Xbox Live users and the company hopes to bring in more subscribers from the mainstream segment, aside from its success with hardcore gamers. Microsoft’s efforts over the past few years managed to provide many new features to its Xbox console and also to its Xbox Live online service, significantly expanding their potential way beyond video games.

The company’s focus is set for now on the upcoming holiday season, which announces to be significantly better than initially expected.