GTA4 INSPIRED more than 2.3 million people to get online with their Xbox 360s over launch weekend, according to stats compiled by Volish Guru Larry Hyrb.

The online console service saw 1m concurrent players at its peak, thanks to GTA's seamless built-in multiplayer experience that allows gamers to set up their matches via the game's mobile phone.

The game has now overtaken perennial favourites such as Halo 3 and Gears of War to become by far the most popular game currently being played online by Xbox users. Indeed, the average gamer spent more than four hours playing the game online in just the first week - not including time spent in the epic single player campaign.

Microsoft staff also revealed that Xbox 360 console sales rose by 54 per cent in the launch week for GTA, as gamers finally persuaded themselves of the need to ditch the old PS2. Some preliminary information (corroborated by Wired here) suggests that GTA was selling in roughly 60/40 quantities favouring the Microsoft console.

Have a look at the numbers for yourself, here. µ