Microsofthas declaredthat it wants Kinect's launch to be the most successful in the history of videogames. We'll see about that, butit's at least heading in the right direction as Amazon and BestBuy.com have both sold out of pre-orders.
We don't know how many Kinect units Microsoft has sent out for launch shipments, or how big a slice of the pie it allocated to Best Buy and Amazon, but the fast sell-out at least suggests a high level of consumer excitement. Though it should be noted that other online retailers, like Walmart.com,are still selling pre-orders.
At $150, the Kinect sells foralmost as much as the Xbox 360 itself, is the same price as a Wii, and is more expensive than a DS. Somehavesuggested that it's too pricey to succeed.
Combine the pricewith a launch line-up of casual party games, and we're a bit skeptical that Microsoft will reach itshigh aspirations. The company expects to sell three million units by the end of the year.
But this is definitely a good start for Kinect. Microsoft's massive marketing campaign for the accessory - which it's poured more money into than it has for any Xbox product ever - seems to be paying off. There will be midnight launches for Kinect all over theUS for its November 4 release. Will you be buying one?
[Source:San Francisco Chronicle]
Oct 28, 2010
