Microsoft announced pricing and availability on Tuesday for its Kinect motion sensing controller for the Xbox 360, saying the device would be available November 4 at a price of $149.99. The release of the Kinect means that Microsoft would square off this holiday season against Sony, who also plans to release its own system.
Microsoft would bundle the Kinect controller and an Xbox 360 console with 4GB of internal memory for $299.99. The console itself would begin selling on its own for $199.99 on August 3, however.
"Kinect truly is a revolutionary product," Xbox marketing head Josh Hutto said. "With one purchase, families get Kinect and the most complete and affordable way to have fun."
Kinect would come bundled with the game Kinect Adventures, in which players are put through challenges based in exotic locations such as whitewater rafting and obstacle courses. Microsoft would also release Kinectimals, Kinect Sports, Kinect Joy Ride and Dance Central, all of which would retail for $49.99.
Sony plans its own motion-sensing system -- dubbed Move -- which will debut on September 19 for $99.99. A controller, a video camera, and the game Sports Champions would be included in the package. However, analysts point out the overall cost of a full Move system is $180.
The difference between Kinect and Move is that Sony will require individual controllers akin to how the Wii detects motion, whereas Microsoft's entrant senses the body movements of the player without one through the Kinect controller.
Both companies appear to be following in the footsteps of Nintendo. By bundling a game with the controller itself, they realize that in order to get people excited about the new gameplay options, they must be able to play it out of box. Both will include a sports-related game, much like the Wii came bundled with Wii Sports.
Whether consumers respond to the product remains to be seen. Analysts seem to agree that Kinect's $150 price point may be a little high to trigger widespread adoption, but widely expect Microsoft to lower the price point below $100 by the holiday season in order to increase sales.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
