Kinect for Xbox 360 Hits Million Mark in Just 10 Days

It has only been 10 days and Microsoft has already sold 10 million Kinect units worldwide and aims to reach 5 million by the end of the year. The release come a week before the biggest sale in the U.S - Black Friday and in the wake of increasing momentum for Xbox 360, which led U.S. video game console sales for the past four months.



Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft stated that,“We are appreciative of the response we have seen from consumers that has culminated in sales of more than 1 million units in the first 10 days on the market for Kinect for Xbox 360. This is a great start to the holiday season, and we will continue to work with our retailer partners to keep pace with high demand and deliver against our plan to sell more than 5 million Kinect sensors worldwide by the end of this year.”


Before Kinect was launched, Microsoft raised its forecast of sale from 3 Million to 5 Million, a brave move.Kinect launched in North America on Nov. 4, followed by Europe on Nov. 10, and will land next in Asia (Nov. 18) and Japan (Nov. 20). By this holiday, controller-free games and entertainment will reach more than 60,000 retailers in 38 countries with up to 17 Kinect games available.


Chris Homeister, senior vice president and general manager of the home entertainment group at Best Buy stated that, “We have seen tremendous excitement from customers for Kinect for Xbox 360. There were lines of customers at our stores all over the country on the night of the Kinect launch, and thousands more are trying it for themselves in our stores every day. It’s no surprise Microsoft has already surpassed 1 million units sold, and we expect Kinect to be one of the must-have gifts at Best Buy this holiday.”


For Xbox360 consumers, Kinect will revolutionize the way the play games. With just the wave of a hand or the sound of a voice, consumers can play games, stream music, watch HD movies and live ESPN sporting events, and engage in video chat.


Microsoft also recently announced that the more than 25 million Xbox LIVE members have spent more than 1 billion hours on the service a month, an average of over 40 hours per member. In addition to Xbox 360 console momentum, and the ever-expanding service and content library of Xbox LIVE, Microsoft released franchise games such as “Halo: Reach” and “Fable III” to hordes of devoted fans this fall, as well as announcing that Xbox 360 will be the first console to launch add-on content for all “Call of Duty” titles through 2012, helping drive industry software sales. With Xbox 360, Kinect and Xbox LIVE, Microsoft is proving to be a leading gaming and social entertainment service in the living room and the industry this holiday.


With its simplicity and approachable interface, Kinect is hard to not want and there are several options for users to literally jump into the action:


Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor. For consumers who already have an Xbox 360 console, the stand-alone Kinect for Xbox 360, at an estimated retail price (ERP) of $149.99 (U.S.), includes the Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures” and works with all of the 45 million Xbox 360 consoles currently in homes worldwide.


<sup>Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect. For new Xbox consumers, the Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect, priced at $299.99 ERP (U.S.), includes the new flat black Xbox 360 4GB console, Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures,” which will have families off the couch and enjoying entertainment quickly and easily.


Xbox 360 250GB console with Kinect. For the serious entertainment experts in the family, the Xbox 360 250GB console with Kinect, priced at $399.99 ERP (U.S.), includes the glossy black Xbox 360 250GB console, Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures” and provides more memory to store movies, music and more</sup>