Kinect is the Fastest-Selling Videogame Hardware of All Time - News
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 07 January 2011 / 15,985 Views
With the recent announcement by Microsoft of 8 million units of Kinect sold-in to retail in two months and with current VGChartz estimates of Kinect sell-through to consumers at 7.2 million, the hardware has certainly exceeded most expectations and become the big hit of the holiday season 2010. The launch of Kinect has pushed Xbox 360 hardware far above the levels seen this time in 2008 and 2009 and titles like Kinect Sports and Dance Central have seen very strong sales.
So Kinect is a definite success but how does it compare to other videogame hardware launches? Firstly, there is some debate over whether Kinect can be considered as a videogame system or whether it is an accessory - this is certainly a grey area and Kinect exhibits characteristics of both. For the argument as a system, the fact that Kinect has it's own library of games which can only be played on Kinect certainly distances it from a typical accessory like a Guitar Hero guitar or even the Wii Balance Board, both of which are only supported by a handful of games, many of which can be played without those accessories. From a consumer perspective, Kinect is actually limited (in terms of potential sales) by the fact that you need an Xbox 360 to use it. Therefore, the two options available are to purchase in a hardware bundle starting at $300 or you effectively get a Kinect at a discounted rate of $150 if you already own an Xbox 360. So from a consumer perspective, Kinect is a very real competitor to the likes of Wii as a platform as it costs a similar amount and has a distinct library of games that can only be played on Kinect.
In terms of sales comparisons, the most obvious is to the other motion platforms - Wii and PS Move. In the same timeframe from launch, Kinect outsold Wii by almost 2:1 and PS Move over 5:1. The comparison to Wii isn't entirely fair as Nintendo suffered heavy supply constraints from launch (Kinect saw sell-outs but not nearly to the same level) and some credit has to be given to the fact that Nintendo created the whole "motion" genre with titles like Wii Sports and Wii Play, complete with the distinctive family-focused branding that Microsoft has borrowed heavily from with Kinect and has matured into an entire market in the four years since Wii launch. That said, the raw figures are hard to argue with and with the launch price of Wii at $250 compared to the average selling price of a Kinect purchase at around $220 then the comparison is fair. Note that for PS Move, the figure is given as the number of camera+PS Move controller purchases (so one camera and 4 controllers counts as one purchase) and the figures also don't include holiday sales since PS Move launched around two months before Kinect.
So how does Kinect compare to other system launches? The table below shows the top ten launch sales in the same two month aligned timeframe:
It needs to be understood that the positioning of the launch timeframe of a system will have an enormous impact on initial sales - a holiday launch will tend to result in higher initial sales than launching during the summer. Also, a number of hardware formats suffer from initial shortages and production issues - notably missing from this list is the Xbox 360 itself which sold only 1.6 million units in the first two months aligned due to various production problems and the Wii figure would have been much higher had more supply been available as has already been mentioned. Most hardware launches are also replacements of older systems (Wii from GameCube, PS3 from PS2, DS from GBA etc) - it is typical for hardware to have a 1-2 year crossover period where software is still being made for both systems and it takes the new system a while to pick up momentum. Obviously Kinect and Move don't really have this issue.
With that said, nothing can be taken away from the Kinect launch and it's status as the fastest-selling videogame hardware launch of all time. Stay tuned to VGChartz for more news on Kinect sales in the coming months.
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@adinsx - Before you criticise or call other people's posts read your own. All I see is an anti MS biggot ignoring facts and exposing your biased position. Wii is a hugely successful platform. But the kinect has sold faster. The article (as is usually the case on vgchartz) is balanced, fair and covering all sides. Lastly - please dont call people stupid, when your poor usage of english, gramatical errors and ignorance of facts doesnt paint you in an intellectual light either. Many great ideas on this forum. Yours is console racism and fanboyism.
@reidlosdog
Stop to read my post first before answering to it and STFU you xbox fanboy.
It's an hardware? Yes it is!
It's stupid comparing just a different hardware? Yes it is, that why this POST in vgchartz is careless and a waste of space on the database.
And saying that no hardware in the WORLD and all TIME has not sold so much in 2 months than kinect is a stupid argument.
Now first read my post, then if u want answer, and after that I can answer you that I couldn't care less about kinect sales.
Is there any point in arguing anymore?
It's hardware Nyeguy81, adinsx, & Nintendology. HARDWARE. Go look it up.
1.
metalware, as tools, locks, hinges, or cutlery.
2.
the mechanical equipment necessary for conducting an activity, usually distinguished from the theory and design that make the activity possible.
3.
military weapons and combat equipment.
4.
Slang . a weapon carried on one's person: The rougher types were asked to check their hardware at the door.
5.
Computers . the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical devices comprising a computer system, as the CPU, disk drives, keyboard, or screen.
Better now? Do you feel vindicated enough? NO HARDWARE HAS SOLD AS MUCH AS KINECT.
shouldnt be any debate at all. it is an accessory and should not be compared to stand alone systems.
Kinect = Waste of money.
People like to waste money on stupid things, that's life, that's capitalism.
Live with it, I don't buy kinect until there's a prove that some hardcore game use it perfectly, and I bet no game will use it.
I would buy kinect just so i could connect to my PC and program on it, that would probrably be the best use for it.
Why isn't the Kinect being compared to the Wii Motion Plus or Wii Balance board? After giving it some thought, it seems like a far more appropriate comparison.
@Anvel
It's just facts. No one is making you do anything.
so what?? even it reach 80m i also won't buy it, it just make for mini games that won't need much time to play on, cause i play long hour core game and such way can't help to improve my gaming time but will decrease it even if it really came out with core game in future...
@DM235
1st question. Read the title. Hardware. Accessories are hardware, but they have never sold this much in the course of 60 days. Ever. I'm sure if you looked through time you would have about 50000000000000000 PS2's out there. It's just hardware for the first 60 days. Read again, I know, it's hard cause it's in the title, but hardware is hardware.
2nd question. Answered in first.
3rd question. Your doing your math wrong. If you would like to see the Move sales in your terms, simply times that number by 4, not five. This is because 1 piece of that whole unit is already being equated. You need to calm down. Being angry makes you stupid. So the amount of unites, in your terms sold, is 5.16 million. Still considerably less than the Kinect at base price of $150.
Let's make this easier for you. IF, and I say if, sony did sell 1.29 million (camera, 4 controllers) it would cost 249.99 to buy all of this single set., times those two together. That's $322,487,100. Now, Kinect sold 7.2 million at 149.99 (for the sake of argument, I will ignore the 299.99 edition). Times those two together and you get: $1,079,928,000. The money created by this is the big part of the equation.
No matter how you see it, this is huge. Please be more respectful and try to understand what people are saying rather than what you believe they are saying.
I think this proves you can sell a gaming product without a good library of games, that is if you spend enough $$$ for advertising, look at what Microsoft did for Halo, and the PS MOVE game line up is not bad considering you can use MOVE for Time Crisis, High Velocity Bowling, Heavy Rain, etc, I really think people are really buyin this because of the new and revolutionary technology it envoles, like the WII, PS MOVE is just a small improvement from WII technology therefor no one gonna go crazy over the PS MOVE, Let's just hope they can really do something good with KINECT, only good game out for it is Dance Central, they need some shooters or something
As always a good article from ioi.
There does seem to be a lot of butt hurt over it though. As someone else mentioned the games you get for Kinect can't be played on a 360 without it. If you want to shake it on Dance Central it won't work in your 360 without the Sensor. Thus making it a piece of hardware. Simple. As said in the article it has characteristics of both.
Either way well done MS. Hopefully now the software devs will think its worth making games on there aimed more at a hardcore audience.
This is the dumbest comparison / article yet. Brett, generally your analysis is great, but you must have been drunk when you were writing this article. It is so ridiculous that I had to respond.
First, Kinect is an accessory. It is a add-on platform that is a subset of the XBox 360, but not a console. Since the title of the article says it is a hardware comparison, and not a platform comparison, I would expect to see hardware sales comparisons. Personally, I think lumping consoles and accessories together gives you meaningless results, but so be it. If you were doing an add-on platform comparison, I would want to see Sega CD, the PS2 HDD, the PS Eye compared to each other.
Second, where are the comparisons to other accessories like DualShock controllers, WiiMotes or WiiMotion+ controllers?
And finally, why is the PS3 Move a count of 5 accessory purchases? So in reality, this is 6.45 million accessories. Heck, I have been trying to buy another Move controller for 4 months now, but since I only have 1 I guess I am only 2/5 of a purchase? I guess my wife, my daughter and I are just fooling ourselves that we were having fun because we really need to buy 3 more controllers??? Especially since all Move games require 4 controllers? Brett, what were you thinking???
If you apply the same logic to the Wii, I guess you have to divide the number by 8 to only account for people 4 WiiMotes and 4 Nunchuks, because that is the only way to play games the Wii??? That means it will not even make your top ten list? I guess it is a total failure?
If Kinect successful? Yes. Is this article dumb? Yes.
Please do a proper analysis next time...
I bet Sony wishes it didnt pass on kinect, lol Congratz Ms
Hopefully now developers can see there is enough install base to make games for!
Well done Microsoft, congrats to those posters on here mature enough to credit their success too.
I agree that the Kinect isn't and shouldn't be considered a game system. It isn't just an accessory like a racing wheel or a controller with the rumble pack. Because of it's price point, you have to look at it as a tweener. So, i think you can look at all sorts of comparisons to hardware, but still only as a reference. Besides that, look at the attachment!!!! There are only 52 Million 360's and in 60 days, they have added almost 8 million of these to that user base. They have already captured 16% of their available market in only a short time.
Unbelievable sales .. yes go kinect :)
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Its a peripheral, a controller, not a new console. The comparison with real consoles is wrong.
By the way. I think form all the hardware in the list, kinect got the biggest marketing campaign by far.
hardware ? comeo on ... it is a peripheral ...
do not compare apple with cherry ...
whatever, it is still an insane success for a 150$ peripheral !
american brainwash
Kinect is just feeding off the crowd Nintendo made with motion controls. This thing is a CONTROLLER not a console. It shouldn't be compared with other systems either. To me, It's an Add-On like the Wii Balance Board.
With 500$ in Advertisements, I would really hope so.
Honestly though, Kinect "Controller" shouldn't be compared with Consoles, I don't care what anyone says. I don't give a crap if Sony, Nintendo and MS all agreed on the fact.
Kinect doesn't run on it's own and it sure as heck doesn't play the games. It's not something you just plug into your TV like some cheap Fisher Price toy. It's hardware that REQUIRES the 360. IT'S A CONTROLLER!
It should be pulled from this list. Danged fanboys and bias opinions. If MOVE was up there, I would say remove it as well. So don't even go there that I'm some fanboy.
A lot of lies and misinformation being spread due to idiotic knee-jerk reactions.
Haters say, "Kinect can't be compared to a console! WAH WAH WAAAAHMBULANCE!" I say, "Yes it can. All consoles and hardware like Move and Kinect are platforms intended to play games. Neither the PS3 nor 360 could not play Move or Kinect games without the platform (Move and Kinect). Thus forth, they are rightfully compared to consoles in sales because each are platforms where games are designed to play on them."
Other haters say, "What about the CORE games. You know, the only games that matter." I reply, "The CORE already has their games. What do you think any FPS, sandbox, sports, racing or RPG is? Move and Kinect are marketed towards a wider market than a minority of forum goers who are vocal. The casual market could support entire consoles on their own. The CORE market cannot because of their lack of size."
Haters say, "You can't play Kinect without a 360." I reply, "Could you play Wii Sports or use the PSEye without a Wii or PS3?" Goes back to the original point, Move and Kinect just like the Wii, PS3 and 360 are PLATFORMS where without them you could not play the games designed for them."
I rest...for now.
Hm . . . it seems a lot of people don't understand what "fastest selling video game hardware" means.
In short, it doesn't matter how advertised it was, it doesn't matter when it launched, it doesn't matter if you hate Microsoft, what it means is that its selling faster for it's launch period then any other video game hardware. Why are people making such a fuss about it? Hes not saying it's better then any other thing, just that its selling faster.
The point of comparing it to other video game hardware is because (real shocker, avert eyes if you're underaged) it's video game hardware.
Those may be big numbers, but I don't know how anyone could classify it as good news. Despite having absolutely no core games at launch, it manages to sell that amount, and it needed a marketing campaign more than twice the amount of the Wii's launch marketing campaign.
Basically, Microsoft took all they got from the core gamers they've been catering to for the past five years and produced a peripheral aimed squarely at the casual crowd. With no core games, you can expect an influx of shovelware even worse than the Wii's, because that's all that's selling right now, and it's selling a LOT. Why make core games if there's no telling that the audience is even there? There's not a single game that can prove otherwise. Even worse, what few core games there are, like Fighters Uncaged, sold terribly despite being launch titles. You also don't even know if traditional games are possible at all. They should have taken a few tips from Nintendo and have at least one core game available at launch, or at least some videos, to show that core or traditional gaming isn't impossible.
Basically, unless you're a stockholder or a total fanboy, these numbers are not good. All they're saying is that Microsoft wanted to make a casual product, and it's selling with and only with casual software. There's absolutely no good news for the core gamer.
look at all these butthurt babys =(, it hurts to sit down doesnt it? Kinect is just amazing!
The fact is, Kinect can never be higher then the number of 360s sold, and even with kinect, wii is still beating 360 including in 2010.
Maybe it's beacuse English my "2nd" language so to speak but after reading this article 3 time I still don't see how Kinect is anything but a "add-on" like the Balanceboard
also the most advertised
nerson say , Ha ,haaa...HATERs ..lol
These juxtapositions are erroneous at best. The Wii was a brand new system with an untested control scheme and no existing market for motion controlled games. The Kinect gets to capitalize on a market that Nintendo has crafted over the past four years. The Kinect can also be sold to existing Xbox 360 owners. Lastly, it is a peripheral, not an entirely new system. No one considers the Eye Toy or the Playstation Eye to be new systems, and they are also motion tracking cameras, just like the Kinect. In fact, a lot of Kinect games play like old Eye Toy games, but with better graphics. So if those weren't consider systems, then neither is this.
With that said, Microsoft is making a killing. This only proves that motion controls are the future, and not a gimmick, as so many developers and publishers had predicted in the past. It is nice to see Microsoft remain competitive. In all honesty, even though Nintendo is my favorite game company, it is nice to see an American company thriving in a market that we originally established.
@hsrob if you try and compare it with other controllers it would be even uglier
1) The Kinect is doing exceedingly well! 2) I read the whole article. 3) I read some of the comments but not all since the site has been kinda slow recently and the posted comments (particularly the first few) get messed up on my comp for some reason.
Whew! Now that that is out of the way...
Brett, I liked the article. It's interesting to see how Kinect is doing...but it is honestly strange to call Kinect a system. I realize you didn't blatantly call it a system, but you do call it "hardware" and you did put it in a table with game system launches. However, It is an accessory. I mean, consider the Motion +. It has a "library" of games that can't be played without it (albeit small), and it is hardware...but it still requires a system to run it. It should be noted that since it [Kinect] is not a system, but in fact requires a system to work, that the sales might not have been as good if ALL purchasers had to buy a Kinect along with a brand new system--which would have to be a system NOT already on the market since we're speaking of "launches", thus the cheapest bundled price would be higher than $300 if for example the Kinect came out at the same time that the 360 did. I'm not saying that the success of Kinect is overblown. I'm just saying that these issues cause problems in your report and maybe the numbers would be +/- what you report...who knows.
Anyway, the last problem with treating the Kinect as a system is this: Did you include the 360 as a potential player on the table of fastest systems launches? Did it just not make the top ten? (I'm not being cynical, I'm just your target audience who you are trying to inform of/introduce to such stats) If Kinect is indeed a system, how does it's sales combine/subtract/modify the historical sales of the 360?
p.s. Do you know how many of VGChartz estimated sales of Kinect were in system bundles? That'd be awesome news to hear how many new 360 gamers were directly brought in by the launch of Kinect!
wow.....the comments on here turned into utter crap. Why is it so hard for people to just say congrats to Microsoft and good job on expanding the market?
Nothing can be taken away but I am sure without even reading the comments many have tried anyway.
Great sales regardless but It's just not a system and therefore shouldn't be compared with other systems. At the very least the comparison should have been expanded to include other controllers.
I don't really understand the argument that the sales are potentially limited by the fact that you need to own an XBox360 system. It could equally be argued that you are selling to an install base of 50 million people who have already committed to the Xbox360 product, in contrast to other new console hardware which is selling to an install base of 0.
@potreo maybe we should compare it to everything else that had the same advertising budget, that would be more fair in my opinion
Well try to play a Kinect game without the Kinect??? This is like saying the Sega CD was a peripherial and not a system. No one argued that the Sega CD wasn't it's own system even though you needed to use it inconjunction with the the Sega Genesis.
Long before the Kinect was launched MS had already stated that they were going to treat it just like a new system system launch and they did.
Why are you comparing a peripheral with consoles?? Try to play with a Kinect without the 360 and let's see what happend. It's only FAIR to compare it to wii controller, wii motion plus and ps move (or any other PERIPHERAL).
I hate when this happens... please compare apples to apples.
Remember when people were comparing the Kinect to the 32X? I imagine these numbers are killing them.
Impressive sales, but you cannot compare it to a console because it's just NOT hardware. It's an accessory. This is worse then the returns we got after xmas because people bought this thin without actually having an Xbox first, you still need an actual CONSOLE.
Impressive sales, no matter which way you look at it.
In my oppinion, you can't compare it with real consols
If a new console is released, it costs like twice as much ...
And you shouldn't forget, that no "videogame hardware add-on" has been ever hyped like this !
Yeah, I don't get the whole 4-move-controllers-plus-camera-count-as-1 thing. Seems pretty stupid, if I'm going to be completely frank about it.
@MightyGrogg source, and Move was no where near as heavily advertised as kinect
Kudos to M$ for not "creating" shortages, and actually making sure that their were sufficient quantities for consumers to buy, suring hte holidays. Sure, it was tough to get a standalone on launch, but I don't know of anywhere that was totally out, by Xmas. Now, we need the next round of software!!!
wow i thoughts there was a lot of people talking crap about this
but i should say that the PlayStation Move deserves more sales than that
...and the most casual hardware ever... Oh sorry was that politically incorrect?
And the haters are on board. IT IS A TOTAL SUCCESS AND NEEDS TO BE PRAISED EVERY NIGHT BEFORE SLEEP. LOL
What I want to understand is WHY this thing sells.
jajaja lol, comparing with consoles? jaja it would be better comparing with wii balance board, zapper, eye, etc. However good for ms =)
@manwhoknowseverythin
Again, M$ did not use all $500 million to advertise for the Kinect. The $500 is for advertising for the next 5 years. Yes, they heavily marketed the system, like you are suppose to do when you want it to sell well. Sony advertised the Move a lot as well. I saw lots of commercials and ads for it.
the Kinect IS hardware. It's not a system/console though. It's not different then the 32X or SEGA CD. Both are attachable hardware. I wouldn't call it an accessory though. I thought the Move had sold much more then 1.29 in 2 months. What's up with that?
[url]http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20024165-17.html[/url]
It shipped 4.1 million in 2 months, so how could it still have 2.9 million still on retail shelves? That's serious overstock, don't you think? Kinect killed it, even after the Move had a 2 month head start.
@BoneArk
I Think it would be below DS. But hey Kinect sold a lot. A lot a lot. Kinect is a very good thing for Microsoft.
Well, no matter how you slice it, hardware or add-on it still outsold EVERYTHING!!
I wonder how much it would of sold if it launched with the 360 in 2005?
@reidlosdog, Yes, it is hardware (not software). I should have just stuck with using add-on and system in my post. Is it fair to compare a system vs add-on? And if so what is the point of comparing systems vs add-ons? I see no point...
and all thanks to Nintendo!
WOW
FYI - Kinect is not "videogame hardware" it is a peripheral. 360(hardware/console) works without the Kinect, but the Kinect only works when attached to the 360. To call it hardware is a streeeeetch. If anything, It should be compared to the gun for the Nintendo, the PS3 camera, or the Wii controller.
Not a hater, I own one and the kids love it. Just as good as a brand new puppy.
One camera and 4 controllers = 1 purchase? How do you determine which consumer just buys a camera and 1 controller, a camera and 4 controllers, and someone who just buys a controller? I know given the way Move is, it's hard to tell how many unique households it's in, but to say that it takes 4 controllers to equal one purchase is ridiculous.
Not to take away from their achievement or anything but it would be alot more impressive if it wasn't the most-advertised videogame hardware of all time, I mean yeah the sales are good but are the sales 500 million advertisement budget good?
@ sethnintendo
....It's still hardware. Would you like to simply continue to equate that since VG is comparing Kinect to other hardware, it's stating it is a console? Kinect is hardware. It's not software, it's not a console (though you do need it in order to play specific games), it's a add-on. It's hardware.
WE GOT YOUR BACK VG!! LET COMMON SENSE RULE THE LANDS!!
In Wii's defense Nintendo couldn't put out enough consoles in the first year to match supply. Kinect is still very very successful though, but i doubt it will outsell the Wii in the long run.
well good for MS
Extreme bullshit calling Kinect hardware. It is a freaking add on... I don't have any Kinect hate really. I just don't like the fact that you are trying to say it is hardware and comparing it to hardware. Saying the Sega CD or 32X is hardware might fly but the fact that you needed the Genesis still made those add-ons. I think everyone agrees that if you need a system to run the accessory then it is in fact an add-on not a system.
@famousringo: Well, the 8 million number is shipped, as I just saw from a source this morning, so I think you should use the vg number of 7.2 million that this article clearly uses.
Maybe it has already been answered, but I don't get the part where you wrote "the figure is given as the number of camera+PS Move controller purchases (so one camera and 4 controllers counts as one purchase)"
Why 4 controllers and not 2 ? Or does it include the Navigation controller ?
This can't be, kinect failed and is doomed! Doom I tell ya!
@ famousringo - I think I agree with you on that one, the Wii was scarce when it was released. Microsoft learned from Nintendo well I suppose.
The secret ingredient is confidence (and money). Microsoft had the balls to produce enough Kinects to sell 8 million in two months. The Wii? Nintendo hedged, and didn't build nearly enough to sate demand. Ditto for the balance board.
If the Kinect had flopped, Microsoft would be out an awful lot of money right now. But it didn't, so MS won big. Can't accuse Microsoft of not being willing to take risks.
@ horselot - Agreed. Need games before I'm convinced, but the large numbers bodes well for getting these games made!
anyway good for Microsoft, now is just time to wait for more games of it :)
@all the haters
Everyone that is screaming Kinect is a add-on so you can't compare it to any other hardware (cause it's unfair) is retarded.
These are just excuses. I can almost garentee that these same people said that the Kinect wouldn't sell because it was a $150 add-on. THAT'S AN EXPENSIVE ADD ON. Regardless, this is great hardware sales. What all the haters should be stating is that once that install base (the consumer base that already owns Xbox 360's) buys all of the Kinects they can, will sales slow?
I personally feel like they won't decrease. What is the greatest marketing strategy? One cheaper and far more difficult than any other? As Sony has stated, word of mouth. I think the more homes that have the Kinect, the more friends and family will see it and say: "We need this, now." It is safe to say that probably within the first 4 months, Kinect will sell at least 10 million. THAT'S CRAZY!! This is the next Wii folks, and even though I won't enjoy it, it looks like this might actually sell faster and better than the Wii.
The only thing threatening the Kinect? Wii 2 or whatever the next console Nintendo comes out with.
It's funny to see people still sighing "when are consumers going to get tired of motion controls?" after five years of motion control popularity.
Gamers hunched over Call of Duty may hate to hear it, but motion controls aren't going anywhere. They're just an evolution of video game interfaces. How they're integrated will shift and change now that the idea is out there, but it's clear that there's a large market for them and more people play video games than just this idea of "hardcore" gamers.
Gamers will just move the goal posts in retaliation ("those aren't real video games" or "this person who likes game X isn't a real gamer") but none of it changes the cold hard facts.
@ Wagram - as long as it, for me, doesn't become cumbersome.
@ YoshMaster - Last time I checked a peripheral, was indeed hardware. Stop being so irrational.
It's so stupid to compare Kinect -- a PERIPHERAL -- with real gaming hardware!!
@ horselot -- while you're correct that many are used for hacks, I highly doubt, even 1-2 million of those Kinect were bought to be used for PC hacking - which would STILL comfortably make it the fastest selling peripheral. Even more mind bending is - these sales are without any games. One of its biggest criticisms is lack of games and it STILL sells.
@cheebee read the table, it is comparing against the wii and move...
impressive, just shows how much marketing can do even with high price points, Sony should take a huge note from this.
@ioi with the drivers for kinect their sales are not limited only to xbox, I'm sure many software developers have bought kinect without owning a 360, one of my roomates already bought his kinect and he doesn't have a 360. In my opinion having games that will only work with Kinect doesn't make it a new hardware platform, almost all games are the same, wich is sports games but most of games will be regular games that can be played with normal controls and will have support for kinect just like what Sony will do with move.
@cheebee How does a limited install base HELP it??
7.2 million is insane, holy crap. I think I'll change my opinion and agree it will reach 20 million. Seems a tad high considering they just announced they have shipped 8 million units though. That would leave only like 800k units for stores worldwide (Which is highly unlikely considering the weekly sales of Kinect)
What I want to know is how long is it going to take until consumers get tired of motion controls?
Hm, lots of angry people here, it seems.
It HAS sold a ton, well done MS.
Although the fact that it launched to an install base of some 40 million+ 360's helped it tremendously. Had it come out with zero 360 install base, like all other hardware it's being compared to, I'm certain it would've sold far, far less.
Unless anyone wants to claim those 7+ million sold were 360 + Kinect bundles, instead of a ton of Kinect add-ons for existing owners of 360's.
Ah cmon guys... take off the rose colored glasses. Admit it, Kinect took a market which was riding the motion craze - and gave it a miraculous spin to completely impress people. You can see the "console preference" resistance outside of the US - but regardless when the developers see this kind of super-rapid growth - they'll jump on board and quite possibly deliver a killer Kinect/controller-hybrid title to lure in on-fencers (which I know a lot of, including myself).
The way I look at it is like the Sega 32X and SegaCD. They both had software that required the hardware to play. You can't play a Kinect game without the hardware. The Kinect is a platform that has it own games. Yes it does require a 360 but so did the 32X and Sega CD, until later when they were combined.
@ioi is your profile pic positioning you comfortably enough on top of steve ballmers nuts? time to break out my ip soofer...:)
@miz1q2w3e an accessory is hardware - But i agree it is more an accessory also
is this a pisstake? kinect is the best selling ADD ON of all time it doesnt play games without an XBOX360 now does it? Major trolling on the websites part
congrats for their sales but if it wasn't for Nintendo who opened up this market they would not have sold this good in the first place ;)
Also, I'm curious, how much DID WiiMotionPlus sell in the beginning? Was it ever sold standalone or Just with games like WSR and RS2??
I'm more inclined to agree with the opinion that Kinect is more of an accessory than an actual gaming system/hardware - It definitely has more in common with WiiMotionPlus/PSMove/BalanceBoard than it does with the Wii/PS3/X360 consoles
That said, 7M+ Kinects sold in such a small time period is quite an impressive achievement indeed! gaming >>>> all
Haters going to Hate! Good non-biased article.
It's an accessory. It's not a grey area. Would I consider the PS Eye it's own hardware because it has a game called Eye of Judgement? marketing accessory as a new hardware by claiming it so doesn't make it so. In the end it's sales or software don't make it console in of itself. It's not a grey area. It's an attachment. A good one, but still just an attachment.
As an accessory however it's doing really well. Congratulations to Kinect and MS. They didn't flap their arms. Instead they created a parallel product to serve a similar market without a direct rip in design. It worked. Didn't set any new trails, but at least they they did it in a new way :)
@axt113
If the Wii wouldn't have been supply constrained it would have easily sold 10-15 million units IMHO. And that probably would have probably went down in history never to have been beaten. Its unfortunate that Nintendo didn't gamble a little more with their production ability. But I totally understand why they did what they did and I blame the game cube. If they had made millions and millions extra of the console and it didn't take off then they would have lost the company.
OMG a real article without 1 shot at the 360 or the Kinect. Things are actually improving around here a little. Now lets check the comments section. Still need work there, check...
Great news all around for the Kinect and the 360. Now all MS needs to do is show us what they got in the form of innovation. I know you can do it MS so bring it!
but does it have any legs?
We will never know how fast Wii would have sold had it not been supply constrained at launch, my guess is far more than Kinect
@Buzzi
@PlaystaionGamer
@Naum
@eliasg
Read the article
