Now you can get the top stories from Kotaku delivered to your inbox. Enter your email below.
By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
In something of a surprise, EB Games has revealed local pricing for Kinect — the new Xbox 360 dealie everyone’s being all cynical about. Here’s how much it’ll cost ya in Aussie funbucks…
200 smackers. Well, 198 smackers, if you want to be pedantic about it.
Hm. What do you think, guys? Seems a bit steep to me — maybe steep enough to turn people off buying one. But then, I’m not big into motion gaming, and am not the device’s target market, so what do I know?
[Thanks to Jubbin for the tip!]
The Cheapest NBN 1000 Plans
Looking to bump up your internet connection and save a few bucks? Here are the cheapest plans available.
Any mention if you get games with that?
$198 is pretty steep.
I would have thought about the price of a controller. Some rock bottom price, even for MS to lose money on the unit, just to get them in homes.
Same. Kinect is a big gamble. Personally, I think developers are either gonna find it too difficult to make games for it. And speaking of the games, does anyone know if they’re gonna be downloadable or on an actual disc? Because from what I’ve seen so far, they definitely aren’t worth $100.
No chance, i didn’t see any games revealed at E3 that would convince me i need kinect, I’ll leave it to the preschoolers to play with.
I only paid $228 for my 360.
That price is too steep for me, even though my daughter will be at me for kinectimals. I’d rather put that money towards a 3DS.
The move seems better value, and I can pick up one controller for less bucks and buy a second later if it warrants it, and still have change.
Anyone else suss about the pricing announcements though? Sounds to me like MS is using EB to test the waters to see what the response is before announcing official pricing. It isn’t out until November, so I’d be surprised to see any solid pricing before then.
I’m not suprised at all, I was thinking they’d release it with a hefty price tag, then bring it down later. I’m actually quite happy with that, still not enough to convince me to get one though.
Yeah.. um no thanks MS…
hell i refuse to even pay for the wireless dongle, so my laptop is tethered to my xbox
I used to run my Xbox through my laptop as well. But then I got fed up with the strict NAT, and the awful connections. After buying the wireless adapter, I can assure you that it is money well spent.
I was sceptical on the price until I figured on the fact it supports 4 players right?
Controllers for 4 player PS3 = $282.00 (Six Axis Controllers)
Controllers for 4 player 360 = $234.00 (Xbox Controllers)
Controllers for 4 player Wii = $469.00 (Wiimotes, MotionPlus, nunchucks)
Controlers for 4 player Move = $524.00 (Move Controllers, Navigation Controllers, Eye)
Kinect = $200
So not so bad, but still I already have a Wii gathering dust.
I was reading the comments thinking this and then you said it… Well said!
Still not getting one for 1+ years for me. Unless something really cool comes out with it.
That is an AWESOME point… but i have trouble finding a second player – let alone 4 lol…
still a very valid point, and not too expensive when you think of it that way.. the problem is that most people WON’T be thinking that way…
I was just going to post the same thing. But it won’t be an instant buy for me, I’ll wait til theres some decent software for it. I’ve already made that mistake too many times before.
Good theory except Kinect DOESN’T support 4 players, or sitting down, or coloured people, or common sense.
It is widely believed that Kinect can only actively track two players at once. Thus making both Wii and Move more capable.
Also, you don’t need 4x Move Controllers and 4x Navigation Controllers on the PS3 for 4 players. For starters, you CAN’T use that many controllers at once (7 total). The most you could use is 2x Move + 2x Navigation OR 4x Move. You also don’t NEED the Navigation controllers at all as a standard Dualshock 3 will suffice.
Basically to equal the Kinect experience on a PS3 you need 2x Move + PS Eye. ($150). You’d also need to unnecessarily flail your limbs around like were trying to violently detach them whilst grinning like a Cheshire cat and exclaiming how much fun you’re having. That last part may not add to the price, but it will cost you your dignity.
They’re going to struggle with a price like that. Even more so if no games are included. But to be honest, I’m not terribly surprised it’s costing that amount.
Well damn, that is a lot. And from the launch titles, it’s definitely something to hold off on. I think MS are missing a trick here if they don’t price really aggressively. I think they need to boost the install base to offer something for developers. Otherwise it’ll just get more and more shovelware, and despite it being innovative it’ll crash and burn.
If I were to buy one I’d rather buy a console bundle and get the new 360 as well.
I’m not sure who Microsoft are trying to market this to here. At $198 plus the $299 for a console (at EB), it’s far more expensive then a Wii, which it is clearly trying to compete against. The only people who I could see paying the kind of premium would be the people who would pay $600-700 for a PS3 (maybe me…), but there are no games that I’m interested in for this thing, and could care less about it because of that.
I don’t know. I imagine that they’ll bundle it with a 360 closer to $399, which is what the Wii was at launch.
Since this essentially a console launch of its own, $400 – $500 seems about right.
Definitely needs to come with some games though.
And I still don’t want one.
There’s no way that Microsoft would bundle this with the old-style 360 – any bundles are likely to be combined with the new model. They’re designed to go together, down to having the same shiny finish.
The new model 360 will retail for $400 on its own. I’d be expecting to see a $500-600 christmas kinect bundle with a 360 S, kinect and some 1st-party kinect shovelware.
I’m sure the retailers will create their own bundles, though. They’ll want to get rid of their stock of older 360 models ASAP.
you have to remember that a complete controller for the wii is a disgusting $130 bucks! (remote $70 nunchuk $30 motion plus $30) and the kinect is a one off price that supports 4 players….. (probably). xbox also signed a deal with foxtel recently so hopefully we’ll get a good espn equivalent in australia.
Personally I don’t think this is an official price but rather a place holder as EB Games system likely needs one. They also likely figured gaming media would be all over this so free advertising of there brand.
Taking my cynical source hat of I’m not exactly convinced this price is unreasonable. I’d like to see it bundled with some software but the way I look at it, Kinect can’t have many hidden costs. The one camera attachment is all you need to enable as many players as you can get in your lounge room (pending software supports it)
The Move on the other hand seems to have quite a few hidden costs. Not only do you need the Wand and the Numchuck (or whatever Sony are calling it) for the complete experience you are likely to want at least two full sets. You then have to add the cost of the EyeToy and finally Sony have an official charging station that will likely be needed (or a variant off). So that will easily eclipse $200 in no time.
I’ll likely end up with both, but my points are sill valid.
The charging station will be optional and the Move itself will charge via mini USB just like the controllers. Sort of like how you can get docks for phones, MP3 players and even XBOX 360 controllers that are just lumps of plastic shaped to the device. They’re a bit pointless at first glance, but they do a great job of keeping things neat and tidy.
Seems in line with their usual pricing for accessories and when a Hard drive is $150 did anyone really expect it to be less than $200.
And in fairness to MS, if you buy 2 move controller setups (both pieces) + a PS eye its more than $200.
Once they make a game for Kinect where you actually feel like a Jedi while you’re playing, they’ve got my cash, but not a second before.
But how are you supposed to feel like a Jedi when you don’t actually hold something that resembles the general shape of the hilt of a Lightsaber?
Done right, I believe a game based around the Playstation Move has more chance of truly portraying what it’s like to be a Jedi.
But a Move game still can’t do a lightsaber duel. Your lightsabers may connect on screen, but they go right through each other in the real world. It may sound acceptable but at the end of the day its not movement ratios that ruin these games its the lack of feedback. If you can’t dramatically lock lightsabers and muscle it out you just can’t duel.
As dumb as that demo looked Kinect probably has more things going in its favour as far as a ‘Jedi experience’ is concerned. Package in a toy lightsaber and you’ve got an actual lightsaber to hold. The capture tech will let you actually do the motions for Force powers instead of requiring you to hold onto a nun-chuck (or stupidly swing your lightsaber around).
I’d agree with the Move being ‘stronger in The Force’ – on top of the feel of holding a lightsabre, you get thumbsticks to control movement easily so the game doesn’t have to be on-rails like the Kinect offering.
That being said, I’m not sure I’d buy either one at the moment, certainly not without giving them a go first… Look forward to crowded demo rigs at your local retailer!
Without some sort of tactile feedback, neither system is going to make you feel like a Jedi. 1:1 sucks without something pushing back. Although force pushing, choking etc would be more immersive on the Kinect, I imagine.
Not totally disagreeing with you, but the beauty of kinect is that while you dont have to hold anything, you can actually hold whatever you like. I am going for a Banana, but there is no reason that you can’t hold your TV remote, if you need to hold something.
Or jump on to the video chat (I am thinking of Uno here) and hold something else….Who is up for Chatroulette on kinect… eewwwww.
I’d rather spend an extra $50 and get the discounted Elite package from Jb HiFi instead.
http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/game/xbox-360-elite-console-bundle-halo-forza-3/520090
was about to say this.
Seriously this is almost as much as buying another x-box, that’s kind of ridiculous.
Wouldn’t hold my breathe considering it’s release is TBC and MS themselves have yet to release pricing.
I don’t think it’s so bad a price for the device itself, but the device is only as good as its games. And so far what they’ve shown is a litany of disaster.
But if they produce some worthwhile games for it, that pricetag won’t look too bad.
Hmmm hopefully this is just a confusion and is a bundle with A LOT of games.
Both SONY and MS are taking the WRONG approach to these devices.
The good thing is, its optional and we can still enjoy gaming (as it should be, sorry!) with the 360 and PS3.
Nintendo are probably laughing their heads off at these prices.
Not getting it. Honestly it looks like a gimick and the games currently with Kinect support are lame (par 1 or 2). If it were $100 or so then I’d consider it, but even then…
Not surprised. I’m sure early adopters will buy it at that price but until it drops to at least $150 I doubt it’ll get widespread usage.
The problem is the majority of people with a 360 aren’t the same people who would care that much about Kinect.
Once it becomes cheaper I’ll buy it for awesome media control and little more.
I’ve read lots of complaints about value but $200 seems reasonable and about what I expected.
Besides, It looks like a great piece of tech, its the software on the other hand that has yet to convince me (although walking around the car in Forza 4 looked pretty incredible).
Yeah I think you’re about right there.
$200 does seem a little steep. I was thinking more $150 on it’s own and a $200 bundle with a couple of games. Though… I did pay $119.95 for Red Dead Redemption, so what’s another $80 for a pretty technically impressive accessory?
But considering it’s early days, I wouldn’t be surprised if either:
A) EB Games don’t have a definitive price and it might be better for them to over estimate.
B)It is $200 and remains that way over Christmas, where the system might sell well during the holidays, only to have a price drop in March of 2011.
BUT, if the $200 price point is here to stay, Microsoft need to get some big name developers to start making Kinect enabled games. It’s great they’re going after the casual audience, but they shouldn’t do so at the expense of their core customers.
It’s pretty much guaranteed to have a ‘Halo: Kinect’ come out, am I right? Or “New Play Control Halo Wars” at least.
I wasn’t convinced from E3 anyway. In fact, E3 put me off wanting one at any price.
This is an RRP, yeah? So EB will sell it for this much, and JB/Game will probably sell it for $150.
I’ll still wait and probably buy one online.
seems way steep to me, but then what does one really expect from EB. They’ll rape you for every cent they can get. I’d bet on JB putting it out for less from day 1.
EB also believe that the Nav controller for the PS Move is going to be $48…which we all know is wrong because the official price is $29.
This is a placeholder price for EB. I think people at E3 would have been informed of price before EB would be.
EB could be right with the price, but it’s just a guess.
I’m pretty sure the new price for the Nav Controller is now $49.99AU
Either way, not too bad… I just feel that having buttons on the controller is more immersive as you can have a broader range of games… such as FPS, Adventure, etc etc.. Kinect so far has Wii-like sports games (same as the PS Sports games for Move), but they showcased no hardcore type games… fair enough Star Wars was the closest thing to adventure… but it was extremely linear and kinda turn based…
Jedi on the PS3… – 1:1 motion, with navigation.. and buttons?… seems alot better…
Either way im not getting Kinect, but i am investing in the PS Move… $500~ for a 4 Player setup on Move vs $~200 for Kinect?… The PS Library more than justifies the price IMO… Killzone 3… SOCOM… Singstar Dance… besides…
and Fanboyism out of the equation i’m sure 99% of you would agree that the Library Justifies the Pricing – Sony know they can do more with Move… and Consumers will buy it purely for the amount of games and how many genres it spans…
At work, people have stopped buying the Wii and going PS3 instead… and just today, i had about 20 people ask about Playstation Move – from that Today Tonight Spot last night..
Sony is doing something right – but yeh, i’m all for consumer choice, and Sony has my Vote.
From what I saw of it on the E3 broadcast it looks pretty… ho hum. The games they showed like the racing one, it seemed to take forever to get started. When I want to race I don’t want to have to walk to the car, lean in and open the car door, sit down, adjust the mirror, turn on the ignition etc. I just want to press A and get going! I reckon that interaction will get tedious after the novelty wears off.
And the other stuff.. the “social” side of it, doesn’t appeal to me at all. Saying “xbox messenger” or whatever doesn’t excite me. I also cant see it being all that fast when you don’t have high speed broadband, so that sucks for us regional peeps.
I think I will pass.
Kinect not…especially as reported if you have to stand all the time to play the games.Seen any demos with people sitting down playing Kinect?
Move just looks that much the better option.
And who says “you” have to buy 4 controllers etc,my friends and i usually bring our own controllers to play multiplayer games when we visit each other for gaming sessions.You should also throw in the price of Live if you are playing Kinect online as well.
Until another retailer publishes its price, then we should be convinced.
GAME´s price is TBA still:
http://www.game.com.au/kinect/xbox-360/360MCAMNAT
Guys the Kinect isn’t really for us, it’s for people who own a 360 or want to own a 360 and have a non-gaming partner/kids who want a Wii.
$150 US = $200 Aus. When I heard the new 360 Slim was coming out in the US at $300 I guessed $450 for Aus.
I’m impressed by the technology, I want to live in a world where I say “Computer load Kotaku” where my console/TV recognises me and changes to the things I want to watch and do with a word or just by knowing I’m dumb enough to keep watching the new Knight Rider. Where I can be mid-game have a quick conferance call with a friend than change to a Co-op game with them.
I also want to be able to say accept chat in privacy mode and it 1:1’s me with a virtual Avatar, so they can’t see that I’m unshaven and drinking beer at noon on the first day off I’ve had in a month.
But like almost of all you I’m not impressed by the Software, I’m not buying a Kinetic or a Move day one because I have a Wii. Although who doesn’t want to spend an hour or two play Kinetimals? I’m waiting for the killer app and until I see Sony or MS release one I’m going to play them Old School with a controller in hand. And when Force Unleashed 3 comes out with 1:1 lightsaber action I think it really will be time to see what’s better, Move or Kinetic.
As for the Killer App, I am having visions of Mech games where when you voice chat to team mates they appear as little faces on your HUD like in Anime. Although I probaly want a Controller for that having little bits of video chat like that would be cool.
No way will this sell out if it’s $200. another 100 and you can get another goddamn Xbox…I won’t be getting one unless it’s around the $100 mark.
if you looked properly, you’ll notice that eb states that it has not specified a price for the product as of yet, just stating that they think it may cost as much as $198. do some more reasearch before jumping to conclusions. and unlike the rest of you, i support the product will gladly pay any price for it.
I think i will wait a few months to a yr before i buy it, so i know if any bugs or good games are involved
Being a former employee of EB Games, be aware that when a new item is added into the system, especially one for taking pre-orders, and the price is not known, they automatically default a price $199.95 as the system requires a price. I would wait until an official announcement from Microsoft first.
The price for the Kinect is unreasonable, end of story. Anyone who disagrees…good for you, its your ignorance that Microsoft thrives upon. MS doesn’t seem to get the fact that the cheaper the accessory, the more people will be able to buy it. There is no reason why it has to cost as much as it does. Apart from a couple games, the rest are sub-par and are not worth it. Games like Mass Effect and Bioshock are worth more than the Kinect altogether, at least those games have substance and are worth the price, their add-ons are worth the price too. So anyone that bought a Kinect before it ends up going down in price, you are complete suckers…and Microsoft will be able to snare you in again with whatever other overpriced accessory they will come out with in the near future.
Leave a Reply