In less than four weeks Microsoft has sold through 3 Million Kinect Units. Make no mistake, these are incredible numbers.
As a little perspective, it’s worth noting that both Sony and Microsoft were shipping about 10 million of units of their respective consoles per year. Microsoft are expecting to sell 5 million units by the end of the year, which will mean that Kinect could possibly sell half that annual amount in roughly 10 weeks.
Another comparison. During this year’s Black Weekend in the US, the Nintendo Wii sold 600,000 units, a number which Nintendo are extremely proud of, considering the fact that it’s an increase on last year’s number. Kinect sold over 1 million units during the same period.
At this stage there’s very little doubt that the Kinect has been an incredible success for Microsoft, whether that’s a result of its exorbitant marketing budget, or the sheer stickiness of the Kinect message amongst casual gamers, time will tell – but at the moment it’s shifting an incredible amount of units. And if Kinect gets the same kind of word-of-mouth marketing buzz that the Wii initially received, we could be looking at the next big thing in gaming.
“We are extremely excited to see how consumers have responded to Kinect in Australia and around the world. It is truly revolutionary entertainment that creates a magical experience for the whole family,“ said David McLean, General Manager of Xbox, Microsoft Australia and New Zealand.
“Kinect will be one of the biggest gifts for Christmas this year, and is to date one of the most significant consumer electronic product launches in history. We’re currently on track to reach our forecast of 5 million units sold to consumers by the end of the year.”
How about you guys? Are you buying into Kinect? What have your non gaming family and friends been saying about Kinect? I had my mum ask about it over the phone last week, which is a telling sign…
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