Today Microsoft has announced that the date for Kinect, the hands free controller for the Xbox 360, will go on sale in Europe, the Middle East and Africa on November 10th. It has been known since E3 when Microsoft first announced Kinect that the accessory will be on sale in the United States from November 4th.
The announcement came as part of Microsoft’s press release for the Gamercon event in Cologne, Germany where the company said “Xbox will transform entertainment at home and on the go this year with Kinect for Xbox 360 officially launching in Europe, Middle East and Africa1 on November 10 opening up a new world of controller-free games and Xbox LIVE entertainment. Xbox LIVE and a blockbuster line up of games on Windows Phone 7 will also launch this holiday and Microsoft announced a new line up of LIVE enabled titles coming to the PC”.
By releasing Kinect in early November there should be plenty of time for people to buy the Kinect accessory as a gift for a tech enthusiast or gaming loved one before Christmas. There will be several Xbox 360 and Kinect bundles on sale later this year and some will be featuring some of the 15 titles that feature Kinect controls. Kinect Adventures will be bundled with every Kinect accessory sold.
Last month Microsoft announced the pricing for Kinect in the US to be $149.99, in the UK £129.99 and in Australia $199.99 AUD.
With Windows Phone 7 also hitting stores in time for the holidays and its heavy integration of Xbox Live there should be a lot of hype around the Xbox this Christmas period, not to mention that some people will also want the new Xbox 360 console. It will be very interesting to see how well the Xbox and its various new components and accessories sale this holiday period.