Microsoft has just announced the pricing of Kinect for Xbox 360, the console accessory which allows hands free gaming. Kinect will come bundled with Kinect Adventures and will cost $149.99 in the U.S. when it is released on November 4 later this year. Microsoft is keen to remind people that the accessory will work with all Xbox 360 consoles ever sold.
As part of the announcement Microsoft has also revealed a new Xbox console to be sold alongside the recently redesigned Xbox 360 250GB. This new Xbox will be called the Xbox 360 4GB and will be priced at $199.99 and will go on sale on August 3; this appears to replace the Xbox 360 Arcade console.
Later this year will also see a Xbox 360 4GB and Kinect bundle which will include the console, Kinect senor and Kinect Adventures game for $299.99.
Retailers across the U.S. are opening pre-orders for Kinect today. Customers who pre-order will also receive a token to download three exclusive levels on the Kinect Adventures game. The other Kinect games, Kinectimals, Kinect Sports and Kinect Joy Ride will all be on sale for $49.99.
“Kinect for Xbox 360 offers tremendous entertainment value for the whole family,” said Dennis Durkin, Xbox 360 chief operating officer. “With full body, voice and the ability to play games with your friends right out of the box, Kinect is the most unique, complete and affordable way for everyone to enjoy controller-free fun and entertainment.”
Dubbed Kinect for Xbox 360, the controller-free game device is set to go on sale in November. The technology behind Kinect is fairly simple, a TV-mounted camera/microphone bar to sense motion, sound and movement. What"s new and ground breaking is the tracking of 3D movement as well as 2D movement. The system is also able to scan users faces and sign them into Xbox live, as well as react to vocal tone and pitch, and process this data in real-time.
Microsoft made the news with the grand unveiling of Kinect over a year ago. With over 40 million Xbox 360 consoles on the market, Kinect is expected to sell well across the world and entice non-gamers, young children, mothers and grandparents onto the Xbox 360 in the same way the Nintendo Wii did.
The pricing for Kinect and the new Xbox 360 console has also been announced for other countries around the world. In the UK Kinect will cost £129.99 and the aforementioned bundle will cost £249.99. Kinect will be available for retail on November 4.