[Official] Kinect - Over 4 million units sold!

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Kinect: There ?won?t be a correlation? between game reviews and sales, says Greenberg

October 30th, 2010 @ 17:30

By Stephany Nunneley

Aaron Greenberg is a confident man. So confident, he believes Kinect will sell more units at launch than the Wii did.

He is also so confident in Kinect, he doesn?t think reviews of games created for it will affect sales of the device or the games created for it in any way.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Greenberg said due to the different experiences and genres of Kinect?s offerings, he doesn?t think there will be a ?correlation between reviews and actual sales.

?For us, these are different types of titles and experiences than maybe some of the games traditionally that are targeted to the core market,? he said. ?So the correlation between a review score for Halo: Reach and sales is very high, but Kinect Sports is more about just having fun.

?I don?t know how reviewers will grade those games because they?re so unique and so different to what the reviewers have played with controllers. We?d love to see great reviews but I don?t think you?ll see the same type of correlation between reviews and actual sales of the game, would be my guess.?

So, basically, Microsoft would love great reviews, but sales won?t be dependent on high review scores. Got it.

We?d attend a class on confidence taught by Greenberg any day of the week. You know, sort of like Tony Robbins, only without the scary teeth.

Kinect is out next week in the US and November 10 in Europe.

http://www.vg247.com/2010/10/30/kinect-there-wont-be-a-correlation-between-game-reviews-and-sales-saysd-greenberg/

[George P Global Moderator]

I think he has a point really, look at all the people who knock it without even trying it, and those that didn't expect to even like it who ended up having fun once they did try it and will now probably get it. A review can't really help much in this case, plus the majority of the people who will buy it, the casuals as you'd say, don't surf game and tech sites anyways.

[Hedon]

I think Xbox people will want it, and Playstation people won't want it. I don't think there will be any loss of sales there.

[Razorwing]

You don't need any room for menus so long as the camera can see you from the waist up.

ah alright. just making sure.

[Evolution]

How much space do we need for the Kinect and how far from the ground should it be? In a 6'x8' space should I have the 8' length towards the camera or perpendicular. I'm tempted to have the 6' length towards the camera since I might be moving side to side in games. Does it have to be exactly 2.5 feet from the ground or can it be a little higher e.g. 4 feet?

[George P Global Moderator]

How much space do we need for the Kinect and how far from the ground should it be? In a 6'x8' space should I the 8' length towards the camera and perpendicular. I'm tempted to have the 6' length towards the camera since I might be moving side to side in games. Does it have to be exactly 2.5 feet from the ground or a little higher e.g. 4 feet?

I don't know about high it has to be from the ground but I remember hearing that you need 6' for one player and around 8' for two players. I'm sure some of the people in the beta might be able to share some of this info? Unless the NDA doesn't let you.

[mad_onion]

How much space do we need for the Kinect and how far from the ground should it be? In a 6'x8' space should I have the 8' length towards the camera or perpendicular. I'm tempted to have the 6' length towards the camera since I might be moving side to side in games. Does it have to be exactly 2.5 feet from the ground or can it be a little higher e.g. 4 feet?

Yeah, you need the space to the side I would say. If you've only got 6' back then you will need 8' to the side so that two people can stand side by side with their arms out.

I've only seen 3' as an indicated height from the floor but it can be any realistic height up really. The camera can pivot down quite far down to see the floor plane. My understanding is that higher is better because it will increase the space between the sensor and the player's position.

Edit: After thinking about it 6' to the side should be loads, I didn't realise that 6' is 1.8m which should easily be enough for two people side by side.

[Livin in a box]

Ha...my gaming 'area' isn't even 3 foot wide, so I guess I won't be using Kinect anyway. Which doesn't really bother me, I don't want to pay for something to then have shovelware games forced down my throat. *looks at Kinectimals and virtually all of Kinect's launch titles*

[CentralDogma]

Speaking with Eurogamer, Greenberg said due to the different experiences and genres of Kinect?s offerings, he doesn?t think there will be a ?correlation between reviews and actual sales.

?For us, these are different types of titles and experiences than maybe some of the games traditionally that are targeted to the core market,? he said. ?So the correlation between a review score for Halo: Reach and sales is very high, but Kinect Sports is more about just having fun.

?I don?t know how reviewers will grade those games because they?re so unique and so different to what the reviewers have played with controllers. We?d love to see great reviews but I don?t think you?ll see the same type of correlation between reviews and actual sales of the game, would be my guess.?

http://www.vg247.com/2010/10/30/kinect-there-wont-be-a-correlation-between-game-reviews-and-sales-saysd-greenberg/

I think title is misleading. The crux of his statement isn?t ?we don?t think sales will be affected by reviews? but rather ?reviewers won?t know how to adequately judge our games?.

I have to disagree. I think reviewers can tell the difference between a game that?s had some effort put into it and a game that was slapped together quickly to make a cheap buck.

I also think it?s bad form for Microsoft to be putting out statements like this. One of the major problems with motion controls on any platform has been the lack of 3rd support in the form of quality games. 3rd parties are scared to put effort into motion control games for fear of failure, so they spend minimal effort and put out cheap shovelware. Microsoft coming out and essentially saying ?people will be buy your game regardless of reviews? is not going to help the situation.

[George P Global Moderator]

I think title is misleading. The crux of his statement isnt we dont think sales will be affected by reviews but rather reviewers wont know how to adequately judge our games.

I have to disagree. I think reviewers can tell the difference between a game thats had some effort put into it and a game that was slapped together quickly to make a cheap buck.

I also think its bad form for Microsoft to be putting out statements like this. One of the major problems with motion controls on any platform has been the lack of 3rd support in the form of quality games. 3rd parties are scared to put effort into motion control games for fear of failure, so they spend minimal effort and put out cheap shovelware. Microsoft coming out and essentially saying people will be buy your game regardless of reviews is not going to help the situation.

I think your jumping the gun a bit here or maybe it's just the way I see it. As with any review for a game/movie/book w/e opinions vary, add to the fact that the target group for kinect doesn't check game review sites anywhere near as much as the people on around here do then his statement holds true. The games or the experience with the device can't be expressed through a review, and I think this is true. Look at the number of people who didn't expect much out of it who then had fun after playing it for a bit in a store or if they were lucky at some MS event etc.

No matter how many reviews they'd have seen up to that point nothing would have changed their mind unless they actually tried it. A dev could've put god knows how much work into a game yet because it's targetting little kids or the casuals it's visuals and so on probably don't match what the "hardcore" group of reviewers expect in their games so they toss it to the side as shovelware, the bias is clear from the get go anyways.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

I think title is misleading. The crux of his statement isn?t ?we don?t think sales will be affected by reviews? but rather ?reviewers won?t know how to adequately judge our games?.

I have to disagree. I think reviewers can tell the difference between a game that?s had some effort put into it and a game that was slapped together quickly to make a cheap buck.

I also think it?s bad form for Microsoft to be putting out statements like this. One of the major problems with motion controls on any platform has been the lack of 3rd support in the form of quality games. 3rd parties are scared to put effort into motion control games for fear of failure, so they spend minimal effort and put out cheap shovelware. Microsoft coming out and essentially saying ?people will be buy your game regardless of reviews? is not going to help the situation.

ok :laugh:

[Hedon]

Forced? Gun to your head?

Ha...my gaming 'area' isn't even 3 foot wide, so I guess I won't be using Kinect anyway. Which doesn't really bother me, I don't want to pay for something to then have shovelware games forced down my throat. *looks at Kinectimals and virtually all of Kinect's launch titles*

[Livin in a box]

Forced? Gun to your head?

Well I don't know what other games I'll be able to play. :p

[HawkMan]

How much space do we need for the Kinect and how far from the ground should it be? In a 6'x8' space should I have the 8' length towards the camera or perpendicular. I'm tempted to have the 6' length towards the camera since I might be moving side to side in games. Does it have to be exactly 2.5 feet from the ground or can it be a little higher e.g. 4 feet?

I probably shouldn't say this, but since I'm not home I don't have the measurements anyway.

but the sweet spot is some distance away from the tv, and some games like bowling will require some sideways space as well in order to properly move and place the ball, unless you want to bowl left handed sometimes.

in addition, if you place the camera high, as in above the tv instead of below/in front, the sweet spot will move closer to the tv. this is because the camera is then naturally farther from the floor and those geometrically quite a bit further from the player, and the sweet spot is calculated from from the floor.

just imagine a 1.5 meter line from the camera to the floor, if the camera is low that line will be almost 1.5 meters away, if it's high, it'll have to hit the floor much closer. I'll probably end up mounting it on a shelf above the TV, or get one of those VESA brackets with a kinect holder you attach on the back of the tv that hold Kinect above the TV. depending on how much I'll need to fork out for one.

[bob_c_b]

I think title is misleading. The crux of his statement isn?t ?we don?t think sales will be affected by reviews? but rather ?reviewers won?t know how to adequately judge our games?.

I have to disagree. I think reviewers can tell the difference between a game that?s had some effort put into it and a game that was slapped together quickly to make a cheap buck.

I also think it?s bad form for Microsoft to be putting out statements like this. One of the major problems with motion controls on any platform has been the lack of 3rd support in the form of quality games. 3rd parties are scared to put effort into motion control games for fear of failure, so they spend minimal effort and put out cheap shovelware. Microsoft coming out and essentially saying ?people will be buy your game regardless of reviews? is not going to help the situation.

I think he's talking about reviewers that will make statements just like this without putting much effort into reviewing the games. Your mind is made up with absolutely zero experience with any of these titles, you have no idea which, if any of them, are shovelware. And since the bulk of "professional" reviews are quite shoddy, I think he's right, some of my favorite games this generation have not been the highest reviewed and have sometimes been outright reviled by so-called gaming journalist during their release only to be appreciated by actual gamers and grown via word of mouth later on. We already know there are "paid" reviews out there, "revenge" reviews aren't completely rare and many reviews leave me wondering what game the reviewer actually played, so I'm quite okay with this statement.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Microsoft Kinect Selling For More Than ?200 On Ebay

30 October, 2010, by Desire Athow

A surge in demand for the Microsoft Kinect motion controller has forced its price to up to ?230 on Ebay and Amazon, a massive premium given that its suggested selling price is ?130.

Microsoft has assured prospective buyers that it will make its best to provide retailers with enough stock to meet demand within the first week of launch.

There are currently two entries on Ebay from power sellers listing the Kinect for ?230 and ?190 respectively while Amazon sellers are selling the Kinect for as little as ?202 with some charging as much as ?300.

There are fears that Microsoft won't be able to sustain demand for the Kinect because most of the retailers have stopped taking preorders of the Xbox 360 peripheral which means tha they're not confident that they will get stock on time.

That said, Argos is offering the Kinect sensor either with Kinect Sports or Dance Central for ?164.98, a deal that includes free delivery and Kinect Adventures.

http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/article/2010/10/30/microsoft-kinect-selling-more-200-ebay

Microsoft planning a surprise for Kinect customers

Microsoft?s planning a sweet little surprise for everyone who purchases Kinect.

As we all know every Kinect sensor comes with a free copy of Kinect Adventures which will contain 20 different adventures for you to take part in. However, there?s more content packed in the disk which you don?t know of!

Yes, every disc of Kinect Adventures will come with demos of Dance Central, Kinect Joyride and Your Shape: Fitness Evovled.

There you go, now you know that when you get yourself the sensor and are running low on cash, you will have the chance to try out some great Kinect games nonetheless.

Kinect is scheduled to release on November 4, pre-orders have been really good for the motion sensor so far.

Thanks Martin.

http://www.gamersmint.com/microsoft-planning-a-surprise-for-kinect-customers

Kinect selling out, believe the hype

2010 October 30

by George

It doesn?t matter if you like it or not, the hype for Kinect is building, and the half of a billion dollars Microsoft is dumping into advertising is working. Oprah is on board?so is The Ellen Show. In fact, so many different celebrities from Ashley Tisdale to Justin Bieber are in the mix, and the kids and their soccer Moms are eating this up.

Some of the online stores have been sold out now for a few days, including Amazon, Best Buy, and even Costco!! Both Gamestop and Newegg show they have stock at the moment after displaying they had sold out once before. As of right now, Dell and others have plenty of stock, but for how much longer is the real question.

If you?re looking for a good place locally to pick up Kinect, Gamestop is still taking pre-orders in store for the time being, but they said to hurry before they shut it down. I asked about a midnight launch and the manager said they didn?t think they were going to have one, but stay tuned for more info on that.

Your local Costco is another great place to purchase Kinect since they usually discount it a little and have a great return policy (you might want that if it?s a FAIL!). I was actually just at Costco and they told me that they will be getting the Kinect sensor in-store, as well as the Xbox 360 bundles. The in-store price is $139.99 for the Kinect sensor and $389.99 for the 250GB Xbox 360 Kinect bundle.

A tip for buying at Costco: Use your Costco American Express Card (don?t have one? Sign up in-store, it only takes a few minutes). You?ll get a small percentage back, plus a 90-day damage and theft protection plan, not to mention an added year to your warranty.

Some people are already banking on the hype and stocking up on pre-orders to resell on eBay, Craigslist, or the Amazon Marketplace. But since Amazon is already sold out, the cheapest you?ll be able to get Kinect on their Marketplace is $229.99!

So are you planning to pick up Kinect? Tell us why you decided to ?Jump In?. Is it to profit off the nOObs or to get your sluggish self off the couch and get fit while playing controller free gaming?

http://conflictinggamers.com/2010/10/30/kinect-selling-out-believe-the-hype/

[George P Global Moderator]

How crazy would it be if a few places have midnight releases and you end up seeing some long lines outside?

[Hedon]

Yes, every disc of Kinect Adventures will come with demos of Dance Central, Kinect Joyride and Your Shape: Fitness Evovled.

Nice! The wife wants to check out Your Shape fo sho.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Would you guys like to see a flashier 1st post in this topic or is "less better", with what we have so far?

[Hedon]

More pics, videos, bolded sections is always nice, but it's also a lot of work. Thanks for keeping up on it.

[Woelfel]

I would love to get my Kinect at a midnight launch. Eat my sushi (cuz I always go out to eat Sushi on thursday...SUSHI BLUES) then go to gamestop to pick up my order. Straight awesome sauce. Then 3 days later, get my Windows Phone 7. Everything will be right in the world.

[Evolution]

Hopefully all of the pre-orders are reserved since I have no intention of showing up at midnight :laugh:

[mad_onion]

Why would anyone pay ?230 for it when you could get the 4gb bundle for ?10 more. Also, there's still loads of places to can buy it for retail price. I really believe the only reason it's selling out anywhere is because most of the units are in bundles.

But I'm so pleased that Adveture is gonna come with these demos because I have no plans on buying fitness evolved because I'm not a girl and don't wanna do aerobic stuff and dance central also cause I'm not a girl/gay. But I do wanna try them out just to see what they're like and so my mum can try it lol.

[Evolution]

Why would anyone pay £230 for it when you could get the 4gb bundle for £10 more. Also, there's still loads of places to can buy it for retail price. I really believe the only reason it's selling out anywhere is because most of the units are in bundles.

But I'm so pleased that Adveture is gonna come with these demos because I have no plans on buying fitness evolved because I'm not a girl and don't wanna do aerobic stuff and dance central also cause I'm not a girl/gay. But I do wanna try them out just to see what they're like and so my mum can try it lol.

Alright, but watch out, if you start liking them you could turn into a gay or a girl :unsure:

[maash]

has anyone here already got kinect?