'kinell! 2.5 million Kinects sold already [Update]

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 30 November 2010 14:08

Your IT - Entertainment

Americans' propensity to shop on the Friday after the Thanksgiving has contributed to the sale of 2.5 million Kinect sensors for the Xbox 360.

Microsoft announced that it had sold more than 2.5 million Kinect sensors in the product's first 25 days on the market. A local press release putting the number at 3 million was subsequently withdrawn.

"Kinect on Xbox 360 was a top performer at Target this weekend," said Nik Nayar, vice president of merchandising at US retailer Target. "We expect Kinect will be a must-have gift this holiday season," he added.

That's backed up by a recent poll that found 14% of US children aged 6-12 wanted a Kinect in the next six months. However, the iPad was the most desired product among that demographic.

Both Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, and David McLean, general manager of Xbox at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, said the company was on track to reach its forecast of 5 million units sold during the holiday shopping season.

Microsoft points out that Kinect is available at more than 60,000 retailers, which means the average store is selling less than two per day. Expressed in those terms, 2.5 million units doesn't seem so impressive, but it seems likely that sales are heavily skewed to retailers that are discounting the price or offering attractive bundles.

How is the Kinect going in Australia? Please read on.