Kinect doubles UK Xbox sales

By Johnny Minkley Published 16 November, 2010

360 outselling Wii and PS3.

Sales of Xbox 360 in the UK doubled last week off the back of the launch of Kinect, Eurogamer has learnt.

The spike was confirmed this afternoon by sales monitor Chart-Track, a spokesperson stating that, while specific figures could not be revealed, it was "more than a fair reflection" to say the figure was double that of the previous week.

The boost is understood to have widened substantially the gap between Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with Sony's biggest hope for a pre-Christmas surge coming next week with the release of the long-delayed Gran Turismo 5.

A senior publishing source added: "360 doubled last week and it was already selling a lot. Wii and PS3 have been beaten by 360 consistently over the past few months.

"Wii is still outselling PS3 – the numbers are going the wrong way for Nintendo year-on-year but it's certainly not a disaster."

Kinect went on sale last week both separately and as part of official hardware bundles, the latter likely to be responsible for the jump in numbers.

Microsoft revealed yesterday that over one million units of Kinect has sold worldwide in the ten days following its 4th November US launch.

The US giant reckons it's on track to sell five million units by Christmas.

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Johnny Minkley is a veteran games writer and broadcaster, former editor of Eurogamer TV, VP of gaming charity SpecialEffect, and hopeless social media addict.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

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Comments (62) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • lcmnick #1 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 12:48:44 14-04-2012

  • Das_Ginge #2 2 years ago

    I think they should cut further than that as for an extra £50 you get the xbox with thre 250gb hdd and a Kinect.

  • I\'mListening #3 2 years ago

    So, a console with a great list of games sells ok, but release a motion cam with absolutely zero quality games and sales double? This is ... I don't get it. Something about this seems wrong

    @ Das Ginge and @ RodHull The point of what I said is not to diss kinect but to wonder why the excellent catalogue of games the 360 already has is not enough to tempt people into buying a 360 but a largely unproven tech like kinect is, enough so that sales of the console itself double?
    Edited by I\'mListening at 16/11/10 @ 17:16

  • KKRT #4 2 years ago

    UK is not Europe guys ;] UK was xbox land for a whole this generation, so its nothing shocking.

  • Das_Ginge #5 2 years ago

    @Imlistening Dance Central is a quality game - why not try it before you slate it?
    Edited by Das_Ginge at 16/11/10 @ 16:17

  • jag10 #6 2 years ago

    'while specific figures could not be revealed'

    Why?

  • J0rdan_KZ #7 2 years ago

    I honestly would have bought one just for the UI stuff. Not particularly interested in the games, at this point anyway. But for £130, considering the cost of how much the product is worth? No thank you.

  • Psychotext #8 2 years ago

    "UK is not Europe guys"

    Strange... I'm not sure anyone said it was.

  • evild_edd #9 2 years ago

    Good point to see if Kinect does boost 360 sales in the rest of the EU. No doubt that US and UK will always be the strong 360 supporting regions.

    What this does seem to indicate is that some people purchased a 360 to get Kinect, despite many claims that the combined price would be off-putting.

    I've been waiting and waiting to get a PS3. With some decent exclusives (LBP 1and2, Uncharted 1and2

  • Darkedge #10 2 years ago

    @Das_Ginge I don't think he's listening and as someone who has actually played with Kinect and made his own mind up, Dance Central is excellent, the rest very very capable but the potential is huge. More to come definitely too. Only thing thats a bit of a problem is the price which I think is too much, under 100 or closer to maybe 75 and it would sell even more.

  • evild_edd #11 2 years ago

    Whoops, posted in error (frickin' app)....

    To continue: with decent exclusives and some remakes of classics (GoW, SotC, and Ico) that I've yet to experience, a decent price drop could finally make me put my hand in my pocket....

  • frunk #12 2 years ago

    Not surpising really. I would buy the pack to get a new XBox too, smaller, more reliable (?).

    But my launch 360 still ticks along :)

    Will rebalance the 360 vs PS3 score in house at some point next year

  • Das_Ginge #13 2 years ago

    @Darkedge it would absolutly sell more, but this gives them room to come down in price after the early adapoters get their fill. I expect at £100 price about september next year for it.

    THe tech is awesome though - so much better than I thought it would be.

  • SteveHolt #14 2 years ago

    Kinectimals is basically the perfect game for kids. Make a sequel, please, but with DINOSAURS.

  • RodHull #15 2 years ago

    @Imlistening

    Had Kinect now a few days and am enjoying Dance Central, Kinect Sports and (shamefully) Kinectimals immensely. Adventures is rather ropey and the only one that I've noticed any lag with. As a piece of technology Kinect is quite remarkable and the games I own are well up there with the launch titles of most consoles I can remember (bar Mario 64, of course).

  • Psychotext #16 2 years ago

    "Make a sequel, please, but with DINOSAURS."

    Sold. KINECTOSAURS!

  • evild_edd #17 2 years ago

    @Astro-Creature: figures?

    Even if what you say is true (the article mentioned 360 consistently outselling PS3...?) then I have 2 possible explanations:

    1. Eurogamer have had more to talk about with 360 at the mo' with the Kinect release (a major event in gaming, whether you personally like it or not)

    2. MS's PR department is better at getting these press releases out there for such stories to hit websites.

    If you are hinting at bias on EG's part I'd respectfully suggest you are mistaken from my experience in reading the site over many years....

  • BuddyChrist #18 2 years ago

    Everyone knows what Kinect is all about. All Move has was that pants TV ad that tells you nothing about what it does, and some cult sites that joke about how Kinect sucks for having no buttons.

    I bet Sony made the effort in Japan

  • lambtron #19 2 years ago

    "more people out there are waiting for a ps3 at the right price. i really doubt there is much people 'waiting' to buy a 360. "

    People have been spouting this nonsense since before the PS3 was even released. It's been proven to be false time and again.

    Is it really so difficult to accept that this generation is much closer than the last?

  • Lexx87 #20 2 years ago

    People are still having a PS3/360 war? What is this 2006?

    I thought everyone had shut up about that already.



    Edited by Lexx87 at 16/11/10 @ 16:49

  • Peew971 #21 2 years ago

    Who's to say it's not because of Black Ops? :)

  • geeza2020 #22 2 years ago

    I think we should wait until people start returning them because they don't work in their small living rooms before we award MS any medals.

  • Retroid #23 2 years ago

    Well bugger me. I really did not expect this!

  • foolsgold6970 #24 2 years ago

    Hang on! I got a new 360 last week, but only because my premuim (2006 vintage) gave up the ghost again and now it's out of warranty. I did not get Kinect nor do I want it.

  • lennon #25 2 years ago

    @geeza2020 - Could you let us know how long we should wait?

  • lambtron #26 2 years ago

    Umm the article that you refer to:

    [link url=http://ps3.nowgamer.com/news/4596/playstation-3-overtakes-xbox-360
    ]http://ps3.nowgamer.com/news/4596/playst...[/link]

    Mentions the Japanese publisher (TOSE) in the FIRST line. And they then subsequently retracted the statement admitting it was false...

  • des #27 2 years ago

    I think that this is not just Kinect related,Black Ops is a huge game.

  • lockload #28 2 years ago

    "Who's to say it's not because of Black Ops? :) "

    Because the kinect bundle is a different sku they can tell...

  • RedSparrows #29 2 years ago

    'more people out there are waiting for a ps3 at the right price. i really doubt there is much people 'waiting' to buy a 360. '

    Thanks for the incisive analysis.

    Sales wars, HO!

  • t8yman #30 2 years ago

    why do people think GT5 is gonna massively boost ps3 sales?

    they might blip a bit, but they arent going to see a big sales boost until the price drops sub £200 surely?

  • Dave52 #31 2 years ago

    What are the actual figures...? How many Kinects sold in the UK this week...?

  • stuntmaster #32 2 years ago

    people moan that the ps3 need to drop to £200 it is anyway if you go into salisbury`s and it the big hard drive model .

  • stevethemeat #33 2 years ago

    I took the plunge and bought a Kinect yesterday, i had been on the fence, got to say i had the most fun in ages on Kinect sports with a friend and our 2 sons, i think this device has huge potential.

  • natashaspice #34 2 years ago

    And In other news in japan the ps3 sold 10 times the amount of the 360.

  • coolbritannia #35 2 years ago

    Not even Japanese devs care about the xenophobic Japanese market anymore. The West is the best.

  • electrolite #36 2 years ago

    Got to be said, Microsoft have done a tremendous job of flogging this. Kinectimals and Dance Central are very marketable as well.

    Well played, if it does turn out that this moves the 360 beyond the image it was starting to acquire of just selling to teenage boys/FPS players it'll have been a great move

  • Machiavellian #37 2 years ago

    And In other news in japan the ps3 sold 10 times the amount of the 360.

    In other news, people in the UK yawn at how much the PS3 sells over the 360 in Japan

  • Machiavellian #38 2 years ago

    Got to be said, Microsoft have done a tremendous job of flogging this. Kinectimals and Dance Central are very marketable as well.

    Well played, if it does turn out that this moves the 360 beyond the image it was starting to acquire of just selling to teenage boys/FPS players it'll have been a great move

    Actually if Kinect end of being the big holiday seller MS has predicted, you would have to give it to MS for hitting all the right commercial spots and marketing the device successfully. If 500 million gets you Wii sells, then that's an investment very well spent. Kinectimals and Dance Central actually hits a very lucrative market, young kids and girls.

    It would be interesting if Kinect boast 360 sells in Japan over double digits. The girl market is very strong in Japan and something like Dance Central could cause a stir in the market.

  • des #39 2 years ago

    10 x nothing is still nothing

  • eiocreative #40 2 years ago

    I've been playing games since I can remember. I'm 32 now and I picked up a Kinect + Slim package this weekend. My girlfriend, who is 6 months pregnant with our twins has spent the the last 6 months casually glancing at the TV when I have played anything. Yesterday I introduced her to Kinect and despite being less than the ideal size for it, I couldn't stop her playing! She made me order Kinect Sports today and as I write this she asked if we could play again later.

    I think MS are onto a winner and all kudos to them for trying it!!

  • coolbritannia #41 2 years ago

    Fuck you, haters, you're looking pretty stupid now....

  • Loghorn #42 2 years ago

    @lcmnick: But won't Sony risk going back into the red if they do that? I mean, they've just been making money off of each PS3 being sold back in summer earlier.

  • callum9999 #43 2 years ago

    Why do people always take things so personally? You have (presumably) no connection to the companies involved so why bother? It always inevitably results in one group of people who like the product being called "fanboys" and another who dislike the product "haters" - with the next 24hrs then spent hurling insults between the 2 groups.

    They're only games - why care so much...

  • GoldenRecon #44 2 years ago

    360 on track to hit 3 million in the UK.

    Even with Gran Turismo 5, PS3 will get wasted by 360 in Europe once Forza Motorsport 4 hits.


    Fable 3 Bundle Pack is going to make the 200 quid 360 bundle fly off shelves, along with Kinect Sports and other games.

    Codename Kingdoms is gonna slaughter God of War 3 and Alan Wake 2 / MS new adventure game are going to make mincemeat out of Uncharted.

    There is no going back in Europe.....360 is gonna sell out throughout the whole country!

  • Dave52 #45 2 years ago

    "There is no going back in Europe.....360 is gonna sell out throughout the whole country!"

    The whole country of Europe...? They said it could never be done...

  • GoldenRecon #46 2 years ago

    Analysts already raised the 360's initial sales to more than 4 million:
    [link url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29864/Analyst_Raises_Kinect_Holiday_Sales_Estimates_To_4M.php
    ]http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29864...[/link]

    360 will be sold out across Europe this holliday, making it the black ticket item that makes gains on the wii.

  • chrisjm #47 2 years ago

    well deserved MS, loving my kinect and was not sold on the idea when first announced.

  • riseer #48 2 years ago

    Yawn..gotta love all the xbots talking their shit as always.GT5 will sell systems fyi,i have friends that are buying a ps3 to play gt5.It will sell systems this xmas,theirs tons of hype on it and PD never fails to impress.That being said kudos for Ms marketing this thing the right way.I don't see it as a hardcore gamer device,but if its fun theirs a reason to have it around.

  • CARL05 #49 2 years ago

    I'm getting a new 360 but that's cos the ui update bricked my launch console.
    They can stick Kinect though, I have zero interest in that yet - i'll give it a year to mature.

  • dirtyvu #50 2 years ago

    you guys who prop up Japan need to keep in mind that the japanese market is a distant third compared to the US and Europe. the japanese market is dying. japanese developers are stuck making the same game over and over because their gamers expect it. but at the same time, the number of gamers is shrinking because they're tired of the same thing. it's the weirdest paradox.

  • Noble6 #51 2 years ago

    Actual figures, you can refer the facts on wiki or VgChartz.

    Japan is not a massive HD console market. approximately 4 million ps3s n 1 million xbox360s have been sold in Japan to date. These are facts, however the Wii has sold about 11 million in Japan.

    The xbox is seeing a crazy boost in sales and has been for the last few months. It all comes down to a good lineup of games and obviously kinect.
    Unless kinect proves to be a year on year success, I could see the xbox and ps3 equalizing in 12 months.
    Edited by Noble6 at 17/11/10 @ 03:51

  • Noble6 #52 2 years ago

    I personally think the ps3 is a good product but Sony are absolutely clueless when it comes to marketing or making a product seem "cool" to the mass market which is something MS have over turned in due course with clever marketing. MS' key strength remains thinking ahead of the pack and innovating the market, something Sony have failed to display. I must admit they struck gold with blu ray.

    Once kinect sales calm down, I expect both consoles to sell uniformly given a steady supply of games and exclusives
    Edited by Noble6 at 17/11/10 @ 07:23

  • Noble6 #53 2 years ago

    Some posters cleverly pointed out that a price drop would turn the tide. Unfortunately from what I know Sony have only been making a profit on the ps3 since the slim launched and they're just about making every ps3 profitable. I guess a price cut in such a case would be bad for business.
    Edited by Noble6 at 17/11/10 @ 07:18

  • KrazyFace #54 2 years ago

    I just find this whole thing laughable. This time, a couple years ago, M$ xbots were going on and on and ON about how dumb people looked playing the Wii. They kept crying about what a child's toy it was and that the 360 was for "real gamerz" and they didn't understand why anyone would buy such a big kiddies toy. Now Kinect is here and what a surprise! The same bots are saying Kinect has "potential", kinect is "fun for all my family", kinect will "revolutionize games as we know them".

    LISTEN TO YOURSELVES! In one breath you're all saying the Wii is now doomed, Move is a total waste and that Kinect is better than the invention of the wheel! It's launch games hardly touched the 5 mark on most reviews, reports of it's malfunctions are everywhere and there's a good several hundred on ebay already!

    Maybe I'm just looking at this from the wrong angle, maybe flailing my arms around and jumping about my (emptied) livingroom really is the future of games, maybe bad craftsmanship and cut-corners are what I should expect from my electricals, maybe I should pay more attention to what others and the marketing hype machine are telling me and stop using my own better judgment.

    Maybe I should just shoot myself in the FUCKING HEAD, just to get rid of all the petty squeals comming from this new generation of gamers that are more interested in what a company floggs to us by merrit of its BRAND NAME than it's PRODUCT QUALITY. YOU'RE ALL SHEEP!!!

    My next purchase will be a car that only comes with bicycle tyres and runs on petrolium so I can wonkily drive myself off A FUCKING CLIFF to get away from all this stupidity... BUH-BYEEE!!!!
    Edited by KrazyFace at 17/11/10 @ 10:45

  • Dizzy #55 2 years ago

    >Maybe I should just shoot myself in the FUCKING HEAD

    Anyone else hoping he actually did? Anyone?

  • 360KID #56 2 years ago

    @Krazyface
    I have no intention of buying into kinect, until the tech is mastered. Just because MS are good at advertising, dosen't mean you need to shoot yourself in the head buddy. Yes I have had to re-buy a lot of 360's since launch because of harware failure, and yes paying for Live feels a little unfair sometimes, but the 360 is a good product. I see your point about the current gen of gamers seeming a lot like sheep, but that's everyone everywhere. Advertising works because we all want to belive that what we're being shown is what we need. You went a little OTT in your post, but at least you live up to your name!

  • Brogan #57 2 years ago

    Who are all these people that have been sitting around with 200 quid in their back pocket waiting for the ps3 to cone down to that level but couldn't find another 50 to go to the shop and pick one my. Sony must have a massive monk following if they are will to deprive themselves of the sake of 50 notes.

  • KrazyFace #58 2 years ago

    *TAKES DEEP BREATH*

    @ 360KID, Yeah sorry about that out-burst there, I just feel really frustrated that the people I'm associated with act like zombies anytime a new bit of kit/game is made I suppose. What makes it worse is the quality control over the stuff that's sold to us. I was REALLY looking forward to the next Fallout game, but Obsidian went and put out a broken, glitch-fest of a game that STILL GOT HIGH MARKS!!! I was just so dissapointed with what they gave us in exchange for our money, I even bought the special edition. Can't tell you what a kick in the teeth that was.

    As for kinect, some are saying it works, others are saying it dosen't. I just find it hard to have faith in MS when they've lied about so much in the past; hiding figures, saying there was nothing wrong with the soldering on the old 360's, keeping quiet about pulling the plug on the original xbox servers etc. I just don't think anything they do or make is a worthwhile investment as it'll either melt, breakdown, won't work or will have it's support dropped, like vista or HDDVD. If something dosen't make M$ lots of fast money, they just chuck in the towel.

    Anyway, I still stand by what I said before; The main consumers in this industry seem little more than sheep to me.

    I'm getting a Mac LOL...

  • lennon #59 2 years ago

    "As for kinect, some are saying it works others are saying it dosen't"

    It works. Get over it.

  • tinners #60 2 years ago

    Lol ""As for kinect, some are saying it works others are saying it dosen't"

    Of course you don't want to bown down to the general consensus or sheep but maybe finding this fact out for yourself will let you form your own opinion ;)

    Just a thought.
    Edited by tinners at 18/11/10 @ 01:01

  • lockload #61 2 years ago

    360 launched at £280 and £210 (core), Its now £200 and £145 (around -30%)

    PS3 launched at £425 is now £249 (-40%)

    The truth is the ps3 has already been massively price reduced and sony have still made no money off the ps3, MS could cut another £50 off the 360 and still make money and they will do but only when sony does

    So in summary sony as stuffed, they will never appeal to people more than a 360 because it will always be more expensive and people dont care enough about bluray, even if they do a standalone player is much much cheaper than a ps3

  • KrazyFace #62 2 years ago

    @lockload: Your point about cheaper Bluray players is mute. The PS3 has a ton of other stuff right out the box than the average bluray player. Are you seriously telling me you'd pay a couple hundred for a player that does nothing elce than play discs, OR buy a PS3 for a similar price that you can then get MUBI, LOVE FILM, PSN (games & vids), Facebook connection, TV, INTERNET and other stuff?

    Seriously, which would you buy?

    Anyway, I'm not getting into an argument about who makes more money for the simple fact that it's sad. I really couldn't give two shits who makes more money, MS and Sony both have other avenues to their business, they're never gonna freakout if they're games devision make losses coz they can recoupe it elsewhere. NUFF SAID!