Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 20 July, 2010

On money, Kinect, and Milo & Kate.

Microsoft's just announced that Kinect will cost £129.99 / €149.99 and come bundled with launch title Kinect Adventures.

It's also revealed a new Xbox 360 4GB model, to be launched in the UK on 20th August, priced at £149.99 / €199.99.

The 4GB Xbox 360 plus Kinect and Kinect Adventures will be available as a bundle for £249.99 / €299.99 when Kinect launches in the UK this November.

Last night, Eurogamer chatted to Xbox product director Aaron Greenberg to pose some burning questions on Microsoft's hot-off-the-press announcements. Read on for the result.

Eurogamer: Kinect sounds a little pricey. Are you confident Xbox 360 owners will see value there?

Aaron Greenberg: Absolutely. We obviously don't make pricing decisions without doing our research. We've done a number of pricing studies on a global scale across a whole variety of audience segments. When we talked to consumers about the different types of experiences you get with Kinect, we found that that sensor with the full game at $149 does quite well.

We've even seen some of the retailers put up some speculative pre-orders for just the sensor as a standalone at $149. On Amazon.com, for example, it jumped to one of the top two things in the videogame category coming out of E3. Now we're saying it's not just $149, but you're also getting a full $50 retail game as part of that.

That said, there's a tremendous opportunity here to drive new console sales. There will be a whole new wave of consumers looking for all new ways to experience games and entertainment. To be able to do that with the console plus the sensor and the game at that value is pretty unprecedented.

Eurogamer: Why are you bringing a new Xbox 360 4GB model to market?

'Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg' Screenshot 1

Aaron Greenberg: It will effectively replace the Arcade console. We see it as a great value entry price point for consumers. We're upgrading the storage to a full 4GB, which is quite a bit of storage. At $199 we think that's a great price point. That 4GB is built-in flash memory, so it's not a hard drive. There is a hard drive bay built into all the new Xbox 360s.

At £199 you've got the 250GB SKU, which is selling exceptionally well. We've heard some good initial feedback from the first week of sales. I know in Europe it has been really strong. Here in the States, just the first couple of weeks for the month of June, NPD data put Xbox 360 console sales ahead of both the PS3 and the Wii.

Consumer demand seems to be really strong for the new console. To be able to add the remaining piece of the puzzle now for Kinect and how we're bringing it to market, and the price points, is the focus of the announcement.

Eurogamer: Apart from the flash memory and the matte finish, are there any differences between the 4GB model and the 250GB model?

Aaron Greenberg: No. It's got Wi-Fi built in. It's the same form factor. The difference is finish and storage. They both come with Wi-Fi. They both come with a controller. We're excited to have a new console this holiday at different price points for different types of consumers. And the same with the bundle and the Kinect sensor and Kinect Adventures.

Eurogamer: What impact do you expect Kinect, the new console and the new bundles will have on sales of the Xbox 360, and looking ahead, the rest of the Xbox 360's lifespan?

Aaron Greenberg: It'll do a couple of things. All of our research shows there's a massive market opportunity for this to drive new console sales to new consumers. Obviously, where we're at in the life cycle, we're talking to a more mainstream casual consumer that's coming in at this point in time.

This is - quite frankly - the exact type of experiences they're looking for, that have that broad appeal, that enable you to experience games and entertainment in whole new ways. We'll have 15 launch titles covering everything from sports to dance to things like Adventures, which will be available at launch this November.

As we think about the life cycle, this generation has been quite a bit different than what we've had in prior generations. The fact that we've got the majority of our console owners connected online, that we're able to provide new updates and new experiences without requiring you to buy a new console; it's quite a bit different than what we've seen in the past.

With Kinect and what we're doing there, a lot of people have talked about this being the type of leap you would typically see when you went to a new generation. But the nice thing is we're able to bring that next generation experience to market this generation.

We already have storage. We already have high definition gaming. We already have a connected online community. So adding the sensor to the experience enables us to unlock a whole new variety of games and entertainment. We're pretty optimistic this will provide multiple years of life to the current life cycle.

'Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg' Screenshot 4

Eurogamer: You haven't announced a European release date for Kinect.

Aaron Greenberg: In North America it's 4th November. We haven't said anything beyond November. So the date in November has not been announced for Europe yet. This bundle will launch in November. It's essentially the launch of Kinect. The date has not been announced.

Eurogamer: Have you saturated the hardcore market?

Aaron Greenberg: It's a good question. Our approach is, it's not an or, it's an and. We can deliver our best core line-up we've ever had and deliver whole new experiences for a broader consumer.

We have that unique ability, that's unique to us in this marketplace. We are that two-sided coin, if you will. We can deliver games and entertainment. The best core experiences and new experiences for the broad market.

So if people are going to buy one system, we offer the most for that value. Just core gamers alone this holiday, we have Halo: Reach, we have Fable III, we've got new blockbuster third-party titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops. We've got our biggest core line-up that we've ever had. At the same time we're launching Kinect. There hasn't been any sacrifice as we think about the core market.

Eurogamer: You must have seen the reaction to your E3 2010 Kinect reveal from some hardcore gamers. How do you respond to the critics who say, "This doesn't offer me anything"?

Aaron Greenberg: Well, we weren't too surprised frankly, because we knew what we were unveiling with our launch line-up was targeted primarily at a broader audience.

But there are a lot of great experiences there for everyone, whether it's new ways to access and control your entertainment, be it movies and music, or new gameplay experiences. Dance Central, where Harmonix is building a new music game from the ground up for Kinect, is a great example. Nobody would say Rock Band is just for the casual audience. Everyone plays Rock Band. This is another great experience in that line.

That said, we know there are a lot of core games in development for Kinect that we obviously have not unveiled and announced yet. We feel confident that as we start to share more of that news, that reaction will be muted, for sure.

Eurogamer: There's been some confusion surrounding Project Milo. Can you settle this once and for all? Will you bring it to market?

Aaron Greenberg: Peter and the team are doing great work on Project Milo, and he just demoed it at the TED Conference. It's definitely not just a tech demo. They're building something pretty unique and compelling.

We leave it up to Peter and his team to determine what that game is and when it would come to market. All we've said is that at this point in time it's not coming this holiday. But as you can see it's definitely quite a bit more than just a tech demo.

Eurogamer: So there's a chance it will be brought to market?

'Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg' Screenshot 6

Aaron Greenberg: Sure. It's a great showcase of the technology and it has the opportunity to be a very compelling experience. You've seen a huge leap over the last year from what we unveiled at E3 last year, to what Peter is showing this year with Project Milo.

They'll continue to build on that. What that turns out to be and how it gets brought to market all remains to be seen. We're fortunate to have one of the brilliant creators of our industry pushing the boundaries of creativity with this project. It's been exciting for people that have seen a preview of it.

He [Peter Molyneux] is best to speak to about what this product will eventually become.

Eurogamer: So it's his decision whether it gets released?

Aaron Greenberg: Well, there are a whole variety of factors. But for now it's in Peter's hands. Peter serves as our creative director for all of our studios in Europe. What he and his team at Lionhead are doing with Project Milo is just one example of the type of great innovation that's coming out of Europe.

What that turns out to be and all those details all remain to be seen. It's not something we're bringing to market this holiday, so we're going to be a bit more vague about it than if it was launching in a couple of months.

Aaron Greenberg is the Xbox product director. Kinect will be released in the UK this November.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (82) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • agparrot #1 2 years ago

    I was going to quote the same thing as Astro-Creature... what a load of absolute bollocks that quote is. Just who are these 'consumers' they 'talked to'?

    Not for me, at that price. Other people may happily get their value out of it, and that's fine by me, but it just seems like a lot of money.

  • frunk #2 2 years ago

    Oh dear... I fear DOA for that price...

  • Shikasama #3 2 years ago

    If you consider the price of the Playstation Pleasure Toy remotes and then the vast upgrade in technology that Kinect is, price seems more than reasonable.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #4 2 years ago

    the standalone price seems high but the bundle price and the new arcade price look really nice.

  • daz_john_smith #5 2 years ago

    I'd be interested to know if the "consumers" they spoke to about this realised that for their $150 they'd only be getting the Kinect Sensor and Kinect Sports game and not the Xbox Console wihich will be required to use them.

  • MiniAmin #6 2 years ago

    PS3 has loads of brilliant exclusives. As a 360 owner I want more exclusives. Kinect seems okay but i'd much prefer a massive new IP.

    Also, £129 LOL

  • Vyggo #7 2 years ago

    I think it's a very reasonably price as well. And I am not even going to compare it to Move or anything.This seems like a great experience for my kids, my wife and me and I will not think twice about picking it up for $150.

  • Shikasama #8 2 years ago

    Vyggo - lets see how many negs between us we can collect

    Honestly, you lot are pathetic
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 17:26

  • Feanor #9 2 years ago

    "Can I have the names and addresses of these people you asked?"

    They all live at the same mental institution in Seattle.

  • phAge #10 2 years ago

    "I was going to quote the same thing as Astro-Creature... what a load of absolute bollocks that quote is. Just who are these 'consumers' they 'talked to'?"

    I'm sorry, but that is fucking hysterical. :D

    "I find that price too high - SO THIS MUST BE THE CONSENSUS ACROSS THE BOARD!"

    You are acting as if MS is trying to trick you by claiming that they've done their research - why the hell would they lie about this?

    (Oh, and before anyone puts on the XBOTLOL!-record, I also think the price is too steep. But if MS says that it will sell at that price point, I see no reason to doubt them).
    Edited by 2 at 20/07/10 @ 17:31

  • flapps #11 2 years ago

    Quite an easy-going interview there. Forum threads filled with pictures of Kinect piling up in stores seems a decent prediction at that price!

  • Kikizosan #12 2 years ago

    If they really want it to be successful, they should sell it bundled with new consoles (the new slim) and subsidise the cost themselves. History has shown that expensive peripherals rarely attain enough market penetration for games developers to create software for them. Unless MS has some ace up its sleeve...or deep pockets... Oh.

  • anomagnus #13 2 years ago

    was going to get kinect, but that price is pretty steep

  • B0MBJ4CK #14 2 years ago

    A matte finish console with glossy finish Kinect?

    /eye twitch

  • Darren #15 2 years ago

    Love how the guy announces that both versions of the new Xbox 360 come with a controller! Well strike me down with a feather if that wasn't a complete surprise! ;)

    Also Kinect is just £20 less than the cost of a brand new Xbox 360... it's just way too expensive for what is basically a glorified webcam which has the console doing most of the processing anyway! I'll be surprised if this flies off the shelves in the run up to Christmas.

  • agparrot #16 2 years ago

    ""I find that price too high - SO THIS MUST BE THE CONSENSUS ACROSS THE BOARD!"

    You are acting as if MS is trying to trick you by claiming that they've done their research - why the hell would they lie about this? "

    Is there some consensus that the price is an acceptable one then? I am genuinely curious about which group of consumers, when actually polled for their opinions, thought that this was an acceptable price.

    I'm not saying they don't exist, I'm just... well, I'm just not one of them. I guess there are probably affluent bleeding-edge adopters to whom this is eminently reasonable, or even people like Vyggo for whom the cost is easily divisible by the number of family members and the number of laughs they are probably going to have with it... I just don't know how many regular 360 owners would happily adopt the technology at that cost. I, of course, include myself in that.

    Time will tell, of course. Perhaps there is a vast group of Wii owners looking to upgrade the tech behind their waggle-games to something that looks nicer, or perhaps there is a group of non-console owning people who will adopt this family-friendly SKU in their droves.

    Are those the consumers that were asked? If so, fair enough.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 17:41

  • Sinos83 #17 2 years ago

    Why are we being made to pay £30 more for Kinect than the Yanks?
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 18:00

  • Vin #18 2 years ago

    "Nobody would say Rock Band is just for the casual audience. Everyone plays Rock Band."

    That's NOT the way to sell me Kincet, Greenberg.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #19 2 years ago

    Re: "who would buy Kinect at that price?" - I would, and will. Don't get me wrong, I'd RATHER pay £99 for it - the price I assumed/hoped it would be. But then I never assumed it would come with a free game (although it really needed to).

    It's swings and roundabouts: I think £250 is a decent (not great, just decent) price for a new Xbox + Kinect. I think £130 for Kinect on its own is a bit high. But it's not ridiculously, offensively high (IMO), and comparable to a fully-featured Move set.

    So: I'll still be getting Kinect at that price, but I wish it was a bit cheaper, and I also wish it had Sports rather than Adventures in it ;-)

  • phAge #20 2 years ago

    Agparrot: I think we can safely assume that MS (whose interest in Kinect selling is greater than anyone elses) will have done their research with people who are representative of the group they're targetting with Kinect. So yes - I bet they've mostly asked the sort of people you suggest.

  • daz_john_smith #21 2 years ago

    This sample of consumers don't agree with Mr Greenberg on price

  • CaptainQuint #22 2 years ago

    I couldn't give a fuck about this Milo shite. I get to play with kids everyday, through the school railings.

  • irrelevanthuman #23 2 years ago

    Was sitting on the fence about Kinect-until now that is,no purchase for me at that price.

  • Geordiemp #24 2 years ago

    If people read the article he says the sales listing on amazon gave them good feedback.

    Kinect is listed as 34 in videogames on amazon.com, so allot of people are pre-ordering it for exmas probably with dance party for their teenage daughters.

    People on EG boards are not the target audience. Greenberg does not care what you think, users here are expected to pay their gold subs and play halo and COD. They do not expect you to buy Kinect.

    Not interested personally, must kill aliens with big guns....but I would not play my little pony or the like either.

    They will have dance demos in John Lewis and game, and teen girls in Q's to buy it.
    Edited by 2 at 20/07/10 @ 18:09

  • swills #25 2 years ago

    I am genuinely curious about which group of consumers, when actually polled for their opinions, thought that this was an acceptable price.
    One would presume 30-50+ yr old blokes with a couple of kids who earn 40k plus a year and won't think twice about dropping a couple of hundred quid on entertainment for their family. There are millions of families like this. The main problem is that not many of them will own an X-Box (and quite a few may already own a Wii) but that's ok as the new Arcade pack is a fine deal for them.

    Anyone who thinks that Kinect will have any use for the 20-something 'hardcore' gamers that the comments thread primarily contains is kidding themselves. This isn't aimed at you so what do you care how much it costs?

  • Kerome #26 2 years ago

    "Why are we being forced to pay £30 more?"

    That's VAT, the US price does not include sales tax (their equivalent). Good old HMRC, always ready to collect their pound of flesh.

    Oh yeah, and some extra shipping and handling costs, or so I hear.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 18:23

  • X3Entente #27 2 years ago

    since when did fred durst get a job at microsoft

  • Sinos83 #28 2 years ago

    That's VAT, the US price does not include sales tax (their equivalent). Good old HMRC, always ready to collect their pound of flesh.

    17.5% VAT couldn't in any way add £30 to the price! You only have to look at the Halo: Reach Legendary Edition to realise that wouldn't account for the price difference.
    Edited by 4 at 20/07/10 @ 18:35

  • iamtheoneneo #29 2 years ago

    what a noob....a AAA noob at that.

  • Arwin #30 2 years ago

    Basically, existing owners (and at some point Windows users) are going to pay for the Arcade users in a nice, involuntary sponsoring deal. :) It's much more valuable for Microsoft to get more systems out there right now and expand their market. At least, it's clear that is their strategy.

    So yes, I expected this bundle price, and it looks good enough, not too far above the Wii at launch, with potential to drop another 50 in the near future. This is currently the PS3's biggest problem, perhaps. Sure, for the extra 100 you get a Bluray and a Harddrive, but right now 399 for a Move bundle would be too much. I hope Sony can get it down to 299 or close to it soon also (the standalone PS3 is 279 here, so the potential is there to be at least under 350)

  • lockload #31 2 years ago

    I was interested but not any more

    Their market research seem way off, but we will see

  • gnrlstuart #32 2 years ago

    not at that price. but then again if you look at 'the casual market' for most technology, mobile phones, apple products, wii's even. all at anticompetitive price points with a large overhead to the company.why? because having the trendiest, most 'cutting' edge hardware is worth the high prices these companies demand.
    hardcore gamers are microsofts best friend , yet worst enemy; we are loyal customers, a vibrant online community, and the main cog that keeps the industry ticking, yet we are also fickle. we're a tech savvy bunch, and think carefully before blowing small fortunes on 'must have' gadgets. for example, the iphone 4, great piece of kit, but i don't see the value in a product which will be rendered obsolete within a year. i personally don't foresee many people buying a 360 and kinect over a wii, when you take into account casual gamers' priorities (short bursts of cheap, easy fun).

  • Whizzo #33 2 years ago

    It's amazing how quickly April 1st comes around.

    Oh, it's not a joke price? But it is!

  • Goodfella #34 2 years ago

    Whoever it's aimed at I'm not one of them, the price is laughable but people will pay it, basically people with more money than sense, or just lots of money.

  • Anthony_UK #35 2 years ago

    I was about to say I might wait a while at that price, then I remembered Children of Eden

    /They've got me by the short and curlys

  • Vyggo #36 2 years ago

    "One would presume 30-50+ yr old blokes with a couple of kids who earn 40k plus a year and won't think twice about dropping a couple of hundred quid on entertainment for their family. There are millions of families like this. "

    Bingo, and I am one of those. That's the target audience.

    "the price is laughable but people will pay it, basically people with more money than sense, or just lots of money. "

    You couldn't help insulting people. I would like to know how much money you spent on games each year, I bet you a lot of people think that's dumb as well. It's because people cannot fathom other people having different priorities than them, it's baffling to me. I don't like trains and I would never spent hundreds on model trains and tracks, but I can still rationally understand why other people would do it.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 19:43

  • JahB #37 2 years ago

    @Crez

    that was about the dumbest thing i've read on EG for quite a while.

  • Goodfella #38 2 years ago

    @ Vyggo

    Touchy, didn't mean to insult, I was just covering all bases, those with more money than sense and those with just lots of money.

    I spend a fair amount of money on games but I buy them at a price I feel is justified. I could only justify buying the Kinect, at launch for £130 if I had more money than sense or just lots of money. Of which neither apply.

  • cyber_nicco #39 2 years ago

    I know this is going to be unpopular here, but I am likely to buy Kinect sometime after it becomes available. I spend money on shiny things. Sometimes it is hard for me to justify the purchase. For instance, I am about to purchase a class IV handheld laser because it seems "neat" to be able to set things on fire from a distance. I am impressed by the technology. On that front the laser (and Kinect) represent good value. Maybe Kinect answers a question no one is asking, but you have to admit that there's a lot of cutting edge (for consumer equipment) hardware in there.

    So, do I need it? Probably not. Will I enjoy it if I have it? Probably. Do I represent the average consumer? I have no idea.

  • Lawlost #40 2 years ago

    As usual Microsoft have missed the mark on the price point. Nintendo seem to be getting it right. The Wii fit launched at £79.99 and was huge at launch they were very difficult to get hold of and went on to sell really well. It goes to show that console owners are willing to pay a premium price for add on hardware. At £129.99 this to me is £30 over what I would be willing to pay. It will sell but I suspect not as well as the Wii fit.

  • Liamario #41 2 years ago

    I fear it will sell. But not nearly on the same scale as the wii

  • TRUTH #42 2 years ago

    I wonder if you can wave your Willie around in front of Kinect; will it recognize it ?

  • TRUTH #43 2 years ago

    I still prefer as do many a sense of feel and touch - this has more control and feeling of control in comfort, with more precise accuracy and movement as with joypads, or remotes - not waving around in empty space and not sure you done what you wanted to do, as there no sense of other then seeing the screen for your icon.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 21:16

  • Spydy #44 2 years ago

    "Obviously, where we're at in the life cycle, we're talking to a more mainstream casual consumer that's coming in at this point in time"

    No way. The casual consumer isn't going to by this at £250 (Kinect plus a 360), £40 live sub, plus trimmings.

    MS need to offer the hardcore something because this is just dead. Absolutely DOA. Sony maybe in trouble with Move but at least they offer a cheaper price point and hardcore offerings, widening the the scope of what's available.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 21:26

  • makeamazing #45 2 years ago

    The ironic thing is in the USA the pre-orders for this price were apparently massive. So I suspect that was how they did their research.

    I was considering at some point getting a new xbox.. and probably would have also got connect just to see how good/bad it is (thats the kind of gamer i am), but at that price, i have to start thinking, do i invest money in hardware such as Rockband or this... and i wonder if that will be other peoples (certainly from the hardcore) thoughts. Its going to be an expensive Christmas and with the recession still on, i am not convinced that all these expensive things can co-exist and something isnt going to fail hard.

    So i expect some major title or products to fail this year... after the summer disaster, i just cant see how the market can sustain all these expensive products.

  • White_Westie #46 2 years ago

    I've got it on preorder.. I am going to make a killing on eBay when this baby is sold out at Xmas....

    /switches sarcastic mode off.

  • Kerome #47 2 years ago

    Well we shall see. It'd probably have done better at £89.99 especially with the way the economy is now, but I still think it's a bold initiative which could give some genuinely new game experiences. Not sure if I'd shell out £130 if there wasn't at least one other game that I really wanted though.

  • Geordiemp #48 2 years ago

    Gents,

    If they wanted your custom, there would be 1 launch game involving a 15 or 18 reating with fighting or killing aliens or something aggressive.

    Its all cute and cuddly launch games, be surprised if any one gets less than a PG or a 3+ rating.

    Good luck to MS, but for me Kinect is a childs toy, not a gaming platform.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 21:47

  • CHAZBIGPOTATO #49 2 years ago

    This is really depressing isn't it?

  • Nephirion #50 2 years ago

    I don't really understand the logic of such a high entry price? Unless it was an Activision product then that would explain it.

  • local_celebrity #51 2 years ago

    Fuck that for a game of soldiers. I'm not paying £130 to fund this man's donut habit.

  • Nige #52 2 years ago

    >EG...Are you confident Xbox 360 owners will see value there?
    >Aaron Greenberg: Absolutely

    I'd get sacked if I was ever that wrong about something in my job.

  • SEVQA #53 2 years ago

    "People on EG boards are not the target audience. spot on!

    So in good EG boards fashion and for all the hardcore gamers out there, FUxK KINECT AND FUxK YOU GREEBERG!

  • BlueHaze_Sean #54 2 years ago

    To stick my neck out - I'll be buying Kinect.

    It's the top end of what I'm comfortable paying, but (360 + Kinect) not a million miles away from what I payed for a Wii when that came out

  • Distributor #55 2 years ago

    All we sad little poopsocks, me included, that post here are the Core and mostly the HARDcore gamer, TO WHOM Kinect is not made for. Its for the casual folks. Im sure MS does better research in a year than most of us could in a lifetime and if they have come to the conclusion it will sell at this price, it will.

  • rommy667 #56 2 years ago

    Rip off ffs :(

  • Zeburdee #57 2 years ago

    The success rate will be down to how well they *market* Kinect to their target audience. What i'm personally disappointed with is that the target they have in mind is obviously not me...

    This could have been a serious cutting edge bit of technology with exciting gameplay to back it up and some serious E3 wow factor. But instead it seems to be becoming more and more a piece of shovel-ware arse-batter aimed at people who don't know their gaming anus from their elbow.

    On a side issue, anyone responding with the serious use of "if you will" in an interview immediately sets off the twat-o-meter for me. Still, good luck to 'em (i'm quietly hoping they need it.)

  • gjgjg #58 2 years ago

    by the time some interesting (gaming not kiddie) software gets released for Knct im another one who will not be investing at launch. and by the time the software for me gets released it'll be e100ish anyway, so no tears from here.

    as pointed out this is for the '''broader''' (fatter?!) audience, so good luck to MS, if they market it well enough it will be wii 2.0 as they are hoping. if it is sucessful just dont divert resources away from the core market that got you this far in the first place, as ninty have done! then itll be all tears from me and an apology to my ps3 for ignoring it and making all those sony wiibubblemotemove jokes!

    edit:
    ...maybe broader does mean fatter, is this some kind of goverment sponsored initiative to get the broader folk off their ass?!? ...goodnight!
    Edited by 2 at 21/07/10 @ 01:11

  • mossychops001 #59 2 years ago

    Greenberg = Spamhead.

  • Progguitarist #60 2 years ago

    This guy has one of the most punchable heads I've ever seen.

  • carrotcake #61 2 years ago

    Every year he says this holiday they have the best core line-up they've ever had. Apart from Halo Reach.... eh

  • Vyggo #62 2 years ago

    "@ Vyggo

    Touchy, didn't mean to insult, I was just covering all bases, those with more money than sense and those with just lots of money. "

    As I was explaining, those are not all bases. You missed the most obvious base, the one where people have other priorities than you (try really hard to imagine such a world) and think $150 dollars for a device (and a game) that will give their family a lot of entertainment is not too much.

  • Shinetop #63 2 years ago

    You've seen a huge leap over the last year from what we unveiled at E3 last year

    ...what leap?

  • Shinetop #64 2 years ago

    I'm not remotely interested in paying €150 for a peripheral + minigame collection. I'm interested in getting one bundled with a new console, if my current one breaks down.

    However, there's no bundle for a 360 that also has a harddrive. So that means getting the €199 250GB version, plus a €150 Kinect, and €50 Dance Central, the only game that isn't a crappy Wii knock-off.

    That's €400 in total.

    Get the fuck out of here, Microsoft.

  • 43n1m4 #65 2 years ago

    You don't have to buy it at release. I'll probably wait 'till more core games is available for Kinect,and the price has dropped - which should be sometime after christmas..

    I still find Kinect to be a very ambitious piece of hardware, with a lot of potential - but I don't think we'll see any games living up to the hardware untill well into 2011. At the earliest. But we'll see.

  • technotica #66 2 years ago

    Soon we won't only have 'the PS3 is better than the XBOX!' 'The XBOX is better than the PS3!' but also 'Move kills Kinect!' 'Move is shit! Kinect Rules' etc. :)

  • Beano #67 2 years ago

    I wouldn't mind paying £130 for something exiting... but unfortunately, Kinect looks far from exiting. It still looks like Eyetoy 2.0 and jumping in front of the TV to play a laggy casual game was something I got tired of 7 years ago.
    Maybe if/when they use the Kinect in new and interesting ways, I might be tempted, but right now it looks bound to fail.

  • Doctor_What #68 2 years ago

    "We'll have 15 launch titles covering everything from sports to dance to things like Adventures, which will be available at launch this November."

    So... That's minigames, dancing, AND minigames? This reminds me of the bar in The Blues Brothers that plays both kinds of music, country AND western.

  • Geordiemp #69 2 years ago

    @technot

    I doubt it actually. Both for Move and Kinect, Kinect is so girly / kids Toy nobody is going to be arguing its side on a forum.

    Perversely, Kinect may win the market with lots of kids and girls buying dance, but nobody on here will be arguing look at the sales LOL.

    The market may polarise if things continue this way and MS dont start putting effort into quality AAA in house games like sony at least focus on. Does not matter which fence you sit on you cannot deny the recent focus areas. Eventually, it may

    MS : #1 home console, leads the way with dance and party games

    Sony : #2 home console, shooters and action games with controller or move options, hardcore games home.

    Big N : Lost its way with Wii, got stale. 3DS the king of hand helds.....

    Wild prediction, but this seems to be what those companies are going after ?

    Edited by 2 at 21/07/10 @ 09:45

  • irve77 #70 2 years ago

    He does realise that people are selling the Wii for £130 with sports and sports resort ?

    £130 for kinect with a so far unimpressive mini game ... that's not gonna happen !

    So it'll be £250 for a 4gb 360 or £250 for a PS3 120gb with move ....
    as much as i was in favour of Natal before, now i'm not so impressed ...

    wake me up when they learn that options should be chosed by pulling towards you rather than waving ... either that or wake me up when Natal 2 comes out !

  • Gecks #71 2 years ago

    @cyber_nicco
    "I know this is going to be unpopular here, but I am likely to buy Kinect sometime after it becomes available. I spend money on shiny things. Sometimes it is hard for me to justify the purchase. For instance, I am about to purchase a class IV handheld laser because it seems "neat" to be able to set things on fire from a distance."

    ...
    given you +1 just because i'm fearful of your deathray retribution :)

  • kangarootoo #72 2 years ago

    "more money than sense"

    God how I hate that term. Its just so basely patronising. When the truth is, it usually actually means "more money than me" as well. So childish.


    I have no plans to buy Kinect, even at a much lower price. However, it is laughable for random forumites to suggest that they know more about sales predictions than MS (a company with, you know, a pretty decent record of making stuff that people buy).

    There is no doubt a market for this, at the price they have set. And that market isn't stupid, it is just affluent. People who have their finances organised and have a fair amount of disposable income. People who, as others have mentioned, don't mind spending that money on something their family can enjoy together.

    People who don't fit the target demographic (as I don't) should think hard about whether perhaps they don't represent the whole world... or they could just keep on saying stupid and patronising things of course.

  • chibber23 #73 2 years ago

    Microsoft are making the same mistake as Sony did with the PS3 - they are releasing something more advanced than the competition, more difficult to design a game for and hugely more expensive for an individual unit at retail (but because it can do more is actually cheaper when everything is factored in).

    People will go with the thing they perceive to be cheaper (the 360 over the PS3, the wii or move over kinect) and it will fail to get off the ground. 3rd parties will develop for wii and PS Move as they are similar and ignore/produce bad attempts at ports on Kinect. These companies never seem to learn, go for the middle road on tech and pricing and you never loose, over price a product and cram it with cutting edge tech and no one buys it. Also, with luxury items like this (and it is a luxury item for the audience it's aimed) you don't launch it during a recession, you do what the wii did and launch in a boom time - people are more concerned with saving than spending today.

    Not just that but I give it 12 months until we see a controller for Kinect - or a different custom controller shipping with just about every game.
    Edited by 1 at 21/07/10 @ 14:02

  • BlinxHDD #74 2 years ago

    Yeah, Microsoft clearly does their market research. Just look at the Kin phones.

  • huckan #75 2 years ago

    Sadly I still don't have 5 metres of spare living room for it to pick me up dancing on my carpet or examining my forza cars ^^

  • Machiavellian #76 2 years ago

    People will go with the thing they perceive to be cheaper (the 360 over the PS3, the wii or move over kinect)

    Actually, people will buy in droves for what they believe is the next best thing no matter the price.

    A lot of people here is calling kinect a kids toy and girly but those are the types of devices that sell in droves. The girl market is huge and every parent including myself would buy kinect if his little girl came to him and said I want that for Christmas/Birthday etc. When a toy becomes the must have toy, no matter the cost it sells millions. This is the market MS wants to hit and really it only take a very good advertising campaign to do it. Expect to see Kinect commercials, ads etc all over the place when Kinect release. You can believe that by the time Kinect hit the stores, everyone will know that the device exist.

    Also having a device that appeals to women is also a good way to go and I would not be surprised if MS doesn't try to tap into that market as well.

    For the core 360 gamer, I am sure there will be games coming out that will appeal to you but also such games take more than a year to create.

  • TRUTH #77 2 years ago

    Look what MS did with Rare, I see the same with Kinect. MS has shoved the real gamer for casual lovers; just look how Crackdown 2 was so similar to CD 1, with minimum effort by MS to produce a proper sequel as they seem to be doing everything on the cheap and aimed for online only.

  • Pistonhead #78 2 years ago

    Absolutely laughable. Who do MS think they are kidding??! I hope this falls flat on it's face and the price drops like an HD-DVD drive add-on. Maybe then I'll pick one up...

  • Spungles #79 2 years ago

    There are people spend more than £130 on a night out. True.

    I would pay that for it if I liked the games. But I don't.

  • gorf #80 2 years ago

    Somehow, psychologically, the price seems more palataple within a bundle. Sold on its own as a £130 peripheral sems rather steep. Of course Microsoft could reduce the price if sales are poor but they would have to act swiftly not to piss/scare off all the sotware devleopers who've piled i a lot of money to develop for this peripheral.
    Edited by 1 at 21/07/10 @ 21:33

  • onyxbox #81 2 years ago

    At the end of the day this is a peripheral to a machine that is traditionally perceived as something teenage boys play Call of Duty on... it's going to take a hell of a lot of marketing to change peoples perception of that and they've already screwed up by making the XBox and Kinect look like something that fell off Darth Vader.

    :-/

    Having some games that use Kinect and some that don't will just confuse the 'non hardcore'. At least with the Wii pretty much every game will work with the Wiimote. There's little confusion.

    I think Kinect will see limited success over Christmas and then it'll tank and MS will just forget about it like they did with the Vision Camera, Lips, Scene It etc.

  • banjo21 #82 2 years ago

    Hmm. Much as I love my Xbox its peculiar for the MS Man to say how great it is that you dont have to buy a new console to experience new, well, experiences, just a new peripheral. Did anyone notice the peripheral is the same feckin price as a new console (bar £20). Insane.

    Look I have a car that lasts forever, just so long as you spend £15000 every 5 years updating it. How does that guy keep his job.
    Edited by 1 at 22/07/10 @ 12:38