Microsoft's own shop says Kinect is $149

By Tom Bramwell Published 22 June, 2010

Supports US retailers' claims.

Microsoft has popped Xbox 360 Kinect on its own online store priced $149.

This despite spokesperson Aaron Greenberg's repeated assertions that the $149 price tag put forward by US retailers is "purely speculative".

The Microsoft store listing (thanks VG247) is for pre-orders and also tells us that you get the Kinect sensor, power cable, manual and a Wi-Fi extension cable in the box.

The page also has a sense of humour, noting that in order to use Kinect you will need an Xbox 360 console, six feet of space between you and your TV, and you! Ha ha! And $149.

Check out our Xbox 360 Kinect hands-on and Digital Foundry's analysis of the technology from E3 last week.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (62) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • anathema #1 2 years ago

    Looks like I'll be sticking with the standard controller then.
    Edited by anathema at 22/06/10 @ 08:30

  • KayJay #2 2 years ago

    Ouch!

  • SilentNinja92 #3 2 years ago

    As expensive as it is. If there is enough games which support it I might get it.

    MS has already stated tat this is like their new console, so chances are it'll be used more and more in the future.

  • dominalien #4 2 years ago

    "and a Wi-Fi extension cable"

    Huh?

  • CygnusReactor #5 2 years ago

    Until there are (any) great games that I need to use this, I'll be sticking to my controller. Pushing a button and moving an analog stick is quicker, more precise and with feedback more intuitive, than waving my arms around in my option. I'm sure i'll get a flaming, but this and ps3 move have tony hawks ride written all over it. Great idea poorly executed, I really hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

  • RodHull #6 2 years ago

    I presume that'll translate as £99 over here. Pretty expensive for the casual market that MS covert so much. Perhaps if they bundle it with the new core and Kinect Sports it'll be more appealling.

  • Alivada #7 2 years ago

    I can buy a Kinect but not any games, should be thrown in with something like Wii Sports.
    Then this price wouldn't seem too bad.
    Edited by Alivada at 22/06/10 @ 08:51

  • Johnson #8 2 years ago

    $149? "Lincoln had a brighter future when he picked his tickets up at the box office."

  • GiarcYekrub #9 2 years ago

    erm... "six feet of space between you and your TV" well that rules me out

  • Beano #10 2 years ago

    "six feet of space between you and your TV"

    I knew the Kinect device was big... but that's a huge device that require 6 feet of space! :)

  • DaveLev #11 2 years ago

    I'm still hoping this is a ploy by Microsoft, so that when they announce the price is less than $100 we will all jump and the chance to buy it! Since it's cheaper than expected .... I think I'm living in hope, since I wouldn't buy it for £100.
    Edited by DaveLev at 22/06/10 @ 09:16

  • Doctor_What #12 2 years ago

    I'll join in with the 'six feet?!!?' group. I don't have anything like that amount of free space in my living room.

    EG: any chance of getting a techie to test how much space you really do need, sometime?

  • Steroyd #13 2 years ago

    With the way MS didn't announce the price it's almost like they're leaking it on purpose like no-one would notice.

  • LeD #14 2 years ago

    People keep forgetting that even at 149$, Kinect has a major advantage in that you only need one to have 1, 2, 3 or 4 player games. Offset that against the cost of 4 Wiimotes and Nunchuks, or their Move equivalent, and it turns out Kinect isn't so pricey.

  • spinoir #15 2 years ago

    @LED Someone seems to get it! Its a bargin compared to 4 of the the wii/ps3 motion controller sets. But microsoft really have to push a strong ad campaign stating exactly that or it will get buried.
    Edited by spinoir at 22/06/10 @ 09:40

  • markymark22 #16 2 years ago

    Kinect is a load of balls. Stop bein fan boys any gamer over 14 wont have any genuine interest after 5 minutes, mark my words. With reach coming out i'll prob re-purchase a 360 slim though!! Its the only reason i want an xbox. Want that game. Like now.

  • spinoir #17 2 years ago

    .....Wont matter after 5 mins coz they wouldve all ready bought it lol, im 31 and interested so your words shall not be marked. ignornace isnt always bliss dude. ;)
    Edited by spinoir at 22/06/10 @ 09:47

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #18 2 years ago

    I reckon they're negotiating with the MS money men on how much of a loss they can sell it for to drive down that pricetag. Well, I hope they are.

  • ignatiusjreilly #19 2 years ago

    Offset that against the cost of 4 Wiimotes and Nunchuks, or their Move equivalent, and it turns out Kinect isn't so pricey.

    Presumably we're not including the cost of a living room with six feet of space betwen TV and sofa? Because it'd cost me £800 a month to play Kinect. :D

    I keed, I keed.

  • I\'mListening #20 2 years ago

    @Johnson

    A Frasier fan perhaps?

  • SHPanda #21 2 years ago

    I don't believe that to be the price, simply put, why refrain from an E3 price announcement just to announce it on your online store on the sly a week later? It's either a mistake or a place holder price.

  • stevetuck #22 2 years ago

    I already have a wii for my motion control fix thanks :)

  • ignatiusjreilly #23 2 years ago

    Can anyone answer these questions:

    Can you play 4-player games with it?
    Can you play it sitting down?
    Do you really need 6 feet of space between you and TV to play?

    Heard lots of rumours but nothing in the thousands of previews and write-ups. At least one journalist must have asked MS these questions...

  • Rizo #24 2 years ago

    kind of reminds me of that mega drive addon what was it called?

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #25 2 years ago

    I was hoping for $100... but what the hell, I'll be buying it anyway.

    Six feet of space doesn't seem to bad to me. Much better than the four metres or whatever was "quoted" before!

    Also, I assumed the wi-fi thing is because it plugs into the rear USB port, currently occupied by my wi-fi dongle. Good: I was worried I'd have to have Kinect trailing out of the front of my Xbox and looking all ungainly.
    Edited by Britesparc at 22/06/10 @ 10:02

  • Nuronv #26 2 years ago

    I can't say i will be buying it however i don't think the price is that bad as you don't have to pay per person

  • Moribundman #27 2 years ago

    By god this is going to make Lips look like a sound investment.

    Kinect is a blantant attempt to draw in the casuals, and casual users are absolutely not going to pay that much when the Wii will cost nearly half that.

    No core gamers are going to want to buy it either due to the assinine selection of gimmicky Nintendo-lite games. Even if they release a Halo beater exclusively for Kinect, they're still not going to shift enough units due to the 6 foot living room restriction.

    If I had a real hard on for motion control and didn't want ot go the Wii route I'd actually consider buying a PS3 and (cheap) Move controller...

  • Peew971 #28 2 years ago

    To be fair, Wii Fit Plus costs $99.99 and I hear no one complaining about that. Some would say Kinect is able to do more than the Balance board ;)

  • Steroyd #29 2 years ago

    @LeD

    Kinect only supports 2 players at once, so you may have to re-evaluate your price comparison. ;)

    To be more accurate it can only do full body tracking for 2 people at once, to support more people it's theorised that it can go gesture based a.k.a Eyetoy 2.0, but I'll believe that when I see it.

  • hulahoops #30 2 years ago

    My god is this going to be a disaster.

  • metalangel #31 2 years ago

    clear space in front of TV = nowhere to put beer for quick access = no sale

  • BBIAJ #32 2 years ago

    @Rizo:

    The Mega CD or 32X? Take your pick!

    Neither of which did motion control though, so uhm... Yeah.

  • NotSoSlim #33 2 years ago

    I swear this can only do 2 players? Going by the vids anyway

  • andijames #34 2 years ago

    @How the hell does it cost £70 for a wii controller? I thought it was £35 for the wiimote and £10 for the nunchuck? Unless my maths are bad then that's £45? Ah well never mind.

    Presumably $149 will translate to £149 given that VAT has to be added on over here. Looks an expensive purchase but i'm sure plenty of people will snap it up still. All depends on the software.

  • Rizo #35 2 years ago

    @BBIAJ

    True but they were expensive console addon's which failed to sell and got no support.

    I don't think the wii fit comparision is a good one though.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #36 2 years ago

    My god is this going to be a disaster.

    There is a great deal of buzz about that dancing game. One killer app (see Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Eyetoy Play, Singstar, DDR, Guitar Hero, Rock Band) is all it takes to make a success of a novelty peripheral like this, and Kinect for all is foibles is considerably more versatile than a £100 plastic guitar and drumkit.

    Oddly enough, an equivalent title that would clearly only work on Move is not something I can think of.
    Edited by MENTAL1ST at 22/06/10 @ 10:53

  • Paulie_P #37 2 years ago

    I think the 6ft of free space is a joke and if so, its a poorly judged one at that. I don't have half a foot of freespace never mind 6!

  • Monkey_Puncher #38 2 years ago

    Depends what price it comes out over, think £75 is a decent price but if it's £100 + then no dice.

    I do like the look of that Harmonix Dance game though and I could see myself trying out that Ubisoft fitness game.

  • slippysloppy #39 2 years ago

    Oh dear what went wrong. It's likely to be £119, which is way too much for something I can't use. There's no way my girlfriend's going to let me rearrange the living room so I can use Kunect. And if you neg me for this it's cos you haven't got a girlfriend.

  • StooMonster #40 2 years ago

    Lagtastic.

    [link url=http://kotaku.com/5569409/watch-kinect-lag-it-up-on-jimmy-fallon
    ]http://kotaku.com/5569409/watch-kinect-l...[/link]

    My kids will still want this, but ... LAGGY!

  • spinoir #41 2 years ago

    @steroyd kinect actually supports 4 players in Sonic Freeriders so you may want to do your research lmao
    Edited by spinoir at 22/06/10 @ 11:35

  • Darren #42 2 years ago

    The redesigned Xbox 360 costs $299 in the US and will be available in the UK for £199. On that basis it looks like that $149 pricepoint for Kinect will equate to a £99 price tag here. It would need to be much cheaper though to have mass-market appeal.

    Isn't Kinect just a fancy EyeToy/webcam then uses the 360's CPU rather than a dedicated hardware chip? If so then I don't see why it would cost more than £50 myself.

  • ignatiusjreilly #43 2 years ago

    @Darren II'd imagine ther's a pretty hefty software licensing cost to absorb as well.

  • MoGamer2006 #44 2 years ago

    Bloody hell - I thought the 6ft of space thing was a joke! That's me out then - my little place just hasn't got the room for it!

    Add the clear lag issues, and this is looking less attractive all the time. Shame, as I was quite interested in it when announced. :(

  • ronuds #45 2 years ago

    I think that 6 feet requirement is a myth.

    Anyhow, looks like I'll be waiting for this to come down in price. Disappointing, MS.

  • ignatiusjreilly #46 2 years ago

    I think that 6 feet requirement is a myth.

    I did too, but it's sitting there, in black and white, on a Microsoft website.

    Honestly I don't understand why more websites aren't talking about it, it seems like very big news to me?

  • KayJay #47 2 years ago

    read the link Rounds...

    "Here's what you'll need to use the Kinect sensor:

    * Xbox 360 console
    * 6 feet (1.8 meters) between you and your television for play space†
    * You!"

  • Sunyavadin #48 2 years ago

    "I presume that'll translate as £99 over here"

    I see you are unfamiliar with the strange exchange rates of the gaming world.

    $149 equates to e149 or £149


    Though we can be glad we're not in Australia where it equates to around AU$300


    (note to self - get a euro key on the next new keyboard)

  • Calgon #49 2 years ago

    "†Play space will vary with sensor placement and other factors."

    I dont know about you but I'm guessing if you want to get 4 player on the thing 6 feet of space or there abouts seems about right otherwise you'd be bunched up together. I think MS will clear it up as soon as they see the major "omg fail" comments from the usual places, if they know whats good for them anyway. If it really is a minimum of 6feet of space for all games even single player I think thats a big problem and will severly limit their audience.

    $149 is too expensive IMO really but that will probably change between now and launch I think, £60-70 is as high as they should set the price for launch(maybe £80 if they have a killer app ready) £50 like was roumered early on would be perfect but that would probably require selling at a loss. Would be interesting to find out just how much it costs to manufacture.

  • Penguinzoot #50 2 years ago

    @Calgon

    Would be interesting to find out just how much it costs to manufacture.

    $150 apparently :S

    [link url=http://www.vg247.com/2010/06/21/rumour-kinect-units-cost-150-to-manufacture/
    ]http://www.vg247.com/2010/06/21/rumour-k...[/link]
    Edited by Penguinzoot at 22/06/10 @ 13:39

  • muscleblade #51 2 years ago

    "I think the 6ft of free space is a joke and if so, its a poorly judged one at that. I don't have half a foot of freespace never mind 6! "

    If you have a big screen TV you need to get at least 6 feet away from it anyway to get the best (sharpest)view.

  • ignatiusjreilly #52 2 years ago

    CNET's guide says a minimum 6ft viewing distance doesn't come into play until you get to 50" screen sizes - doesn't seem like a good match for that casual market they're going for.

    Anyway, that's not really the point. The point is I can't think of anyone who has 6ft clear of space, certainly not without rearranging furniture which doesn't sound ideal either. but maybe I just have poor friends ;)

  • Steroyd #53 2 years ago

    @steroyd kinect actually supports 4 players in Sonic Freeriders so you may want to do your research lmao

    I've already said 2 full body tracking probable 4 player gesture, I'll believe it when I see it, because all the demoes I've seen so far show 2 player max.

    I see no 4 player being demonstrated on the tube anywhere got a link?

  • Din_mamma #54 2 years ago

    So what is 6 feet in an sane measuring system?


    ok, about 180cm it seems.
    Edited by Din_mamma at 22/06/10 @ 14:43

  • Paulie_P #55 2 years ago

    @muscleblade

    I don't have a big screen tv for the 360 as it's in my bedroom. There's no way it will move to the living room as I'd never get to play it in there. I'm sure I'm not the only 360 owner with that problem.

  • Bander #56 2 years ago

    6 feet... I can just about do it if the Kinect is wall-mounted behind my screen. But one step back and my spine will 'kinect' with a very hard fireplace shelf.

    I don't think I know anyone local to me who has the space for this. Two or three would be able to accommodate it if they're prepared to move a load of furniture around and change the whole dynamic of their living space.

    Maybe instead of the motorised base, MS should have just gone with a wide angle lens and more pixels on the sensor to get the same result?

  • SlackMaster #57 2 years ago

    I wasn't really interested in getting it anyway... It seems rather large and it isn't as easy to conceal as the wii's sensor bar. The bulk of the camera, plus the price and games I've seen so far have really put me off it.

    PS3's Move doesn't really appeal to me either.
    Edited by SlackMaster at 22/06/10 @ 16:21

  • DVR #58 2 years ago

    I would imagine that the six feet play space was picked as the amount of space required to fit 2 people into the camera's field of view for 2 player games. If I remember correctly a 6 foot person has approximately a 6 foot arm span fingertip to finger tip, so two 6 foot people standing fingertip to fingertip apart would have a combined arm span of approximately 12 feet. The required minimum viewing angle for the camera to fit 12 feet into its field of view would be 90 degrees. I would imagine that the field of view of the camera would be somewhere between 120 degrees and 140 degrees, which would accommodate space between the two people and either side of them.

    This is of course, all just speculation on my part though :)

    As for Kinect itself, I will reserve judgement until I get to play some games on it for myself. Does anyone know if the infra red depth of field thingy allows for feedback from an external IR source? If it does, I'd like to see some form of gun shaped IR pointer for FPS's. It would be like playing soldiers again, crouch to crouch, turn to turn, lean out around cover to lean out around cover, jog on spot to move forward, lean back to run backwards, twist to strafe.

    /Hangs head in embarrassment.

    Sorry folks I got carried away with my imaginationings :(

  • StooMonster #59 2 years ago

    If you want to know how much space is needed, just look at the press kits photos of the Kinetic in action.

    [link url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/press/presskits/2010-e3.htm#_natal
    ]http://www.xbox.com/en-US/press/presskit...[/link]

    Note the large American living rooms, note the lack of small British living rooms.

  • iamtheoneneo #60 2 years ago

    oh dear.......

  • iamtheoneneo #61 2 years ago

    oh dear.......

  • General_Zod #62 2 years ago

    I dont know what is more disastrous kinect or the people defending it. This thing is DOA, high price, only does 2 people with full body tracking, 6 ft needed away from TV, laggy from the demonstrations Ive seen....... I could go on.

    Those people who are saying well you can do 4 player games for £120 with kinect it costs blah blah blah for Wii and Move. The people Microsoft are targeting dont think like that, they will see that price tag and immediately dismiss it and buy another wiimote instead. Both Microsoft and Sony have come to the game late and Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank.