MS: Kinect will sell over 3m this xmas

Microsoft has boldly claimed Xbox 360 motion-sensing add-on Kinect will sell three million units before the year is up.

"Our key indicators are feedback from retailers - I think you'd be surprised at how sophisticated they are, and they really have the pulse of the market. They're looking at preorders, they're talking to customers," Microsoft mouthpiece Aaron Greenberg told Gamasutra at the Tokyo Game Show.

"We've also done our own research. We believe this will be the biggest launch in our history, for Xbox. We will sell more Kinect sensors than we did [systems] at Xbox 360 launch.

"Our estimates that we will sell in excess of three million units this holiday."

Despite the confident sales prediction, the Xbox product director warned that most games will remain controller based.

"The core of our business is blockbuster games, and that will not change. We see this as additive."

Greenberg also repeated Microsoft's mantra that the 360 has another five years of life left in it.

"We think we have another good five years-plus, but that remains to be seen - but easily there's another five years' life.

"What [Kinect] enables us to do is to keep things fresh, enable developers to bring new IP to the market, and enables people to have new experience."

Kinect's due out on 10th November and costs £130. Earlier this month Microsoft announced a £300 Kinect console bundle for the UK.