IGN: Kinect Priced, New Bundles, 4GB Slim Announced

Quote :

Microsoft has announced several new product bundles that will be coming to market in the coming weeks and months. Even better, the company has finally offered an official price on both the stand-alone Kinect sensor and a bundled version that comes with a new Xbox 360. There's a lot of info here, so let's get right to it.

First up, the price. Kinect will have a suggested retail price of $149.99 (£129.99/€149.99 in Europe), as many online retailers have recently guessed. The news is that Kinect will be bundled with a free game, Kinect Adventures. All first-party Kinect games will have a suggested retail price of $49.99 (£39.99 in the UK) and Microsoft expects that to be the standard, though it is leaving third-party pricing up to those publishers.

Kinect on its own comes with a game for $150.

At least one third-party game will follow that standard. Microsoft has announced that Dance Central, from Harmonix and MTV Games, will also retail for $49.99/£39.99.

For those new to Xbox 360, Microsoft will have a special Kinect console bundle available at the November 4 launch of the sensor. For $299 (or £249.99/€299.99 in Europe), the bundle will include an Xbox 360 console, the Kinect sensor and Kinect Adventures. The Xbox 360 will be the previously confirmed $199 redesigned Xbox 360, not the 250 GB model that has spurred sales in the past month.

Microsoft has also announced the full details on that new Xbox 360 console model, which will be available August 3 in North America, August 20 in the UK and later in the month around the world. This version will have a 4GB internal flash memory, but no 250 GB hard drive. It still has a built in Wi-Fi N adapter, as well as all of the other bells and whistles of the 250 GB Xbox 360. The internal hard drive bay will remain, but will be empty at purchase. You'll be able to tell the difference between this new 4GB console and the 250 GB version as the 4GB model will have a black matte finish as opposed to the glossy finish on the more expensive model. Again, this 4GB model will cost $199 in the US.

The full Kinect console bundle will cost $299.

Currently, there are no plans to sell the 250 GB hard drive that comes with the recently launched "slim" model separately.

Aaron Greenberg, Director of Product Management of Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, explained the pricing and bundle choices to IGN during a pre-announcement news briefing.

"We don't really make pricing decisions without doing a lot of research. We talked with thousands of consumers across a whole variety of audience segments, on a global scale. What we heard was that when people look at what they get with the Kinect sensor -- all the experiences it enables across entertainment, movies, music, using your voice to access your entertainment, your gestures navigating the dash, etc. plus all of the games coming to market -- our research shows that at $149 consumers feel like it's a great value for existing owners. And then for new buyers, the $299 bundle is extremely compelling."

"We're currently a full $100 less than the PS Move bundle which is $400, which is a single player experience. Obviously if you add a second player to that they get well over $500 pretty quickly."

Available August 3 in North America will be the new 4GB Xbox 360 for $199.

As for why Microsoft chose Kinect Adventures as the free game to include, Greenberg said it had a lot to do with offering something new. "It's a great broad appeal game for existing and new buyers. It's got more than 20 game modes, everything from River Rush to Obstacle Course...We did a lot of testing with consumers and we really felt like this title had a great broad appeal. It's full body, it integrates voice. It's great jump-in jump-out multiplayer. We think it's a fun game to play for existing owners as well as new consumers...We thought about Kinect Sports, but we felt like Adventures was more new and unique."

Those who pre-order Kinect, either on its own or in the $299 bundle, will receive a download token for three additional exclusive levels for Kinect Adventures.

The $299 bundle allows new consumers to get Kinect at a cheaper cost than those that buy everything separately. Greenberg noted this in saying, "That's our primary focus, at least for launch, is the opportunity to expand the market."

What do you think of the Kinect and bundle pricing? Will you pick up any of the new products? Leave a comment and let us know what you think of Microsoft's decisions.

Lame, should have been $100

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

Still, it should be a bundle for $100. With the Wii for only 100 more I cant see many casuals going for Kinect, unless they already have a 360

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

Still, it should be a bundle for $100. With the Wii for only 100 more I cant see many casuals going for Kinect, unless they already have a 360

Here we go with the kinect bashing........

Wait so the new Arcade model has wi-fi? Awesome. But only 4 GBs? I guess that's better than 500 MBs. I wonder if that means that some developers could now force mandatory installs for games since more and more people will have GBs of memory at their disposal.

HellJumper wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

Still, it should be a bundle for $100. With the Wii for only 100 more I cant see many casuals going for Kinect, unless they already have a 360

Here we go with the kinect bashing........

I wasnt bashing. Im saying Kinect would do better at a 100 price.

I'm more than likely gonna get that arcade replacement, BUT only if thy announce some sort of HDD for it. 4GB won't last that long!!!

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

HellJumper wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

Still, it should be a bundle for $100. With the Wii for only 100 more I cant see many casuals going for Kinect, unless they already have a 360

Here we go with the kinect bashing........

I wasnt bashing. Im saying Kinect would do better at a 100 price.

2 sales of 150$ = 3 sales of 100$

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

HellJumper wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

Still, it should be a bundle for $100. With the Wii for only 100 more I cant see many casuals going for Kinect, unless they already have a 360

Here we go with the kinect bashing........

I wasnt bashing. Im saying Kinect would do better at a 100 price.

$100 is too cheap for the tech in the sensor $150 is fine with a game. there isnt anything needed extra so that is very good.

Still, I fucking hate Kinect. And Move.

im disapointed there wont be a $150 360 console. that would be key.

GeneralMLD wrote:

im disapointed there wont be a $150 360 console. that would be key.

I called it,i knew there wont be a price cut or $150 console. it's really not needed.

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

I guess none of you read that the 360 will be bundled with kinect for $299

Pickles wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

I guess none of you read that the 360 will be bundled with kinect for $299

Well most of us already have a 360....

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Pickles wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

I guess none of you read that the 360 will be bundled with kinect for $299

Well most of us already have a 360....

But don't u get that the $299 price is the most important of all the announcements. Microsoft is aiming for the people who do not own 360's and personally I think $299 is a great price for a bundled 360 with Kinect seeing as the standalone is $150.

And you are also getting a $50 game with Kinect standalone, Microsoft can't really price it at $100 otherwise they would be making a major loss on the hardware. It's better to break even at the very start of your system rather than running on a loss (like the PS3 did)

And also compare this bundle to the $399 PS3 Move bundle which is not even fully featured. Enough said.

ghost23 wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Pickles wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

I guess none of you read that the 360 will be bundled with kinect for $299

Well most of us already have a 360....

But don't u get that the $299 price is the most important of all the announcements. Microsoft is aiming for the people who do not own 360's and personally I think $299 is a great price for a bundled 360 with Kinect seeing as the standalone is $150.

And you are also getting a $50 game with Kinect standalone, Microsoft can't really price it at $100 otherwise they would be making a major loss on the hardware. It's better to break even at the very start of your system rather than running on a loss (like the PS3 did)

And also compare this bundle to the $399 PS3 Move bundle which is not even fully featured. Enough said.

The Move bundle is a joke, Move is such a rip off. I guess that the bundle is good for people who dont have a 360 and want Kinect as well, but for "hardcore" gamers like me I wouldnt pay 150 for something I wont use that often.

i'd be surprised if both are a long term success but i was one of these guys who wrote off the wii ! ha ha.

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

ghost23 wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Pickles wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

I guess none of you read that the 360 will be bundled with kinect for $299

Well most of us already have a 360....

But don't u get that the $299 price is the most important of all the announcements. Microsoft is aiming for the people who do not own 360's and personally I think $299 is a great price for a bundled 360 with Kinect seeing as the standalone is $150.

And you are also getting a $50 game with Kinect standalone, Microsoft can't really price it at $100 otherwise they would be making a major loss on the hardware. It's better to break even at the very start of your system rather than running on a loss (like the PS3 did)

And also compare this bundle to the $399 PS3 Move bundle which is not even fully featured. Enough said.

The Move bundle is a joke, Move is such a rip off. I guess that the bundle is good for people who dont have a 360 and want Kinect as well, but for "hardcore" gamers like me I wouldnt pay 150 for something I wont use that often.

Not only is it a rip off, its confusing as hell to get your head around what you actually need to buy. It's by far the worst lineup ever in gaming.

ghost23 wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

ghost23 wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Pickles wrote:

Andrei Rianofski wrote:

TheJubJub57212 wrote:

Lame, should have been $100

Technically it is cause its bundled with a game

I guess none of you read that the 360 will be bundled with kinect for $299

Well most of us already have a 360....

But don't u get that the $299 price is the most important of all the announcements. Microsoft is aiming for the people who do not own 360's and personally I think $299 is a great price for a bundled 360 with Kinect seeing as the standalone is $150.

And you are also getting a $50 game with Kinect standalone, Microsoft can't really price it at $100 otherwise they would be making a major loss on the hardware. It's better to break even at the very start of your system rather than running on a loss (like the PS3 did)

And also compare this bundle to the $399 PS3 Move bundle which is not even fully featured. Enough said.

The Move bundle is a joke, Move is such a rip off. I guess that the bundle is good for people who dont have a 360 and want Kinect as well, but for "hardcore" gamers like me I wouldnt pay 150 for something I wont use that often.

Not only is it a rip off, its confusing as hell to get your head around what you actually need to buy. It's by far the worst lineup ever in gaming.

Agreed. There are very few games that looks remotely interesting.