Microsoft have announced at CES 2011 that Kinect has shipped 8 million units already, while not revealing the exact sold numbers, but hinted that the previous expectation of 5 million units sold for the holidays was beaten. The 5 million target was previously raised from the initial expectation of 3 million units.
The 8 millions units shipped to retailers in 60 days should not be confused with units sold, since shipped stock are held by retailers to meet demand beyond the stated 60 days.
Either way, this represents fantastic set of numbers for Microsoft, and put the Kinect up there with devices such as the iPad in terms of launch popularity (actually beating the iPad as the fastest selling device in history).
Microsoft also demonstrated a new feature for Kinect, called Avatar Kinect. This allows for online chatting but uses the Xbox 360 avatar, as opposed to a direct video feed. The avatar will move as the user moves, thanks to the Kinect sensors, and is even able to pick up facial expressions (so if the user smiles, the avatar smiles too). Chatting can take place in a variety of virtual themed environments, and multiple users can join in and chat at the same time. Avatar Kinect will launch in the next few month.
Did you buy a Kinect during the holidays? Share your opinion of the motion gaming device in our forum:
http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?t=94401
Our monthly US video games sales analysis:
http://www.digital-digest.com/blog/DVDGuy/category/gaming/npd_analysis/
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