Kinect Pricing, Bundle Announced

The Kinect motion-controlled interface for Xbox 360 will go on sale in Nov. 2010 for US$149.99 and will be available in a bundle with a new Xbox 360 4GB console for US$299.99. Both packages will come with one Kinect-enabled game, “Kinect Adventures.” The Kinect unit attaches to the console and faces the user, employing a camera, infrared depth sensor, and microphone to respond to motion and voice commands. It is Microsoft’s response to the popular motion-sensing controllers employed by Nintendo’s Wii console; Sony will have a similar system, Sony Move, available in fall 2010 for the PlayStation 3.

The new Xbox 360 4GB console is almost identical to the updated Xbox 360 that went on sale in June 2010 but will have only 4GB of built-in flash memory rather than a 250GB removable hard drive. The redesigned consoles are smaller than the original Xbox 360, black instead of white, and feature a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11n) adapter and a powered USB port for Kinect so users don’t need a separate power source. The Xbox 360 4GB will also be available stand-alone for US$199.99 beginning in Aug. 2010. It replaces the identically priced Xbox 360 Arcade, which has only 256MB of memory and no built-in Wi-Fi adapter.