In an effort to hype the upcoming release of their motion-control system, Microsoft is making some bold predictions. As we know, showmanship is a big part of business, and Microsoft has proven that they know how to do business very well. Recent statements from the company have proven no exception.
Kudo Tsunoda, the General Manager of Microsoft Games Studios and the frontman for the Kinect, was recently quoted as saying that it will “blow away” sales of the iPad during its launch later this year:
To accomplish that feat would be no easy task. Apple’s iPad sold three million units in the first 80 days of its release. Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg took it even one step further by stating that, “[w]e 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.”
The preorders have been really strong. As far as what we’re looking at for the Holiday, this is going to be stuff that’ll blow away any sales you’ve seen with the iPad. The Xbox 360 is already selling better than the Wii and Sony right now. Kinect’s really just going to boost that to a whole new level.
The comparison between the Kinect and iPad is a peculiar one. The iPad is a legitimate gaming device, but one that mainly competes in the mobile gaming arena. Microsoft does not likely consider motion control and mobile gaming to be the same thing. That’s like apples and oranges, or at least Apples and Microsofts. It’s more likely that Microsoft is simply setting their sights high by comparing Kinect to the biggest hardware launch in recent memory, and in this case that would be the iPad.
Still, I wonder why Microsoft didn’t take this opportunity to take a swipe at Sony. The company could have said something like, “We’re going to make Move move out of the way.” But I guess that’s just me. Instead of battling the competition, sometimes it’s a good idea to simply associate your pending hardware launch with an already successful one. However, that brings up the question of whether these statements will attract the ire of Steve Jobs, and will he then want to take a counter-swing at Microsoft? That’s doubtful, but if the sales figures are anything like they are predicting, anything can happen.
Tell us Ranters, are you excited for Kinect, and are you planning on buying it at launch?
Microsoft’s Kinect releases on November 4, 2010, exclusively for the Xbox 360.
Source: IGN
