Well, it looks like I won't be buying Kinect anytime soon. To my disappointment, Microsoft announced this morning, via their online store, that Kinect will in fact cost a whopping $149.99. Gamestop had reported earlier in the week that Kinect would cost 150 bucks, but Microsoft would neither confirm nor deny the rumors. There have also been talks of a XBOX console/Kinect bundle that would come out this holiday season, but Microsoft is staying tight lipped on any other details.
Honestly, I'm not surprised. With all of the marketing and hype Microsoft has surrounded Kinect with, I knew it wouldn't be less than $100. From Cirque Du Soleil, to the brand new marketing campaign, Microsoft is putting all of its manpower behind Kinect and is trying to get as many people interested in it as they can. However, $150 is a lot of money to invest in a device that, as far as we know, only does mini games.
However, this got me to thinking. If Microsoft is truly going after the casual gamers and Wii crowd with Kinect, then what is stopping their target consumers from just buying a Wii instead. Think about it. The Wii ranges anywhere from $150 to $200 for the Black Wii bundle and already has a huge library of first and third party games, whereas Kinect costs the same price but only has around 10 titles that are ripped straight from Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. That doesn't even count the fact that most of the people Microsoft is targeting probably don't even own an XBOX 360, which tacks on an extra $200 to $300 on to the Kinect price tag. Seems like the Wii is the better deal, if all you are going for is a casual gaming experience.
With all that being said, do I think Kinect will fail, miserably, because it has a hefty price and a tough competitor in the form of the Wii? Surprisingly, no. On the contrary, I think it's going to fly off the shelves like freshly baked bread in a bakery. Why, because its something new, and if we've learned anything over the years its that people love new stuff and will dish out the money no matter what the device may be. Just look at the Apple iPod. Before the iPod touch, we were getting a new rendition, almost every year, of a device that did basically the same thing, store and playback your music. Yet people still ran out and bought it, myself included.
I think the real question here is how is Microsoft going to convince the core gamers that this device is worth $150, because as of right now I have no interest in buying Kinect and do not plan to in the future unless Microsoft either lowers the price or comes out with some truly amazing content, and I know for a fact that many gamers feel the same way I do on the issue. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if Microsoft has any tricks left up their sleeve once this holiday season comes around and Kinect is finally released, or it could be a sad day for hardcore games around the world.
So, what do you think of Kinect? Is the price too high or just right. Do you think it will eventually catch on, or is it just a current fad that is destined to fade away into the recesses of time.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
150 bucks?! What a fuckin' rip off. If Microsoft wants to cherish against Sony and Nintendo they need to lower that price down. I do have to admit that Sony's move will most likely be on the same price range considering you have to buy 2 things rather than 1.