14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft sold a record 10 million units of its natural user interface (NUI) peripheral for Xbox 360. Kinect for Xbox 360 went on sale on November 4th, 2010, and for the first time in years, consumers crowded to stores and queued in line ahead of the general availability deadline, to get the new controller.
Since November 2010, in excess of 10 million Kinect sensors were sold worldwide, a figure which has prompted Guinness World Records to name the new product the fastest-selling consumer electronics device.
In fact, according to Guinness World Records, unit-wise, Kinect is leaving products such as Apple’s iPad and iPhone in the dust.
“The sales figures outstrip both the iPhone and the iPad for the equivalent periods after launch,” Guinness World Records said.
Just after it was launched, Kinect went on to sell at a rate of some 100,000 units per day, with a total of 2.5 million devices pushed just in the first 25 days.
Sales only accelerated for the Redmond company, which had estimated 5 million units sold by the end of 2010, and ended up with sales that far surpassed its forecast.
Over 8 million Kinect for Xbox 360 units have been sold ahead of 2011, with the peripheral enjoying strong momentum.
Between November 4, 2010 and January 3, 2011 an average of 133,333 Kinect sensors shipped to gamers worldwide.
"The sales figures here speak for themselves," revealed Gaz Deaves, Gaming Editor for Guinness World Records. "According to independent research, no other consumer electronics device sold faster within a 60-day time span, which is an incredible achievement considering the strength of the sector."
In the first months of 2011, the software giant pushed another 2 million units, and fact is that the immense success enjoyed by Kinect for Xbox 360 is also shared by games created especially for the new NUI capabilities of the console, with 10 million titles also already finding their way to gamers.