Nov 16, 2010 08:39 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is selling a staggering number of its new Natural user Interface (NUI) sensor for Xbox 360 consoles. According to statistics published by the Redmond giant, no less than 100,000 Kinect for Xbox 360 units are sold each day, and this number is bound to grow, with sales accelerating as the new peripheral becomes available in additional markets around the world.

Kinect for Xbox 360 shipped to gamers in North America on November 4th, 2010. Subsequently, Xbox 360 users in Europe got the device on November 10th.

Just the availability in NA and Europe generated sales of in excess of 1 million units so far, within the first 10 days since Kinect hit store shelves.

“We are appreciative of the response we have seen from consumers that has culminated in sales of more than 1 million units in the first 10 days on the market for Kinect for Xbox 360,” revealed Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.

“This is a great start to the holiday season, and we will continue to work with our retailer partners to keep pace with high demand and deliver against our plan to sell more than 5 million Kinect sensors worldwide by the end of this year.”

Still, as I’ve said, Microsoft is gearing up to bring Kinect to even more consumers worldwide. By the end of this week, the new NUI sensor will be launched in Asia (Nov. 18) and Japan (Nov. 20).

And since it did sell over 1 million units in just 10 days, the software giant also tweaked the sale estimates for the devices.

At this point in time, the Redmond company is forecasting that it will push in excess of 5 million Kinect units by the end of 2010 alone.

Essentially, ahead of 2011, customers in 38 countries around the world will be able to grab the device from no less than 60,000 retailers.

According to the software giant, a total of 17 games tailored to the new interaction model of Kinect will also be available by the end of 2010.

Customers already owning an Xbox 360 can buy the standalone Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor for just $149.99, which also comes with the “Kinect Adventures” game.

However, Microsoft offers additional options, such as the Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect at $299.99 as well as the Xbox 360 250GB console with Kinect for $399.99 both offerings including “Kinect Adventures.”