14 DAY TRIAL // Walmart, one of the biggest retail chains in the world, has launched a Kinect bundle for the price of 199 dollars. Those who pick it up will be getting the new motion tracking peripheral from Microsoft, one launch title for the new device, to be chosen from Kinect Sports, Dance Central, Joy Ride and Kinectimals at the moment, and a a gift card worth 30 dollars that can be used on Walmart.com. Pre orders are now open for the Kinect bundle, although Microsoft has not yet officially announced a price points for its motion tracking solution.
Walmart is also collaborating with Procter & Gamble to create a science fiction movie, called “The Jensen Project”, which is set to feature the first on screen appearance of Kinect and will be first show on NBC on July 16. The idea behind the movie is to show television audiences the new device and persuade them to look for more information on it, leading to a decision to purchase Kinect when it is finally launched in November.
The Microsoft official store listed Kinect as being price at 149.99 dollars during June but the company has since claimed that any announcement related to the launch cost for gamers should be taken with a grain of salt before an official announcement is made in August. Retailers like GameStop and Amazon have also used 150 as the reference price for the motion tracking system. There are also rumors that a bundle featuring the Arcade version of the Xbox 360 and Kinect will sell for 299 dollars while one which replaces the Arcade with an Elite version will sell for 100 more.
Analysts and representatives from publisher like Activision have said that price will be one of the deciding elements for the success of motion tracking devices, like the Move and Kinect. Michael Pachter has suggested that the price needs to be under 100 dollars in order for them to gain traction with customers.