Microsoft and Sony both released motion control systems in the last half of 2010 and it looks like Kinect sales swiped the Move.
Ever since Nintendo released the Wii in 2006 and proved that motion control systems were not only a gimmick but sold pretty dang well to boot, Sony and Microsoft began spinning their wheels to come up with competing schemes. Sony combined its Playstation Eye with special Move controllers to provide control of games while Microsoft threw its weight behind Kinect. Sony bundled Move with its PS3 console for $399, and standalone packs of the Move, Eye and Sports Champions retailed for $99. Microsoft’s Kinect addon was pricier ($150), but the bundled console pack was the same price as Sony’s. There have been some numbers of sales divulged by executives (At CES, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that he shipped 8 million Kinect units,) but videogame analyst Michael Pachter believes that Kinect outsold the Move almost 5 to 1.
“About one fifth of PS3 sales included bundles with Sony’s Move controller, suggesting a modest third month,” Pachter said, referring to December as the third month since the Move was released (September 17th, 2010.)
In contrast, Microsoft released Kinect on November 4th and sold extremely well throughout the holiday shopping season. “About half of Xbox 360 sales included bundles with Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral, as Xbox 360 Kinect console bundles outsold PS3 Move console bundles by 5:1.”
To add insult to injury, the top two bestselling Kinect titles sold 13 times more copies than the best two Move games, Pachter pointed out.
While I can’t say that either of the two motion control systems are “better,” I think that the possibilities of what game designers can do with Kinect are much more interesting. And as for which company “won,” it’s equally hard to say because by all accounts Microsoft spent a veritable buttload of cash developing the technology and marketing of Kinect.
I can’t say that Sony dropped an equivalent amount of dough on Move, so any sales translates to more profit because of the lack of super-high overhead costs. I mean, those Kevin Butler ads can’t cost that much.
Source: G4
Published: Jan 17, 2011 04:30 pm