Simply put, Microsoft’s Kinect sensor is a runaway success. Since launching on November 4, 2010, 10 million Kinect sensors have been sold worldwide. Ten million of anything is a lot. Ten million when the thing being talked about is a video-game peripheral is an even more. Kinect sensors were not the only thing briskly moving off store shelves, as more than 10 million standalone Kinect games have been sold worldwide to date.
Another testament to the Kinect’s success comes from Guinness World Records, which officially named Kinect the fastest selling consumer electronics device ever. According to Guinness, Kinect sold an average of 133,333 units per day for a total of 8 million units in its first 60 days between Nov. 4, 2010 and Jan. 3, 2011. Considering much hyped and loved devices like the iPhone, iPad, and various Droid devices have launched recently, Kinect getting the Guinness World Record speaks volumes about its success.
Kinect certainly launched to a lot of buzz and hype, getting coverage from Oprah and Ellen, among others. Perhaps that helps explain why 8 million Kinect sensors were sold in the first 60 days and only an additional 2 million have been sold since. What could possibly help Microsoft sell even more Kinect devices, however, is a new stable of games to convince gamers who have been sitting on the fence to take the plunge.
While new Kinect games are certainly coming – games like Michael Jackson The Experience, The Gunstringer, Child of Eden, and Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster – a lot of the known Kinect games seem to appeal to the same target audience as the older Kinect games. That might not be a bad thing, however, as those current 10 million Kinect owners will need new games to play, too.
What is your take on the Kinect Guinness World Record? Are you one of the millions to have purchased a Kinect? If so, what game or games did you get? If not, what game or games would it take to get you to take the plunge? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
