Microsoft defends Kinect pricing
Microsoft has defended the £130 UK price point of the new Kinect controller after poor initial reactions.
Microsoft UK's marketing manager, Brett Siddons, told TechRadar that the price was justified because it provided an all-in-one multiplayer solution.
"The camera tracks six people...you don't have to buy anything else," said Siddons. "I'll let you do the maths, but when you say Nintendo Wii or PlayStation Move you buy this and this, even for a two player game."
"What do you need and what do actually have to spend for a two player game for this device versus that device?" asked Siddons. "You actually find that [Kinect] is very competitively priced."
Siddons has got a point too - a full PS3 Move set-up for two players would consist of an initial Move and PS Eye bundle, plus a second Move controller, costing around £150.
With a Wii however, you'd only need to buy a second Wiimote and Nunchuck on top of the initial console purchase - costing around £40, if you shop around.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyWhile I don't quite see me buying Kinect, 6player controller (albeit a pure fun controller) for 130GBP is rather on the cheap side...
All in two unit? Not quite as catchy.
what? ps3 bombed at that price? oh
The bigger the flop, the quicker they will bring an all new Xbox to market.....
Lets hope its a miserable failure......
As I use consoles for multiplayer partys tho their pricing does make sense but still seems like a kid who sees his older brother do something and then justify copying him with "He's doing it so I done it too!" PS3 move still looks better tho and the wii is still fine for parties.
Doubt people would object to paying £40-50 for the 1 player experience, then an extra £15-20 per additional user, up to 6 total.
So makes the Kinect look even better value for money
Not everyone lives in a vast mansion lol.
I for one wouldn't buy a Kinect so I can look like a tosser while playing Forza. Just not happening. What might happen is that I buy a Kinect to play... i dunno - pinhata bash on with my friends, mainly because then playing games becomes a spectator sport... sortof like the guitar hero nights we ahve, where half the people play GH and the other half sit and laugh at how stupid everyone that's playing looks.
In that light, the kinexct is AWESOME value for money.
Saying you wouldn't buy one for single player is like saying that you wouldn't buy the GH world tour pack for single player: Absolutely right. You'd buy it to play with friends.
As for the "but you still need a >100 pound PS3" - please...
Assuming your friends visit you regularly, it is good value. If its more of an infrequent occurance, then its much like the single player problem.
And its only a matter of time before theres "Microsoft Flail-like-a-moron Exercise Studio".
If I was an Xbox owner I'd never end up playing a Kinect game on my own and to have all my mates on it with minimal tech hassle and a low entry cost (PS Move = 60 per person...) makes this look like a good deal.
And besides...people might be bitching about Kinect's price point but at least people are talking about it. No one is really talking about the Move.
I did buy the GH world Tour pack for single player, I love playing the Drums & Guitar on it (not at the same time obviously) and the GH:WT pack was the best option for getting both. But saying that, it was on offer at the time I bought it.
I like the idea of the Kinect as an Interface for controlling the xbox UI, but that seems a bit of a waste considering the only game I like the look of on it at the momment is the keep fit one (if only for the Tai Chi training).
The point is though, that this is (IMHO) targeted at the social multiplayer market more than the guy that does real serious gaming. As such, 130 Quid seems a reasonable price point. ESPECIALLY considering the price point of the competitive products.
As for whether or not it's actually gonna be worth it, that would depend entirely on what games are going to support it, and how.
No doubt there'll be a "flail like an idiot fitness" "game" soon after launch.
I have no doubt that some other games will support it in way cooler ways though. I can see it in boxing games, something like a dance-dance-revolution type of effect, a snowboarding/skating game, and a bucnh of others. It's got potential (for social gaming), but admittedly not that much for serious gaming. I doubt that it's gonna make playing Forza 3 the best experience you can have while dressed.
Ooooh, a WW2 fighter plane game, where you hold your arms out like wings and run around the room like you once did as a child :D
I'd imagine an update could probably cure this.
LOL That's exactly my thought too. And for a 1st time buyer, I would rather try it out first, buy 1 or 2 of the controller, then if it's good (and really add much to the experience) then *maybe* I would add another one. And like another posters have already said, why would I buy something designed for 6 people if I rarely (if not never!) will use it.
Oh and I hope someday you can use it in Street Fighter. just imagine how much fun would you get when you're doing those "flying spinning kick" like Ken/Chun Li does! (especially Chun Li! :D)