In what may be one of the worst kept secrets in the video game industry, Microsoft has finally officially announced that the hands-free Kinect controller will debut for $149.99. The bundle, due out on November 4, will include the controller and the game Kinect Adventures, which features a series of multiplayer mini-games.
The price is likely not going to make retailers happy, many of which are claiming low pre-orders due in no small part to the suspected cost (that turned out to be exactly right), which is only slightly less than the cost of buying a Wii. Despite that, it seemed almost inevitable that the price would remain at the suspected $149 list, as some reports have the Kinect costing $149 per unit, meaning that Microsoft is already not expecting a profit from the hardware, more likely banking on the licensing until the manufacturing costs drop.
Also announced is an upcoming bundle of the Kinect with an Arcade-like version of the new Xbox 360, that will include the new style of Xbox 360- but with a 4GB hard drive- and the Kinect for $299. With the exception of the hard drive, the bundled Xbox 360 will be identical to the 250GB model now in stores. The new 4GB Xbox 360 will be available separately on August 3 for $199, and as a bundle for the Kinect’s November launch.
As of right now, the Kinect games will have a suggested retail price of $49.99, but third-party publishers will be free to price the games as they see fit. So far the Kinect has 15 confirmed launch titles and more on the way.
