One of the hottest topics in the gaming industry right now is the Microsoft Kinect motion controller. Not long ago the official price point was revealed and it’s caused almost everyone to stand up, throw something, and, at worst, take a dump on their desk. This includes industry analysts who claim the $150 price point is far too high and Microsoft is going to take a hit on sales because of it.
Now Microsoft’s group marketing manager Brett Siddons has entered the debate to back-up the price point and give some perspective as to why the $150 price tag is a fair price for consumers when compared to what the competition will be offering.
Siddons tells us to “do the maths.” The Microsoft Kinect, for $150, gives support to two active players (six total counting those lounging on your couch) and a full game, Kinect Adventures, upon purchase of the motion controller. This is in comparison to the PlayStation Move which will cost $50 for the main controller and a demo disc. If you want to pick up the “Navigation Controller” for the PS Move (think Wii’s nunchuck) then you’ll have to drop another $30, making the grand total $80 for a single Move controller. Now if you want to play with more people than just yourself (insert joke here), you’ll have to drop another $80 per person on top of that. Therefore, Siddons feels Kinect is “very competitively priced.”
However, to interject for a second, I feel Siddons is overlooking a major variable here. He assumes we want to play Kinect Adventures and the other Kinect juggernaut titles of Kinectimals, Joy Ride, and Kinect Sports. That shelling out $150 is worth it because the software available justifies the price. If you could see my face right now.
On the flipside of the coin, sure, the PS Move might run you a little more money if you’re looking to involve a number of players into the experience besides just yourself, but the games coming out for it, so far, seem to outweigh the price of the peripheral. Upon the PS Move’s launch you’ll have a Move compatible version of Heavy Rain, Killzone 3, SOCOM 4, Sly Cooper Collection, Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and the latest Tiger Woods PGA Tour. To name a few.
The PlayStation Move’s titles, as far as I’m concerned, seem like games I actually want to pick up and play. Kinect’s? Not so much.
But what are your thoughts? Is Microsoft Kinect reasonably priced or a total ripoff?
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