At its CES 2012 press event yesterday, Microsoft announced that it has sold a total of 66 million Xbox 360 consoles and 18 million Kinects worldwide. In addition, the company touts 40 million Xbox Live members.
"We're the world sales leader for the last year in console," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
The keynote – presumbaly Microsoft’s last CES presentation – focused on bringing more multimedia capabilities to the Xbox 360. Apps for Fox News, Fox Television, the Wall Street Journal, and IGN will be coming to Xbox Live in 2012. Microsoft is also working with National Geographic and the Sesame Workshop to create interactive television programs for children based on Kinect integration.
Finally, Microsoft has priced and dated the Kinect for Windows peripheral. Users can expect the device to retail for $249 with a release date of February 1, 2012, while certain educational users can pick it up for $149. Kinect for Windows will feature a “Near Mode”, allowing the device to see users as close as 50 cm. Why the price hike? It seems you may be paying for the software license with the device, as Microsoft is giving the Kinect for Windows SDK away for free.
