IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Walmart Now Taking Kinect Pre-Orders for $199

Posted July 13, 2010 by James Brightman

We're all patiently waiting for Microsoft to finally share with us the official price point for Kinect, and while some retailers have listed Kinect already at $149, Walmart is now actually taking pre-orders for a special Kinect bundle listed for $199. The bundle includes the Kinect itself along with a choice of one launch title and a $30 Walmart gift card.

One analyst thinks Kinect could generate as much as $1 billion in revenues for Microsoft during the first year. That said, if the Kinect as a standalone item is priced at $149, that could limit adoption, especially among the casuals who would also need to purchase a 360 console that they likely don't own yet. 

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter told us today that he thinks Microsoft will sell 1 - 3 million at $149, 2 - 5 million if it's at $99, and 6 - 10 million at $49 (which no one seems to think is likely at this point). "My bias is the low end of the range at the high price point, and the high end of the range at the low price point," Pachter said in an e-mail to us.

James Brightman has been covering the games industry since 2003 and has been an avid gamer ever since the days of Atari and Intellivision. He was previously the EIC of GameDaily Biz.