Why Xbox 360 Kinect Is Flooding Homes Throughout the World (XBOX)

XBOX

The busiest shopping day of the year is now behind us but the shopping season isn't and developers and gaming platform manufacturers still have a few weeks left to move some units before the year comes to a close and the wait then begins for Tax Return Season.

The question that's been on our minds lately is simply: "What happened with sales over the last few weeks?" When you look at the sales numbers, the PlayStation 3 for several months remained consistently ahead of well, everyone outselling the Xbox 360 in pretty much every territory save for the Xbox 360's home turf where the 360 have pretty much staked its claim. While the PlayStation 3 continues to outsell the Xbox 360 in other territories, it seems that Microsoft and their Xbox have dealt the most damage in their home country alone. Perhaps American's are the biggest gaming market in the world? Well, the numbers almost seem to show that.

What' happened, seems to have been that in the single week of Black Friday, Microsoft outsold the competition by a long shot and many of us are led to believe it was all do in part to Microsoft's Motion Control device, Xbox 360 Kinect. A hands free, you're the controller sort of experience that gets your fat butt off the couch and working off that quarter-pounder you'd just downed and the make you sweat out that 2-liter of soda you'd just guzzled. Or, is it not the hardcore gamer snapping up the hardware?

It seems that Microsoft have aggressively gone after the market that Nintendo has been hanging onto so dearly for the past two years. While Microsoft still remains quite a ways behind Nintendo, the many whom believed that Sony would surpass the Xbox 360 this year have been mistaken and will have to look forward to what Sony may have up their sleeve next year fanboy's in hopes that the PlayStation 3 can surpass the 360 finally in total sales worldwide as is predicted by many a gaming analyst.

Its really a mind baffling thought when you think about it. Sony completely laid its hand on the table this year and really dug in releasing powerful exclusives almost consecutively but, it didn't seem to carry enough units though surely the PlayStation 3 has seen this year as their best year ever with record breaking sales. When you look at it, Sony did everything right. Blu-ray's continue to fly out the door and sell. There have been several titles to support the PlayStation Move and their first-party line-up has been nothing short of stellar. How did Microsoft seal this deal and secure the year with only a few exclusives themselves?

Well, is it all credited to the Kinect's success? A powerful piece of tech finally in the home? Well, not exactly. See, the Kinect's home console fanbase, a large number of them have stuck their nose up at the Kinect and refuse to get up off the couch. The software isn't anything of what they're looking for and believe it or not, much of the media believe that the Kinect isn't exactly the superior in motion control devices rather, they would much rather have a Heavy Rain sort of experience with the PlayStation Move's pin point accuracy and have something physically in their hand. Something Wiimotion Plus and Kinect seem to lack.

Well, at the end of the day, what it really comes down to is the fact that the console has dropped in price to the cost of a Wii during Black Friday and so Microsoft have capitalized off their Red Ring of Death once again as their loyal fanbase have set out to restore what once was lost now at a less-expensive price. To top it off, many house moms have grown tired of the Wii experience as well as their sons. Its time to move on to HD. As well, Kinect has moved as many units and Microsoft dropped the price of the Kinect by $50 and those moms whom have had Xbox 360's in their homes that their sons have been playing, can now join the conversation at the local market with other woman whom are playing motion controlled games.

What it all comes down to really, is Microsoft's knack for MARKETING and what Sony FAIL's at achieving. Sony and the PlayStation 3 are synonymous with quality when pitted up against the competition. However, they are unable to properly convey that quality as well as talent for quality software as well. Let's face it, Sony's marketing is pathetic. Not only in marketing with their own products, but selling their products to third-party developers. What I mean by this is simply that Sony lacks the ability to find meaningful DLC that the can contribute. Microsoft spotted Call of Duty and went after it. While its only a month's wait for PS3 gamers, Call of Duty fans aren't exactly that patient. Sony in turn decided to follow Microsoft's example and talked with EA concerning Battlefield. Activision's rival. The thing is, that exclusive content, is only exclusive for a week. That's hardly breaking a sweat for 360 gamers that still majority of them are more partial to Call of Duty.

At the end of the day, look how many Kinect Ads their are out there or that happened during Black Friday. Its purely marketing on Microsoft's end, whether their hardware is quality material or not. They know how to polish it up and sucker the consumer, and they're darn well successful with it and thus, Kinect has completely outsold PlayStation Move.

While we agree the PlayStation Move to be the superior hardware, the software just isn't exactly there to back it up and thus we see that Kinect has claimed its name, and every house mom in the world that has an Xbox 360 in their home are getting in on the action. Literally while many more are purchasing the console just to have that experience or experience it in HD on their new HDTV. Microsoft, we congratulate you on doing the unthinkable and securing your lead for another year.

While we're still waiting to see what Sony has coming up, which they've been really quite about as to their strategy, we'll have to see. The Vita's Memory Stick prices don't seem to be helping the situation either.