Natal is out! Kinect is In! : Kinect for Xbox 360

 Microsoft is making big news with the world premiere of Kinect for Xbox 360. Find out about the future of controller-free gaming and entertainment through our collection of videos, articles, top stories in the press and more.







The future of entertainment with controller-free gaming arrives Thursday with the launch of Kinect, which lets you use your body and voice to play your favorite games and entertainment.

Early customer demand for controller-free entertainment solidifies biggest year in Xbox history.

Why does it called Kinect?

Controller-free gaming means full body play. Kinect responds to how you move. So if you have to kick, then kick. If you have to jump, then jump. You already know how to play. All you have to do now is to get off the couch.

• Control your Xbox 360 with a single gesture or wave of the hand
• Get off the couch and into the game by using your body as the controller
• Revolutionary technology includes body recognition
• Works alongside your Xbox 360 controller to enhance your entertainment
• Includes Kinect Adventures game, in which you are the controller as you jump, dodge and kick your way through exciting adventures set in a variety of exotic locations

Kinect – a name redolent of cords, cables, USB ports. But the Microsoft Kinect, set to launch this fall for the Xbox 360, is the first in what will likely be a long line of cordless, controller-less motion-sensing hardware. Today, Kinect finally got an official price tag: $150 for the peripheral, and $299 for something called a Kinect Console Bundle, which includes the Xbox 360 4GB console and a game called Kinect Adventures.

As gaming industry analyst Jesse Divnich told MSNBC earlier this afternoon, the price tag on the Kinect isn't exactly low, but it's not crazily high, either. The Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Mustang controller alone, for instance, costs $150. And that only works for a few games. The Kinect will be work with a wide range of titles, including the forthcoming Kinectimals and Kinect Sports.
"Previous peripherals with mass-market appeal, such as band kits, have sold millions of units worldwide even while priced north of $150," Divnich says.
Microsoft has high hopes for the Kinect, which uses a depth-sensor, a camera, and a microphone allow gamers to allow gamers to control onscreen action. The Kinect will bring Microsoft into direct competition with the Nintendo Wii, and also the Sony PlayStation Move, a motion-control peripheral which is expected to be released for the PlayStation 3 this fall. (Unlike the Kinect, the Move uses a controller.)
In June, Microsoft introduced a slimmed-down Xbox 360, featuring a 250 GB hard drive, an array of USB ports, Wi-Fi capability and a new AUX port. The console is priced at $299, and reportedly shuts itself down in the event of overheating. The Xbox 360 slim is available now at retail outlets across the US.