Microsoft says Kinect is cheapest motion gaming, ‘proves’ it

Kotaku have released some images that are apparently part of an internal Microsoft brief, which show why the company thinks Kinect is cheaper than the alternatives offered by Sony and Nintendo.

According to the pictures that have been released, for non-console owners a full Kinect setup with one game (Kinect Adventures) will cost $300, whereas comparable offerings from Sony and Nintendo cost $510 and $360 respectively. it should be pointed out that they decided to add two navi controllers and an additional Move controller to the PS3 mix, while a Wii balance board was included with the Nintendo setup.

Why are they considering a balance board a required device – to my knowledge there are only about 5 games that even use the thing. Also, navi controllers are by no means ‘required’, you can save yourself some cash if you don’t mind using the Dualshock/SixAxis.

That being said, Kinect does appear to offer the best value for those wanting the ‘full’ experience, as it requires no additional controllers or kit once you have the actual Kinect camera/sensor. Though, some will then also argue that Kinect can never be a ‘full’ experience because it lacks controllers and a definitive form of navigation (analogue sticks); sure it will allow quirky menu-flipping, but its practical gaming uses are limited.

There are also prices for existing controllers, but they bring up the same arguments, so I’ll leave the pictures to speak for themselves.

New console owners

Existing console owners