Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division today previewed its highly anticipated entertainment and gaming system, Kinect for Xbox 360 for media in the UAE. Based around a webcam-style add-on peripheral for the Xbox 360 console, Kinect enables users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller through a natural user interface using gestures, spoken commands, or presented objects and images. Kinect for Xbox 360 will officially be launched in the United Arab Emirates on November 10, 2010 and is set to transform entertainment at home and open a new world of controller-free gaming.
The company also announced that the Kinect sensor and "Kinect Adventures" game will be bundled together and priced at AED 699/- Estimated Retail Price (ERP) in the UAE. With "Kinect Adventures," players will make their way through 20 adventures, navigating roaring rapids and ducking and dodging through mountaintop obstacle courses and other exotic locations — no controller required. The sensor, which will work with each of the 13 million[1] Xbox 360 consoles sold across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), is uniquely able to track your full body movements, respond to your voice and deliver a multiplayer experience right out of the box.
"When technology becomes invisible and intuitive something special happens - you and your experience become one. No barriers, no boundaries, no gadgets, no gizmos, no learning curves. With Kinect you are the controller," said Armagan Demir, Head of Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division, Gulf.
"Kinect for Xbox 360 offers tremendous entertainment value, so whether you are new to Xbox 360 or an existing console owner, we are committed to offering Kinect experiences that offer controller-free fun and entertainment in extraordinary new ways", he added.
More than 15 games are set to be available at launch. In addition to games, Kinect changes the way you experience entertainment by putting your favorite movies, TV programs and music all in one place and controlling it with just the wave of a hand. Kinect also creates new ways for friends and family to have fun together. With Video Kinect, share a smile with friends and family, as you open a window into living rooms around the world. Select retailers will begin taking pre-orders for the Xbox 360 Kinect Console Bundle and the Kinect for Xbox in a few weeks' time. Kinect games, such as "Kinectimals," "Kinect Sports" and "Kinect Joy Ride," will retail at a price of AED 199 (ERP).
In addition, the new Xbox 360 250GB and 4GB consoles, which begins shipping from September, will be available at AED 1,150 and AED 899 respectively, and are at the same prices of its predecessors - the Xbox 360 Elite with 120 GB HDD and the Xbox 360 Arcade. With a sleek new design, the Xbox 360 250GB console includes built-in Wi-Fi N, 250GB hard drive, touch-sensitive buttons, a glossy black finish and is Kinect ready. The Xbox 360 4GB console boasts of the same features as the 250 GB console, except a lower memory capacity and a matte black finish. Retail availability of the new consoles is based on logistic timelines and will be announced at a later date.
Microsoft also revealed details of Kinect bundles with the two new console SKUs, giving customers an all-in-one opportunity to jump into the controller-free fun of Kinect this November. The all-new Xbox 360 4GB console, the revolutionary Kinect sensor and "Kinect Adventures" will be packaged together and priced at AED 1399 (ERP). A similar bundle with the Xbox 360 250 GB console will be available at launch for AED 1650 (ERP).
1 Microsoft estimates based on GFK-ChartTrack and other retail data
2 There is also a one-year limited warranty on the console
