Microsoft’s Delusional Take on the Price of Motion Gaming
Earlier this summer during the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) that focuses on all things video games, Microsoft and Sony showed off the nearly complete Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move. Sony willingly slapped a $100 price tag on Move that’d include the Playstation Eye, 1 Move controller, and a copy of Sports Champions. Microsoft remained silent on Kinect until the days after when details started to leak and a posting on the Microsoft Store hinted at a starting price of $150. The pricing war begins.
I don’t know how this slipped through, but some internal Microsoft comparisons try to twist the competition’s pricing to make the most expensive motion controller the least expensive. The fact that they can somehow twist Kinect into being cheaper than the already dirt cheap Wii sets off a few red lights. For some reason they’ve insisted that the Wii’s Balance Board – a peripheral not really associated with most Wii titles – be included to make the Wii motion controllable. 
Let’s look at the real pricing.
Wii – 200.00
- 1 Wii-mote
- 1 Nun chuk
- Wii Sports Resort & Wii Sports
Total: $200.00
Playstation 3 – 300.00
- 1 Controller
Playstation Move – 100.00
- 1 Move Controller
- Sports Champions
Total: $400.00
Xbox 360 – 200.00
- 1 Controller
Xbox Kinect – 150.00
- Kinect Adventures
Total: $350.00
Both Sony and Microsoft could skew the results any way they’d like but the fact is the Wii is the cheapest motion controlled console. Aren’t the Wii’s extra peripherals are optional? And the Move’s? Hey if you want to play four players, you’re going to need 2 Xboxes with 2 Kinects – easily over $600. Two can play at this game.
Most consumers will ultimately buy the motion controller that already fits their system of choice. Owners of more than one console will likely pick up whichever they find most appealing, not so much on the price difference of each. It’s a good thing Microsoft didn’t take these public and lets hope Sony wasn’t even thinking of playing this pricing game.
What do you think? Laughable? Does it hold any water? Let us know what you think below.
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