Dubai: Ten years ago Microsoft launched Xbox, and ten years on they are launching Kinect, which will free people from controllers for gaming and entertainment.
Microsoft's much-awaited Kinect for Xbox 360, which is set to transform entertainment at home and open a new world of controller-free gaming, will be officially launched in the UAE on November 10.
"Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways, with full body play. Arms, legs, feet, and hands, with Kinect there are no controllers, just you. It's so natural, so intuitive that technology evaporates, letting the natural magic in all of us shine through. All you need to do is jump in," Aman Sangar, product marketing manager, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division Middle East, told Gulf News.
Top creators
Kinect sensor bundled with "Kinect Adventures" game is expected to sell at an estimated retail price of Dh699. Kinect games alone is expected to sell at for about Dh199.
Sangar said Kinect will launch with more than 15 game titles from the top creators in the industry. The games announced are: Kinectimals, Kinect Sports, Kinect Joy Ride, Kinect Adventures, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, (Ubisoft) Dance Central (MTV/Harmonix).
The sensor, which will work with each of the 13 million 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.
Jimmy Patel, general manager, Jacky's Electronics, said that the consoles will continue to grow as this is where more casual gamers are emerging from. Consoles will not lose their lustre because online gamers compete against each other and the range of games they compete on are totally different from those social gamers play. One significant factor driving the success of consoles is content (titles) and online gaming is a potential disruptive threat in the near future, but not as of now.
Online gaming will be improving year by year, with cost of ownership reducing and connection speed improving day by day. The awareness growth will also help improve online gaming. He said this year the console market is expected to grow 15-18 per cent over last year.
According to a research report, the number of consoles sold in UAE last year was 349,636 compared to 343,992 in 2008. The market value in 2009 was $380 million (Dh1.4 trillion) compared to $258 million in 2008. In January-April 2010, 88,422 consoles were sold in the UAE at a value of $95.7 million.
