Life-to-date Japanese sales of Kinect at 114,000

News by Brenna Hillier Contributor

Published on Nov. 29, 2011

Japanese sales of Microsoft's motion control system show significantly weaker performance than in international markets.

Monthly sales figures, compiled by Famitsu and translated by Andriasang, show a launch of 27,880 units in November 20120, follows by 43,200 units in December. After that, sales tail off, dropping as low as 1,910 during May this year and spiking at 3,333 in October.

As of earlier this month, just over 1.5 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold in Japan, suggesting a 7.6% attach rate for the motion control peripheral. Globally, the console has shifted over 50 million units, while at least 10 million Kinects had been shipped in March, conservatively indicating something in the region of a 20% attach rate.

Microsoft made a strong marketing push for Kinect in Japan, and was caught in a scandal involving the hire of rent-a-crowds. Sony's rival Move system outsold Kinect two-to-one, although the install base divide is significantly wider.

On the software side, the top game is, of course, Kinect Adventures, which comes bundled with the hardware, followed by Forza Motorsport 4, which features some Kinect extras. Dance and exercise games seem the most popular choices thereafter.