Analyst predicts 3 million shipments for Kinect
First retail estimate also predicts hardware bundle announcement
Analyst Colin Sebastian of research firm Lazard Capital Markets has predicted that approximately 3 million units of Microsoft's Kinect camera-based control system will be shipped worldwide in this calendar year.
Unveiled at last year's E3 as Project Natal, Kinect was given its final retail name at this year's trade show, and became the focus of Microsoft's pre-E3 media briefing. Although confirmed to be launching in November, pricing for the unit has still yet to be announced.
Current rumours suggest a price announcement at Gamescom of around $190.
Media reaction to the device (and in particular its initial line-up of games) has been mixed, but in comments made to website Industry Gamers Sebastian stated: "We expect roughly 3 million units of Kinect to ship worldwide in calendar year 2010, with Microsoft selling Kinect on its own or as part of a hardware bundle."
A new slimline version of the Xbox 360 console was also unveiled at Microsoft's briefing, and is widely expected to be made available as part of a new hardware bundle with Kinect.