Sony and Microsoft just released sales figures for PlayStation Move and Kinect within 24 hours of one another, giving us the chance to compare, sort of scientifically, how each of the new devices is faring.
Sony has revealed it has shipped 4.1m core Move controllers worldwide since launch. Microsoft, meanwhile, has sold 2.5m Kinects, putting it halfway to its 2010 target of 5m Kinects sold . Look just beneath the surface, however, and it would seem Microsoft’s product has the advantage.
Firstly, the words “shipped” and “sold” in the opening line of the last paragraph are key. When asked to explain its numbers, Sony informed Joystiq that its 4.1m was a shipped figure – i.e, the number of PlayStation Moves sold to retailers. Microsoft’s 2.5m, on the other hand, reportedly represents the number of Kinects sold to consumers.
Secondly, and more obviously, Move has been on (most of) the global market for 75 days, whereas Kinect has been out in the wild for just 25 days. In short, it looks like Kinect has its nose in front for now. With half a billion dollars spent on advertising the thing (as well as appearances on Oprah ), that’s probably not the most surprising outcome.
[Via press release]
