Microsoft Store Prices Kinect At $149

With all eyes on pricing for Microsoft's Kinect, a new listing on the company's own store is supporting information gleaned from other major retailers pointing to a $149.99 price tag. Flyers and listings from retailers like Amazon, Wal-Mart and GameStop have surfaced in recent weeks indicating the same price, but Microsoft has yet to make any public announcements or confirmation. Analysts and industry execs alike have said they feel Kinect's pricing will be crucial to its market success; most recently, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter suggested that a price point over $100 "would severely limit sales." Internal documents from Microsoft have revealed that the company plans to offer Xbox 360 bundles that include the new redesign of the hardware and the device together, in addition to selling Kinect as a stand-alone. Retailer listings have pegged these Xbox 360/Kinect bundles as $299 with an 'Arcade' console, alongside an 'Elite' bundle at $399. Microsoft's internal marketing data also suggested that the company plans to offer a $199 version of the newly-slimlined console this fall, presumably in the anticipated 'Arcade' configuration and lacking features such as the large hard drive.