http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2010-11-05-kinect05_ST_N.htm
" the new $150 device began disappearing from store shelves as soon as it went on sale Thursday, as strong first-day sales helped boost forecasts for Kinect's holiday sales.
"We've seen a tremendous amount of excitement and demand for (Kinect) and saw lines at our midnight openings around the country," said Best Buy's (BBY) Chris Homeister. "We are currently sold out online, but we continue to work with Microsoft to obtain product shipments now and throughout the holiday season."
Abundant customer pre-orders led Microsoft to increase its estimates for Kinect sales this year from 3 million to 5 million. That has led some analysts to raise their expectations, too. "Microsoft (MSFT) apparently has good vibes from retail," said analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities, who increased his forecast from 2 million Xbox 360-Kinect bundles and 1 million stand-alone Kinect sensors to 2.5 million and 2 million, respectively. "They expect sellouts."
That's already happening. Online retailer Amazon.com (AMZN) and GameStop.com (GME) were sold out of the Kinect sensor (Kinect Adventures game included), but had complete Xbox 360 systems packaged ($300 and up) with the new sensor and game in stock. Some bricks-and-mortar stores had Kinect systems available; others sold out by late morning.
Target (TGT) experienced "very strong pre-sales" for Kinect, selling out of the Kinect sensor and the 250-gigabyte Xbox 360-Kinect bundle ($400) at its online store, spokeswoman Tara Schlosser said.
Walmart.com(WMT) and its stores had Kinect on hand, but "there is going to be very high demand for these products," said the retailer's Ravi Jarawala. "We will continue to restock throughout the season."
Newfangled video game features could give the video game industry a needed boost going into the holiday shopping season."
