Less than a day before Microsoft's launch of the Kinect motion-based control system for Xbox 360, the company is apparently feeling bullish about the demand for the devices, and its ability to supply them. The company is boosting its worldwide Kinect sales projections for the holidays to 5 million units, up from the previous estimates of 3 million.

Bloomberg News reporter Dina Bass broke the news on Twitter a short time ago, quoting Microsoft executive Don Mattrick saying that the number would qualify Kinect as the biggest Xbox-related product launch in history. A Microsoft representative separately confirmed the news in response to an inquiry from TechFlash.

Competing against Sony's PlayStation Move and the Nintendo Wii, the Kinect will be taking a different approach, using a sensor array to let gamers control the action with just their bodies, and no handheld controller.

Kinect is launching tonight with an initial library of 17 games. Kinect will retail for $149.99 with the Kinect Adventures game, and as part of a $299.99 bundle that includes an Xbox 360 4GB and Kinect Adventures.

Source: Techflash