EMIRATES247
The competition in the world of consoles is no less than what is happening in the world of smartphones and the big three console makers - Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony - are scrambling for new ways to entice consumers. In this big gaming war it is the Microsoft Xbox that is in the lead in the UAE, according to an expert in the industry. “Currently, the Microsoft XBox has been the most popular because of the launch of the Kinect in the fourth quarter of 2010. This being the newest console, it has done quite well as of late. The Sony PlayStation 3 though is still very popular and overall has the largest base of users in the region,” Ashish Panjabi, Jacky's Electronics COO told 'Emirates 24|7'. “The Xbox has been popular because of Kinect as this brings interactive gaming to a whole new level. This has in turn hurt the sales of Nintendo Wii which was otherwise the "fun" console before Kinect was launched. The Xbox and PlayStation 3 both utilize better quality graphics and processing capabilities than Nintendo so for action games, they would be the better console but Nintendo has managed to establish their niche within social gamers (i.e. people who traditionally wouldn't have maybe bought a console but due to the interactive nature of Wii, it opened up a new market of gamers,)” he added. Experts say 2011 is incredible for Xbox. Kinect not only exceeded Microsoft's expected sales figures but has gone on to become the fastest selling consumer electronic device of all time and according to the Guinness World Records this device sold faster than the Apple iPhone or iPad tablet. Kinect (previously Project Natal) is Microsoft's motion controller for its Xbox 360 gaming console, and it reportedly sold 133,333 units per day since its launch on November 4, 2010. Since launch, in a 60-day period till January 3, 2011, a record 8 million Kinect units were sold worldwide, as per the company’s statements. http://www.emirates247.com/lifestyle/living/microsoft-xbox-is-king-of-consoles-in-uae-2011-04-19-1.382783
