Is Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Kinect peripheral the “must have” electronics item for this holiday season? It very well could be based on the availability of pre-orders at several large retailers.
Currently the Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures! pre-odrer is sold out at Amazon.com’s United States, Canada, Germany and United Kingdom websites. Best Buy is also no longer accepting pre-orders having already blown through whatever their allotment is. Granted both have been available for well over a month but that’s a lot of pre-orders for a $150 package most of the purchasers likely know little about. And Walmart.com will let you pre-order Kinect but only bundled with an additional game for $200.
If you missed the Amazon.com and Best Buy boat for the core Kinect package then your next best shot is at Gamestop.com. The site where more hardcore gamers get their product versus the casual audience Kinect is targeting is currently still pre-selling Kinect and are claiming a November 4 ship date. They are, however, warning purchasers with the following notice, “Quantity will be limited; so orders will be shipped on a first-come first-served basis.”
It’s still early in the holiday shopping season but it sure looks like Kinect is going to be one of Santa’s most difficult items to procure and deliver. I hesitate to use the term “shortage” but it may be the best descriptor for Kinect come late November and early December.
