The Motion Control Wars: Part 3

With Playstation Move having been out of the door for a few weeks now, the last card to be played is in Microsoft's hand.

Today, it was revealed that Kinect's launch line-up of games will include 17 titles (12 on launch day itself to be precise; with the remaining five following in the next couple of weeks).

As predicted (see Part 2), it's mini and party game city, which stands it in good stead for the impending "I want a Kinect, daddy!" season - especially given that the only 'standard' title there is a new Harry Potter game.

This shot is from E3. The list has since grown to 17.

Kinect's looking to be a hit, with demand apparently surpassing what stores had predicted in some regions. Despite its hefty price tag (again discussed in part 2), Kinect should be well in to the public eye by the time it launches with Microsoft reportedly ready to blow a whopping one billion dollars (ouch) on its advertising campaign.

You have to wonder whether the profits are going to offset the costs of that - and they probably won't - but all Microsoft are looking for at the moment is a good foothold in the market. They'll be aiming for a much higher attach rate than the Wii managed - it suffered badly from poor software sales - with their budget (£30) Kinect titles.

Undoubtedly, the Live network offers another platform to be exploited. It's much more elaborate than the Wii's offering - which was successful in its own right - and with the new console having built-in wireless internet capabilities Microsoft will be looking to drive Xbox Live Marketplace and indeed Gold Membership sales. How long before we see Kinect titles offering a substantial online multiplayer portion? The possibility of playing Kinect with your friend across the other side of the country could well be something Microsoft would like to push in their attempts to be the driving force in moving the motion control platform forwards.

Poor launch showing? Playstation's budget Move controller.

So, were we wrong about Kinect's potential success? Very possibly. Move has been extremely quiet since its launch, and with a somewhat lacking performance on the promotion front from Sony, Microsoft could well have the upper hand moving in to Christmas. Wii sales continue to tick over but surely its age is beginning to pass. It's ready to be replaced by something shinier and 'cooler'.

Were we wrong about its appeal to the core gamer? Not at all. You just have to look at Kinect's launch line-up to see that - and Move is still very much on top in that department.