Microsoft's Xbox Kinect sells 10 million, breaks record

Move over iPad and iPhone -- the fastest selling consumer electronics device is not made by Apple. Microsoft said Wednesday that its Kinect motion-sensing controller has sold 10 million units since its launch last November. In the first 60 days alone, the company said eight million Kinects were sold.

Guinness World Records has dubbed the device the "fastest selling consumer electronics device ever," with an average daily sell-through of 133,333 units per day from the period of November 4, 2010 through January 3, 2011. Those rates are far above that of either the iPod or the iPad, which Apple has been keen to boast as the 'fastest ever' in the past.

Consumers are also buying an average of one additional Kinect game per controller, as Microsoft said over 10 million standalone games had been purchased.

"The sales figures here speak for themselves," said Gaz Deaves, Gaming Editor for Guinness World Records. "No other consumer electronics device sold faster within a 60-day time span, which is an incredible achievement considering the strength of the sector."

It could also be seen as a testament to Microsoft's new found strength in gaming: a title once solely owned by Japanese manufacturer Sony. Following a struggle for viability following a rather lackluster launch, the PlayStation 3 has never been able to catch up to either the Xbox 360 or Nintendo's Wii, and its Move motion-sensing controller has done well, but has not enjoyed the overwhelming success of Kinect.

Wednesday's announcement follows another at CES when Microsoft had said it sold eight million units. By all appearances, sales rates of the Kinect are not yet slowing down -- meaning Redmond may have breathed new life into the Xbox 360 and possibly solidifying it as the console of choice among gamers for years to come.

In addition to the sales announcement, Microsoft also said the company was working on Kinect-enabled versions of Netflix and Hulu Plus, and reaffirmed that it plans to bring Avatar Kinect -- a social networking service -- to Xbox users later this year.

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