Kinect sells 1 million

Prior to the launch of the Kinect, Microsoft projected lofty sales for the Xbox 360's new motion-sensing add-on, saying that it would sell some 5 million units by year's end. The first million are now in the bank.

Today, Microsoft announced that the Kinect has sold 1 million units worldwide in its first 10 days on the market. It went on sale in North America on November 4, with its European rollout occurring November 10 and its Asian release following on November 18. The software giant also reiterated its 5-million-unit projection for the Xbox 360 peripheral, expressing optimism over next week's Black Friday, better known as the busiest shopping day of the year.

Microsoft did not break out the ways in which gamers purchased their new Kinects. Currently, the system is offered as a stand-alone unit for $149, a hefty premium over the device's $56 estimated cost in parts. Two bundles are also available: a $300 4GB Xbox 360 configuration and a $400 250GB Xbox 360 loadout. Both bundles also include Kinect Adventures, just one of the 17 games expected to be available for the system before year's end.

The Kinect's sales success is unsurprising, giving the substantial marketing campaign Microsoft has launched to support it. According to reports, Microsoft has allotted $500 million to promote the device.