Walmart has become the first major retailer to offer an Xbox 360 console bundle that includes Microsoft's Kinect technology. The $200 bundle can be found online and offers just a small savings, but it includes an added incentive for consumers to consider.
Available for a short time starting immediately, Walmart now offers a Kinect bundle that includes one Kinect, a choice of one of six different launch game titles, along with a $30 Walmart gift card. In reality, Walmart customers will receive a $10 overall savings between the Kinect and game title, along with a $30 Walmart gift card.
Gamers can choose from one of the following six game titles: Harry Potter: Deadly Hallows, Kinect Dance Central, Kinect Sports, Kinectimals, Kinect Joy Ride, or Kinect Adventures. Retails for Kinect games range in price from $49 to $59.
The Kinect alone is expected to retail for around $149 after release, so the bundle could be an ideal purchase for Xbox 360 gamers.
The online Walmart pre-order is available until July 23, and can be found here. This is the only Walmart Kinect bundle available, but others could become available later the summer.
Microsoft officially introduced the Kinect during E3 last month, with a large amount of hype surrounding the system using based on commands and body movement. The six game titles Walmart currently has listed as part of the promotion are all somewhat weak -- but Microsoft and its partners promised additional games will be made available at launch.
If you're in no hurry to pre-order a bundle, Microsoft and several other partners are expected to launch their own bundles this fall. I believe Microsoft will have some type of Kinect-driven bundle at some point, so spending $200 for the Walmart bundle could be premature.
