Kinect Price Confirmed At $149.99, Includes Free Game

Microsoft's quest to keep official Kinect pricing a secret from everyone who's not Amazon.com, Walmart, Best Buy or the Microsoft Store ended today as they confirmed that the device will retail for $149.99. How they managed to pull it off will undoubtedly baffle gamers and journalists for generations to come, but...I'm sorry, I've just been told that $149.99 is exactly what everyone was already charging for pre-orders.

It turns out that you will also get "Kinect Adventures" at that price, though, which means you may want to contact Walmart if you selected "Kinect Adventures" as your choice in that $199 deal, because even with the $30 gift card, you shouldn't have to pay that much.

"Existing Xbox 360 owners can purchase Kinect and Kinect Adventures for $149.99 (U.S. ERP)," Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb wrote on his Major Nelson blog. "Remember, Kinect will work with every Xbox 360 ever made."

The announcement also came with word of a new $199.99 4GB Xbox 360 Slim package that comes with Wi-Fi N and the ability to store memory on USB sticks out of box. Additionally, there will be a 4GB holiday bundle that includes a console, the Kinect sensor and "Kinect Adventures" for $299.99.

Meanwhile, "Kinect Adventures" is still selectable on Walmart.com as a part of that $199 deal, which I really wish they would fix.

What's your take on the official Kinect pricing? What about Microsoft's other 360 announcements? Share your reactions in the comment section below.

Tags kinect, microsoft