Microsoft have today announced that their controller-less Kinect motion technology is going on a summer tour around the UK. Stopping off at theme parks, London Zoo and more, the tour will give prospective buyers the chance to try out Kinect Adventures, Dance Central, Kinect Joyride and Kinectimals.
Those who come to visit the tour booths will be able to spend ten minutes with the tech, and have their play session filmed, a 25-second clip of which can later be seen on kinect.me. The tour will be visiting the following locations: Alton Towers from the 1st August to 30th September, London Zoo from 7th to 22nd August, The Thames Festival, London, on the 11th and 12th September, Chessington World of Adventures from 21st to 31st October, and the Clothes Show Live event at the Birmingham NEC from the 2nd to 8th of December.
As well as the tour stops, Microsoft are also setting up a “summer home” for Kinect in Covent Garden, London. The Kinect Galleries venue will open tomorrow from 10am to 8pm, and thirty-minute sessions can be booked for up to five people. On top of that, the “Kinect comes to you” scheme will allow people to invite the Kinect experience to visit them “from their school, to a village fete, or even the road where they live” and will be available from August.
More details and a booking form for the events will be going live today at the Kinect Facebook page.
Source: Press Release
beeje13
I only went to Alton towers last week :(
Even though i think it won’t be succes I thought the eyetoy was fun, and thats what this essentially is.
DrNate86
This is a great idea, Sony really needs to step up it’s marketing!
bunimomike
Couldn’t agree more with you. This is why Microsoft are in the position they are (with so many things and as a business). Regardless of calibre, you can often peddle your goods if you convince people they want one.
TSBonyman
I agree, especially as Move is due to launch before Kinect they should already be in full swing with in-store demos etc. at this stage.
Bilbo_bobbins
Agree with that. Great idea for advertising the product, get it out there and people know about it.
Charmed_Fanatic
They are having a show room right now! Beta room its called, search on the forums and you’ll see
Raen
Actually it’s tomorrow, it’s only two days and it’s in Birmingham. That’s nowhere near as practical a way to reach a lot of people, touring it round the country is much better. Yes Sony are making an effort, although this isn’t just pushing Move (I would imagine it’ll be heavily featured though).
Raen
This is exactly what Microsoft need to do to sell it.
djhsecondnature
Indeed. Providing it works of course :-p Oh how I jest!
STILLCANTTHINKOFAGOODPSNNAME
Bahh god damm snake oil merchants
Raen
It’s marketing, everyone does it.
retro_
Some more than others it would seem!
Raen
And that’s bad because…?
STILLCANTTHINKOFAGOODPSNNAME
yeah i know and its exactly what microsoft need example
young family at zoo see a exciting looking promotion for kenect. the young children play kenect and don’t shut up about it for months and the young parents being the modern spineless convenience whores they are buy kenect for there children in a attempt to silence them for any period of time. christmas has finnished and after a few months children are bord of kenect and the parents feel like dickheads
badgersnapper68
modern life pretty much summed up.
newsky87
“A chance to get your hands on Microsoft’s new tech.”
That statement seems to go against the whole point of Kinect! ;)
This is just like when you get people doing demo’s in toy shops or market stalls, you think it’s great when they show you and you have a quick go, then you part with your cash and get your new toy home and realise it’s not that great.
monkeyspoon
Microsoft are really good at marketing. I bet kinect will sell loads initially and then the 2nd hand Market will be flooded when people realise they didn’t really want it in the first place.
djsunna
The places microsoft are going with kinect to show it off to prospective buyers are all places that will be full of kids with their parents on a trip during the 6 week holidays. coincidence i think not, microsoft on this marketing drive are looking more towards the future generation of gamers and getting them on board early rather then those of us in our 20’s or 30’s.
But i bet they’ll have pre order forms (or something similar) for either the x box 360 with kinect bundle or just kinect for those that already have an x box 360. I have no doubt this will end up boosting kinects pre-order sales and that come september microsoft will release a statement that kinect’s pre-order sales are above expected.
MXZ
Oh great another Microsft thing that i cant get in Australia.
and i actually wanted to try kinect :(