Windows Phone 7 and Kinect to launch alongside $1 billion marketing blitz

By on Oct 18, 2010 at 6:35 PM
Gaming October 18, 2010

Remember that $100 million Verizon Wireless spent to introduce the world to its first Android phone, the Motorola DROID? Bush league. The New York Post reports that Microsoft is preparing to drop a cool $500 million marketing Kinect, its upcoming motion-based gaming controller for the Xbox 360. Add to that another estimated $500 million the Redmond giant is expected to spend on Windows Phone 7 and you’ve got yourself an even $1 billion worth of Microsoft marketing madness. Windows Phone 7 and Kinect clearly represent Microsoft’s two biggest product launches ahead of this holiday season, and now it’s safe to assume we can all be expected to be reminded of that fact constantly. Blitz or no blitz, neither launch can come soon enough if you ask us.

Read [Kinect] Read [Windows Phone 7]

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  • Mgl323

    That’s the way to do it! If you’re going to be in the game, you gotta go full 100% blitz force !

    • NormalC

      500 million dollars on advertising isn’t going to make gamers care about a piece of garbage like Kinetic.

      Easily the worst console add-on in history:

      * Nothing but a ripoff of old Sony EyeToy motion controls

      * A lineup of games that looks like stuff not even worth dumping in the bargin bin

      * Laggy and horribly inaccurate

      * Only supports two people

      * You need a huge area in your living room

      * You need to wear the right clothes, right lighting, etc

      * You can’t sit down an play games with it

      No wonder Microsoft was forced to fake their E3 demos of this turd of a console addon. Only Microsoft would think that blowing 500 million on advertising instead of making their POS product worth buying.

      • superchunk

        While I generally agree with your opinion no Kinect, it is worth nothing that it is far more capable than Sony’s Eye Toy which is why it costs $150 vs the Eye Toy’s price of $30-40 or slightly more with a basic game.

        Eye Toy needs additional cameras, specifically 3D imaging to match Kinect’s capabilities.

        However, both companies motions are a little too late to try and match anything Wii has already done. They both should have just waited for their eventual next generation consoles to introduce some for of motion based gaming.

      • hughes

        “it is far more capable than Sony’s Eye Toy”

        It sure as hell hasn’t shown it.

        PS2 Eye Toy vs Kinetic:

        It shouldn’t be surprising why both Nintendo and Sony passed on the company that created Microsoft’s Eye Toy motion controls.

      • superchunk

        While they both can capture physical motion, there is a great disparity between 3D depth of view and 2D motion capture. Eye Toy cannot do everything Kinect can. Having said that, yes the tech is not going to do well and there is a reason Nintendo passed on it many years ago.

  • Gaga

    What a waste of a billion dollars.

    • Haemel

      Kinetic is fun to watch in a horrible car accident way. Watching Microsoft go down in flames once again in the console market is something both hilarious and mesmerizing.

  • TONY

    And in two months time, the Kin and WP7 will be killed off because no one cared.

    • acquaz10

      Not the Kin, that already failed. The kinECT. Read the article. Its an add on to the 360, and Microsofts take on the Wii.

  • Drelewis

    Kinect me baby!

  • Androidian

    that’s what happens when a company has tons of money & poor management in place. POOF! $1B gone. $1M recouped revenue.

  • TC

    Well, at least Windows Phone 7 looks kind of interes..zzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ::snore::

  • fidel castro

    Wp7 and kinect, lets see if microsoft can make a dent

  • michaele

    A colossal waste of $1 billion.

  • Norm

    Leave the game making to Google and DROID. MS, your dynasty is over.

  • Johnathan

    Couldn’t have said it any better

  • RS

    It’s a classic case of bloggers speculating. Steve Ballmer during the launch event mentioned close to 100 million dollars on WP7 advertising. Stop making these #s up to spread unnecessary paranoia..please do your research!!

  • http://fudzilla.com Jon Worrel

    This advertising budget makes me sick.

    What Would Bill Gates Do? (WWBGD)

  • http://www.ellightmade.com EL

    Kinetic is fun to watch in a horrible car accident way

  • IM_A_BOBOHEAD_N_SO_R_U

    Soooooooooo a billion bucks?!!!! Not bad for Billy G.

    Looks like Billy G is back again donating his billions. But this time, he isn’t helping poor or sick people in Madagascar no more.

    NOOOOOOOO, he’s now helping those poor Madison ave executives — lining their pockets with gads of money, just until the economy comes out the sh!thole!!

    Good for you Billy!!! Someone’s got to feed them greedy (woops, needy) execs. They’d go hungry if it wasn’t for good folks like youz.

  • RTan

    I suggest MSFT to give away 1 million of WP7 handsets and Kinect respectively. This will yield a better bang of the $$$ and marketing results.

  • Bill

    Once again, Microsoft finds a need to tell us the exact amount of dollars they plan to spend on advertising for a product. I still don’t get it. Is this to tell us that they’re really serious this time? Why is this so important that Microsoft needs us to know the exact amount?

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