Microsoft sells 1m Kinects in 10 days

Microsoft sold more than one million of its Kinect controller-free gaming systems within 10 days of the launch, which bodes well for the software giant's target of selling five million units by the end of the year.

The hands-free, motion-control add-on for the Xbox console is Microsoft's answer to the Nintendo Wii and Sony's Move devices. Don Mattrick, head of Microsoft's games unit, said the figures were a "strong start", added: "Consumers are loving it." Chris Homeister, of the US electronics retailer BestBuy, said: "There were lines of customers at our stores all over the country on the night of the Kinect launch."

The high sales defied the expectations of some industry analysts who questioned whether the device would see massive commercial success, given its hefty price of £129.99 as a stand-alone peripheral. The Kinect interface for the Xbox 360 went on sale in North America on 4 November and in Europe last week.