November 10 release date for Kinect in Europe
Age of Empires Online and Microsoft Flight also announced at gamescom
The Kinect motion control system for the Xbox 360 will launch on November 10 in the UK and Europe, as Microsoft demonstrates its Christmas line-up at the gamescom event in Germany.
Although widely rumoured to be November, the European release date was the final detail to be announced for Microsoft's Kinect, which was previously announced to have a retail price of $149.99 and £129.99/€149.99 in the U.S. and Europe - including a copy of Kinect Adventures.
The system will launch just a few days earlier in North America, on November 4. So far North America is the only region to announce an official console and hardware bundle with the new Xbox 360 slim models and Kinect.
Although no new Kinect or other console titles have been announced at gamescom Microsoft did unveil two new Games for Windows products. Age of Empires Online, is the Project Spartan title previously hinted at from Robot Entertainment - the studio founded by veterans of the now defunct Ensemble Studios.
Based in Ancient Greece, the game will feature a persistent online capital city, as well as co-operative multiplayer quests, trading and a level-based experience system. Unspecified free-to-play experiences are also promised via Games for Windows Live.
Also announced for the first time is Microsoft Flight, a continuation of the long-running Microsoft Flight Simulator series. As with Ensemble Studios, original series developer ACES Game Studio were previously closed by Microsoft. The developer of Microsoft Flight is currently unknown, with the title described only as an "internal development".
"Today, we're bringing powerful, inventive gaming experiences to the Windows-based PC," said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios.
"Over the years, our PC heritage captured the hearts and minds of millions of players. Reinventing these iconic franchises with social, shared experiences at their core marks the beginning of our return to PC gaming in bold new ways," he added.