250Gb Kinect bundle unlikely pre-Christmas

Microsoft UK boss Neil Thompson has confirmed the 4Gb Xbox 360 will be the "primary SKU" for Kinect at launch, with no plans in place to sell the motion-control device together with a 250Gb system at a discount.

The 4GB system, which has replaced the old Arcade model and comes with a dedicated Kinect power port, was ideal "for the type of consumer that will come to that," Thompson told GamesIndustry.biz.

He added that a 250Gb bundle before Christmas was unlikely, but no "announcement or decision" had yet been made.

"We'll take market temperature readings and make decisions as we go through," he explained. "Obviously it's not a technically difficult thing for us to do, it's just whether we want to pursue that or focus on the one SKU."

And he revealed that one major obstacle was shelf space at retail: "We are asking retailers specifically, who have a lot of products on shelves, so there are some logistical things we have to consider in terms of the different SKU offerings we make.

The new standalone 4GB Xbox 360 releases in Europe this Friday, August 20, priced at £150 in the UK.