Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer has suggested in an interview that the Xbox is for boys and the Kinect add-on is for girls.
In what appears to be a slightly odd way of describing the Xbox's family appeal, Ballmer told USA Today that the average 15-year-old boy would like an Xbox, and he thinks the average 15-year-old girl should soon want a Kinect
"…you go to your average 15-year-old boy, and he will say 'I'll take an Xbox'.
"I want that average 15-year-old girl as excited about the Kinect, and we haven't done as good a job drawing in that broader set of demographics."
Not for gamers
It's an opinion that will no doubt send tremors through anyone in the Xbox PR team tasked with making the Kinect more appealing to traditional gaming demographics.
Although the Kinect was a key addition in terms of broadening the appeal of the Xbox – the party line to date has been that the nifty motion/voice controller will appeal to everyone who uses the console – and not just girls.
But Ballmer, it seems, has a slightly different view.
Not a games console
The Microsoft CEO also insisted that the Xbox 360 was not a gaming console, insisting that it in fact a 'family entertainment centre'.
Ballmer said that the massively successful Xbox was not just for gamers, pointing to the 8 million Kinect motion and voice controllers that the company has sold.
"Xbox isn't a gaming console," said Ballmer. "Xbox is a family entertainment centre. It's a place to socialise. It's a place to watch TV... we have Hulu coming.
"It's the only system where you are the controller. Your voice, your gestures, your body."
Via USA Today
