A few weeks ago, Microsoft finally officially announced what retailers and gamers had already assumed: Kinect will launch for $149.99. Apparently, the publisher thinks that price is totally reasonable for the camera peripheral, especially since it comes bundled with Kinect Adventures. As someone who has already invested a lot of money in consoles, accessories, and games this generation, I honestly can’t understand where this logic comes from. Microsoft is advertising Kinect and its games as accessible family-friendly fun, but the price suggests otherwise. The situation begs the question: is anyone with only a passing interest in video games really going to pay that kind of money for any of the upcoming Kinect bundles?

Over the last three years, while the Wii has enjoyed immense success, Microsoft and Sony have taken jabs at Nintendo, proclaiming the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to be the systems of choice for the “hardcore” crowd. Now both publishers are backpedaling, with this year’s E3 being all about their own versions of revolutionary (or so they hope) motion control peripherals. While Nintendo has once again taken a giant leap forward with the 3DS, Microsoft and Sony have been reduced to making silly charts to show why their products are the best. We all got a good laugh at Sony’s nonsensical comparison data, but Microsoft’s prices seemed a little ridiculous for something that won’t appeal to gamers who already own a 360 and play it every day. Since when has a single peripheral that costs almost as much as a console enjoyed mass appeal?

The main problem with Kinect, at least in my eyes, is that the price and the games are taking it in two different directions. As I already stated, even the $150 bundle is probably too much money for anyone who doesn’t regularly enjoy video games. The games themselves, though, aren’t exactly going to pull in the kind of gamers who would spend that much on a new peripheral. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m not exactly on the edge of my seat waiting for Kinect Adventures and Kinectimals. I’m not saying someone who enjoys Gears of War can’t also have a fun time with Kinect Sports, but the Kinect launch line-up doesn’t include the kind of titles that I could imagine gamers rushing home to play.

So who is Kinect for, really? Families who want games that parents and kids and friends can all play together (well, two at a time, anyway)? Gamers compelled to buy every new item and every hyped triple-A title? Both? Neither? Unless Microsoft’s marketing team can deliver a clear answer to that question, Kinect could be in trouble. Of course, it’s highly probable that I’m wrong (it happens a lot) and that Kinect will be the best-selling anything ever; a stronger game library would help either way, and we may see more promising Kinect games announced between now and the holiday season. Right now, though, Kinect is a pricey product without a clear demographic, which seems like a problem that Microsoft has overlooked.