Microsoft manager claims Kinect will "blow away" iPad sales

Citing strong pre-orders and a seasonal holiday lift, the spokesman for Microsoft's Kinect, a motion-tracking camera accessory for the Xbox 360, said the device would easily outsell the iPad.

Microsoft Game Studios manager Kudo Tsunoda made the claim in an interview with gaming industry blog Gamasutra at the Tokyo Game Show. Originally known as Project Natal, Kinect will launch in North America on November 4.

"The preorders have been really strong. As far as what we're looking at for Holiday, this is going to be stuff that'll blow away any of the sales you've seen with iPad," said Tsunoda, when asked about the device's chance of success.

Tsunoda remains confident that the device's deep gameplay and wide appeal will help drive sales past the iPad. "I think we're just getting back to a style of gameplay that includes more people and still has the depth of gameplay everybody loves," Tsunoda says.

Kinect will have high expectations to live up to. Apple sold over 1 million iPads in 28 days, and over 3 million in its first quarter. Earlier this month, analyst Katy Huberty with Morgan Stanley believes iPad production has reached 2 million per month. Apple reportedly hopes to reach production of 3 million a month by the end of the year.

Competition for retail floor space will be fierce this season. According to the Wall Street Journal, Best Buy plans to showcase the iPad and Kindle while also making space for demonstrations of Microsoft's Kinect and Sony's Playstation Move.