GAMESHOW - Microsoft Kinect arrives Nov 4, battle begins

Microsoft Corp will begin selling its "Kinect" motion-sensing game system on Nov. 4, before the crucial holiday season, hoping to lure new and casual players to the Xbox and steal a march on rivals Nintendo Co Ltd and Sony Corp.

The world's largest software vendor, which has ambitions of making its Xbox 360 not just a gaming device but a hub of home video and Web entertainment, will also begin selling a smaller, same-priced version of the console this week.

Microsoft would not say how much Kinect -- which plugs into Xboxes and lets players control games with body and hand gestures -- will sell for, though analysts' estimates range from $50 to $200. Executives said 15 titles, including one from Ubisoft, will be available at the time of launch.

Ahead of this week's E3 convention, Microsoft offered sneak peaks of upcoming titles, including a LucasArts game in which Jedi Knights do battle with light sabers, and a fitness program that lets players compete in sports from bowling to sprinting.

The world's leading gaming hardware makers, hoping to reignite the slumping $60 billion industry, will unveil a plethora of futuristic gadgets at the E3 convention this week.

The rush of technology comes just as the video game industry, which dwarfs the $10 billion domestic movie box office, needs it. U.S. industry sales -- hardware, software and accessories -- are down more than 10 percent to $4.7 billion this year through April, according to research firm NPD Group.