Microsoft said Monday the supply of its new controller-free Kinect gaming system will not meet demand in Taiwan before the end of the year even though it recently increased its projection of the number of units to be shipped before Christmas. Microsoft expected that the motion-sensing device would be sold out within two weeks after being launched in Taiwan on Nov. 20, according to Grace Chou, director of Microsoft Taiwan's Entertainment and Devices Division. She said demand in Taiwan would likely not be satisfied until January 2011, considered to be a peak shopping season ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Last week, Microsoft raised its projection for shipments from 3 million to 5 million units for the Christmas shopping season, after pre-purchase volumes from online channels and retailers following the device's Nov. 4 launch in the United States exceeded expectations. That will still fall short of demand. American-based online retailer Amazon.com Inc. and Best Buy have stopped accepting orders for the US$150 gaming sensor due to shortages of inventory. European retailers, which will begin to sell Kinect on Nov. 10, are expected to encounter similar shortages. The controller-free Kinect, which plugs into Microsoft's Xbox gaming console and allows users to play games simply by using gestures and voice commands, is expected to boost Microsoft's sales in the competitive motion-based gaming market that also includes Sony Corp.'s Move and Nintendo Co.'s Wii. 