LAS VEGAS Microsoft announced Wednesday that it sold 8 million Kinect devices in its first 60 days.

The number is well beyond the 5 million that Microsoft projected it might sell during the 2010 holiday season, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said during his opening keynote here at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Kinect, which launched in early November, is a controller-free gaming sensor for the Xbox 360 that lets you control the game via movement. Two weeks after it hit stores, Microsoft announced that it had sold 1 million Kinect devices and by month's end, that number .

The holiday rush was good to Microsoft, as that number more than doubled during December, putting the Kinect at 8 million sold. The Kinect was among the most sought-after tech devices this season, with many stores quickly selling out.

"This has been the biggest holiday and the biggest year ever for Xbox," Ballmer said. "You're going to continue seeing more fun, more entertainment, and more innovation from our Xbox team in 2011; Xbox today is going where no gaming systems has ever gone."

To that end, Ballmer also announced that so users can control their movie or TV show queue via gestures or voice commands. In the spring, Xbox Live Gold members will also be able to experience Avatar Kinect, which will use the Kinect sensors to detect facial expressions on your Xbox avatar.