I think it takes a mixture of product quality vs hackability vs popularity. There's little point in being huge in any if you don't have all three. Kinect is in

I think it takes a mixture of product quality vs hackability vs popularity. There's little point in being huge in any if you don't have all three. Kinect is insanely popular - by its sales figures. It appears exceptionally hackable - given how quickly and how many hacks have come from it. Finally it appears to be of exceptional quality (at least for the $ value) for these hacks to actually be using it so innovatively.