Microsoft’s current strategy with the Kinect is the complete opposite of what we witnessed during the Xbox 360 days. When the console was first introduced back in 2013, Kinect was quoted as an essential experience by Microsoft, compulsorily bundling it with the console. The plan backfired and Microsoft had to eventually provide a standalone bundle.
It seems though Kinect has a lowered importance in the eyes of Microsoft these days. However, Xbox India boss Anshu Mor believes that Kinect is still important as far as user experiences are concerned.
“Yeah I think, it is phenomenally important to have Kinect in the Xbox One portfolio and you know now things are moving in the same direction of how you interact with devices. I think that’s how you should look at Kinect. It’s not a standalone feature or a game but it’s how you interact with the device and you know whether it’s Kinect or whether it’s HoloLens or whether it’s VR, all these are different ways that we are working on as a company to make sure that your interaction with the devices that you prefer is exciting for you. And Kinect plays a very important role in that.”
“Just with Kinect coming in, it is so easy for everybody in the family to interact with the device just to switch it on with voice, just to change you know what you want to watch. It just makes it easier more comfortable to interact. It adds more of an expedience when it is inside a game. You know Skype…if you’ve used Skype on Xbox One you would know what that experience is…it’s just mind boggling to have that level of clarity and that level of video experience on a chat so you know they obviously are part of the larger plan that we have to enable different experiences with our devices.”
Mor also shared his thoughts on DirectX 12 and how it can possibly help with an enhanced games experience.
“The whole API bit is just an enhancement from a gaming experience perspective. It’s a differentiation, it’s an enhancement from a gaming perspective. The kind of stuff that I have read about internally in terms of the value it brings to the whole gaming experience, I would see that as the end consumer impact. Not many consumers would understand what the APIs were or what DX is or you know stuff like that but I think to them it is just a very highly enhanced consumer experience in terms of gameplay that would come through.”
This brings to the end of our month long coverage on Xbox One coverage with Xbox One India boss Anshu Mor. However there is one last thing! You can read our full interview with Mor in the coming days. The interview will have new details and information that have not been published yet so stay tuned.