Microsoft has recently started selling a new SKU of the Xbox One that does not have the Kinect included; the new SKU sells for $399, which puts it on par with the PS4, and the decoupling of the Kinect from the console also theoretically frees up Xbox One system resources, allowing for more processing power under the hood for the games themselves.
However, there is now of course the question of the Kinect itself, which seems to have been given the kiss of death by the guys at Xbox- will the device actually sell, now that it is no longer being mandatorily included with the Xbox One itself? Why would anyone buy a Kinect for their Xbox One, or buy an Xbox One with the Kinect?
Phil Spencer reckons the Kinect isn’t going anywhere, that consumers love the device, and that even after being decoupled from the console, it will continue to sell.
“We see millions and millions of people using Kinect today,” he said. “We’ve had over a billion voice commands used. The use of Kinect in people’s homes is incredibly high. And because people are continuing to use it, it’s an area we’re going to continue to invest, in terms of making the experience better. And I think that makes building games in that environment even better. Consumers love the device; they love the experience. They’ll buy it. They’ll either buy it at launch when they buy their console, or they’ll be able to buy it after the $399 console; they’ll pick it up and add it on later. And we’ll continue to make sure that experience is great.”
Whether consumers use the Kinect because they love it, or because it came with their console and they didn’t have a choice, remains to be seen.
