Xbox One Why Microsoft won't sell Xbox One without Kinect

[ozadin]

There was some recent rumors about Microsoft removing the mandatory Kinect with your purchase of the Xbox One. The writer gets his point across very descriptively, and I highly recommend you give it a read. Also, with the recent news about the Kinect and their voice/movement activation, I really wouldn't mind chucking in a few hundred to get the Kinect.

For starters, dumping mandatory Kinect after the example of Microsoft's recent online DRM U-turn may not be a practical possibility - Xbox One has literally been built for the sensor, and it's rather late in the day to go fiddling around at the level of the hardware itself.

Via Oxm

 

[PB7]

I don't mind the Kinect, Its going to really depend on how it works and if it feels force or natural. But as far as whether or not they'll have it launch, anything can happen between now and launch.

 

[sc_shark]

I don't mind the Kinect, Its going to really depend on how it works and if it feels force or natural. But as far as whether or not they'll have it launch, anything can happen between now and launch.

i am in same boat with kinect... its not something i am really for or against at this point. i hope it feel natural and i am sure in time it will come as second nature but it will take some time as i have yet to buy a kinect for my 360.

i dont think they will change hardware at this point tho.. microsoft hasn't comment on non kinect console yet and i wouldnt plan on them at this point. maybe in a year or so releasing an "arcade" xbox one but dont save your 100 dollars thinking it will happen anytime soon.

 

[Joker99352]

I wouldn't mind the Kinect, but I don't want to be forced to use it if I don't want to. And for the record, I really don't. I mean, if they've really improved it like they said, then it might be worth a look. But if I'm paying another ~$100 for the "privilege" of having the Kinect (which I probably won't be using), then why buy the console to begin with?

 

[mrs.cilluffo]

I currently have a Kinect with my Xbox 360 and I LOVE it. It is much better than the Wii and Sony's version. I have an exercise game which went way above and beyond my expectations. It actually shows you on the screen with a 'trainer' and plots points on your body to tell you if you are doing things correctly. It's really nice to be able to see what you are doing while working out.

In addition, it makes navigation easy. You can use your hand outstretched or voice control and, for me at least, it consistently works really well.

Regardless, I am super excited for the Xbox One. My husband and I both prefer Xbox, and I am planning on getting the One for him as a gift

 

[LALucien]

Mate, what are you saying!? You wouldn't mind 'chucking in a few hundred to get the kinect'!

That few hundred could be used for extra controllers, games, live subscription and the list goes on.

Point is, it should be an optional extra and if it is included it shouldn't be at a forced premium. As gamers we are just losing our options these days from everything like who we can share with and borrow from, how we can use the console and where and what we ' have ' to buy with it to make it work.

 

[Adamaris]

If they built the entire platform around it from the start, I get that. Going to back peddle is something no one wants to do and while I think it could have been optional, if that is the case (preplanned to only have Kinect) it should have been made public knowledge. They still might miss out on some of the market share for those who do not either want or need it.

 

[Esperahol]

It is one thing to backpaddle and another entirely to have actually done some investigation as to how people feel about this "option". I personally have a Kinect and I never really got the value from it I thought I would. In other words I am really rather disappointed in it. So why would I want to get the Xbone which has been built around a commodity I don't care for? I have said it before and I'll say it again - they really didn't think about this during development. If they couldn't be bothered to have surveys they could have paid some unpaid interns to scan through gaming forums or something for opinions on how players view the Kinect.

 

[Reptar_On_Ice]

If the Kinect is such a good bargain, they should be selling it as a peripheral and expecting it to sell. Forcing Xbox fans to buy it really just makes me think that they don't have much faith in it. It's probably why the Xbox One is 100 bones more expensive than the PS4. If I were them, I would totally abandon the Xbox Kinect requirement altogether, but I guess it's too late in the game to do something like that. I know I don't want a camera that's always on and listening in on me. I mean, I'm not saying I have any secrets or anything I'm worried about Microsoft getting at, but it's a little creepy to require people to have a sensor that always listens to them, isn't it? If it listens when you say 'Xbox On!', that must mean it's listening all the time, doesn't it?

 

[Medza]

By making everyone have the Kinect you open yourself up to a whole lot of new games. Now you no longer have to choose between developing games for the kinect or without the kinect, because everyone will have this sort of functionality now. It means that game developers can be a lot more creative and they are a lot less restricted. But also it's a bit of a cheap marketing trick, because the Kinect is included in the set, it naturally drives up the price, sadly you can't opt out from this so you have no choice but pay the higher price.

 

[Reptar_On_Ice]

By making everyone have the Kinect you open yourself up to a whole lot of new games. Now you no longer have to choose between developing games for the kinect or without the kinect, because everyone will have this sort of functionality now. It means that game developers can be a lot more creative and they are a lot less restricted. But also it's a bit of a cheap marketing trick, because the Kinect is included in the set, it naturally drives up the price, sadly you can't opt out from this so you have no choice but pay the higher price.

It doesn't actually open it up for many developers though. Really, the only time developers will add kinect functionality in any sort of big way is if it's an Xbox exclusive. So, really, all the mandatory kinect does for developers is make it so that, if they're developing for the Xbox One, they'll actually be expected to have voice commands or motion minigames or something.

 

[Esperahol]

By making everyone have the Kinect you open yourself up to a whole lot of new games. Now you no longer have to choose between developing games for the kinect or without the kinect, because everyone will have this sort of functionality now. It means that game developers can be a lot more creative and they are a lot less restricted. But also it's a bit of a cheap marketing trick, because the Kinect is included in the set, it naturally drives up the price, sadly you can't opt out from this so you have no choice but pay the higher price.

Actually what is most likely to happen is that you get the same kind of junk you got this time around. What I mean is that you get games that just sort of tack on some Kinect junk and it plays horribly. That's how it worked with pretty much any game I got that had Kinect included - and every single time I just turn off that function and played without. Unless developers are really going to go into this with enthusiasm I can see a lot of unhappy gamers regarding this issue.

 

[Medza]

Actually what is most likely to happen is that you get the same kind of junk you got this time around. What I mean is that you get games that just sort of tack on some Kinect junk and it plays horribly. That's how it worked with pretty much any game I got that had Kinect included - and every single time I just turn off that function and played without. Unless developers are really going to go into this with enthusiasm I can see a lot of unhappy gamers regarding this issue.

I think that this is a very legitimate problem, some developers just don't care about the kinect and either create half assed games with it or don't bother at all. But I think that now because everyone has it, it's much more profitable to program for it because you are reaching to the entire demographic not just a select bunch of people that have the kinect. So I think that devs will be a lot more enthusiastic this time round. The technology should also be improved , and more realistic, but I think we are yet to judge that for ourselves.

 

[Ersatz]

I have a Kinect now for my 360, and I do like it a lot. I suppose the real question about the new system is whether the Kinect will really be an intrinsic part of using the Xbox One or if it's just an extra. If they've smoothed over some of the faults of the current Kinect and make it really an inherent part of the system...then sure, yeah, I'll buy it. I'm interested to see what new hybrid games come out. This has the possibility to revolutionize console gaming...or to just be a blatant money grab. Time will tell.