14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently started the Kinect-less edition of the Xbox One, and Xbox head Phil Spencer firmly believes that customers will buy the Kinect as a separate add-on.
The Xbox One edition that doesn't feature the Kinect sensor has a price point that is on par with Sony's next-gen computer entertainment system, the PlayStation 4, and also features a bit more oomph, as the decoupling of the Kinect theoretically frees up more of the console's resources, allowing developers to further tap into the power behind the Xbox One's hood.
The fact that the Kinect has been stripped from the Xbox One might seem to some like Microsoft pushing it off a cliff and waving goodbye, as the device is not as likely to sell without being forced down people's throats, but Phil Spencer believes that people love the Kinect, and it's not going to go anywhere anytime soon.
"We see millions and millions of people using Kinect today. 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," Spencer emphasizes in an interview with GameIndustry.biz.
"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," he adds.
Sony's PlayStation 4 has so far outsold the Xbox One in a similar fashion to how the Xbox 360 was the king during the last generation's budding life cycle.
Whether the reason was the more attractive price point, or less bumbling and negative fallout from pre-launch decisions that were ultimately scrapped due to the negative feedback from the community, the truth still remains the PlayStation 4 is in the lead by quite a hefty margin.
The Xbox One base hardware package excluding the Kinect is priced much more attractively, but it also contradicts Microsoft's mission to provide an "all-in-one" entertainment experience to which the Kinect was touted as paramount.
The truth is that whether the consumers indeed like the Kinect and whatever value it may bring to their experience or whether they simply bought it because they had to we'll find out soon enough, once the sales reports start coming in.