14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft believes that the Xbox One has the best lineup of games and will certainly beat the PS4, especially since the two consoles both have the same 399 USD/EUR price tag.
The Xbox One and PS4 came out back in November and offered some great gaming and entertainment services, albeit at different price points, as Sony's PS4 cost 399 USD/EUR, while Microsoft's Xbox One was a pricier 499 USD/EUR.
At that time, Microsoft touted the Kinect sensor and the amount of value delivered by the Xbox One, but it soon became clear that Sony's PS4 was dominating it in terms of sales, breaking records constantly.
Yesterday, Microsoft confirmed that it's eliminating the Kinect from the standard Xbox One bundle and that it will deliver a 399 USD/EUR price tag for the console starting on June 9.
Now that the pricing is equal between the two platforms, the Xbox One will win through its great lineup of games, at least according to Yusuf Mehdi, the company's marketing boss, who talked with GamesBeat.
"If we take the SKU where the pricing is similar, what it really comes down to then is overall value," he said. "First, I believe we have the better games lineup. Most game fans would acknowledge that, and I believe that during the second holiday — after you see our E3 show — I think we stand a very good chance of being in the same position. In terms of games, we’ll continue to have the best lineup."
What's more, the Xbox Live Gold membership ensures a great online experience and, thanks to new services like Games with Gold and the major discounts promised for subscribers, the Xbox One offers a great amount of value.
"Second, where is the best multiplayer experience? We have a long history of providing that with Xbox Live Gold, and we’re doing that again in this generation. But we’re also adding all kinds of new value with the free Games with Gold and the discounts."
Mehdi also emphasized that the elimination of the Kinect, which was thought to be an integral part of the Xbox One experience, doesn't subtract from the potential of the standalone console.
"The original vision of Xbox One holds," he said. "We are a games and entertainment device. The combination of the two. We still have the only gaming device that works as input 1. We’re the only device that can give you instant switching between games and applications. You can still do the snap mode to do two things at once. All of these things are still available in the $399 model, so head-to-head, we really like the value proposition."
The 399 USD/EUR Xbox One launches into stores on June 9, right when Microsoft holds its E3 2014 press conference.