Today, in a move that surprised, well no one, Microsoft announced that it will be releasing a cheaper Xbox One console without Kinect. As of June 9th, in all markets where the Xbox One is sold, consumers will be able to purchase the console for $399 USD or equivalent. Clearly, a move that shows how far behind the Xbox One is lagging in sales this puts it in direct and equal competition with the lofty PS4.
This is a great win for gamers of course who have yet to pick up the system. Early adopters might feel the sting of something that, despite all of Microsoft’s boasting, will likely be obsolete well before this generation dies out. If it stops being a requirement then developers will slowly stop utilizing it. I’ve had some fun with Kinect games and functionality in the past myself but hardly consider it integral to my Xbox One experience. I’d wager a guess that a lot of other gamers would say the same. In fact I’d wager another guess that a lot of the ‘I’m not paying extra for a peripheral I don’t want’ crowd are cracking open their wallets this very second.
Many pundits in the industry have been calling this move for months now saying that before E3 this would happen. Early on Microsoft denied that they would ever remove the Kinect from their systems as it was ‘an absolutely integral part of the experience’ but as I said above, it’s never been integral to me. Phil Spencer, who broke this news over at xbox.com earlier this morning is still insisting that ‘Kinect remains an important part of our vision’ but the truth remains to be seen in how this plays out in the year or so ahead… the Kinect-less era. A smart move by Microsoft that maybe should have been done sooner it will be interesting to see how this affects that sales gap that Sony has been so proud of these past few months.