Xbox One No Longer Requires Kinect to Function

[lord canti]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/12/xbox-one-no-longer-requires-kinect-to-function So apparently Xbox one has gotten rid of the last thing that was keeping people from buying it. So does this change your mind about the Xbox one escapist or do you still have no desire to purchase one? Hopefully this means we will get a cheaper version with out the kinect now.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

This just goes to show how much confidence they had on their own product: not much.

 

[Final7111]

In addition to reversing its used game DRM policies for Xbox One, Microsoft has revealed that the console will no longer require Kinect to function. In our latest Ask Microsoft Anything, Xbox Corporate Vice President Marc Whitten revealed that Xbox One owners will be able to use all of the console's core functions regardless of whether the new Kinect sensor is connected. Naturally, many of the tentpole features of the new Kinect, such as player identification, voice commands, etc., will be disabled as a result, but players will still be able to play games and access entertainment content.

Its kinda funny watching Microsoft reverse all their Xbone policies. I'm willing to bet that now there will be a kinect free version to bring the console down to $400!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/12/xbox-one-no-longer-requires-kinect-to-function

 

[tippy2k2]

I'm relatively certain I'm going to be the only one thinking this but here it goes...

I like this. HOWEVER, shipping out a Kinect-free version would be a terrible mistake.

At this point, Microsoft has a lot of eggs in the Kinect basket. They need to either embrace the stupid thing fully or they need to cut the loss and abandon it. If they release a version of the system without the Kinect, they're going to end up with the original Kinect's problem; No one designing anything for it because it's an optional piece of equipment that no one bought.

Personally, I'd prefer them to just abandon it but I doubt that's going to happen.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Then why make a big damn deal about it?

They made this big hullabaloo about it being a huge part of the console and how it was gonna innovate and change how we do things, and now they're backpedaling like crazy. Kinda makes me wonder why they're even bothering with the thing if that's what they're gonna do.

MS confuses me sometimes.

 

[TwoSidesOneCoin]

http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-wont-actually-need-kinect-plugged-in-microso-1113142909

Sorry, no Kinect free bundle for anyone. Still won't buy this console until it goes down in price. F U C K K I N E C T.

Also with the previous 180 and this 180, is the new system going to be called the Xbox 360 2?

 

[Terminate421]

It seems people got what they asked for. I'll get one when the price drops. They just need a 399 version.

 

[MCerberus]

Great, so now it goes from being a slightly worse system that comes with a $100 spybot to a slightly worse system that comes with a $100 brick

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Said it before and I'll say it again. If there is a kinect free version I'll buy one.

 

[Gergar12_v1legacy]

http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-wont-actually-need-kinect-plugged-in-microso-1113142909

Sorry, no Kinect free bundle for anyone. Still won't buy this console until it goes down in price. F U C K K I N E C T.

Also with the previous 180 and this 180, is the new system going to be called the Xbox 360 2?

I would have brought a kinectless Xbox, but nooooo stupid motion gimmick cost 100 dollars more.....I rather have another 100-200 gb for memory for a hundred bucks.

I guess I will have to roll with just a ps4, and use the Xbox money for saving up to a gaming pc.

 

[Lilani]

They need to either embrace the stupid thing fully or they need to cut the loss and abandon it.

Why? How is it any different from any other gaming peripheral? Making it so that the x-bone can function without it will only put more consoles in more people's houses, and that opens up more possibilities for people to buy the Kinect. It's rather hard for the Kinect to be successful when people are so turned off by the thing they're avoiding the console altogether. But if they can get more Kinects in more homes, and if they offer competitive pricing for the x-bone/Kinect combo pack (make it only like $20 more than a PS4 rather than $100 more), then they'll only win over more.

In theory making it to where you must by the Kinect with the x-bone was clever marketing--that way every home has a Kinect and it makes a good investment for devs and publishers. But, people were so turned off by the idea of not being able to turn it off or put it away that it was completely blinding them from any other benefit. The requirement wasn't helpful or beneficial, it was sabotaging their marketing. In theory this works, and it might have if they hadn't given people so many reasons to see their console as Big Brother rather than a machine built for fun and user-friendliness.

This isn't a failure of technology, or even of the idea. This is a failure of marketing. This generation, Microsoft has been totally deaf and blind to how their changes and decisions were received by the public, and that is what's let them down. And it's really quite incredible really, with all the tools they had at their disposal for testing this thing and all the professionals they could have consulted about how these decisions would be received.

 

[OpticalJunction]

Xbox flips again, woo. I like this change, though, it makes the system seem actually attractive. From a hardware point of view it's probably not much different than PS4. The main negatives were the always online, used game restrictions, and kinect, and they've taken out all of them. If they'd go one step further and make a kinect-less version available, I might actually buy it.

 

[Glover09]

I do not trust them. They could, at any moment after release, announce," Hey, you know all that crap we back-pedaled on? Yeah, we're gonna send out an update that re-establishes all that because we have you're money." They could do it with Kinect, and I see them doing it with the used-games policy. Are there things that could happen to the camera? Yes. But remember, this is Microsoft. They have been know to pull underhanded tactics.

For the record, I don't trust PS4 either.

 

[Bellvedere]

I guess being able to do stuff without the kinect could be advantageous, or at the very least dispel some paranoia about MS selling your masturbation habits to KMart or whatever. Considering that people are attributing the higher price point to the inclusion of the Kinect, I don't see how it's going to help with bringing back customers.

I'm relatively certain I'm going to be the only one thinking this but here it goes...

I like this. HOWEVER, shipping out a Kinect-free version would be a terrible mistake.

At this point, Microsoft has a lot of eggs in the Kinect basket. They need to either embrace the stupid thing fully or they need to cut the loss and abandon it. If they release a version of the system without the Kinect, they're going to end up with the original Kinect's problem; No one designing anything for it because it's an optional piece of equipment that no one bought.

Personally, I'd prefer them to just abandon it but I doubt that's going to happen.

I agree with you. If they sell the console without the Kinect then they'll either have to abandon the Kinect2, or face additional costs of marketing and distributing a product that no ones all that keen on.

If the Kinect2 is actually a decent piece of equipment there are some really interesting applications for the technology outside the realms of casual games, mostly in terms of biometrics rather than just the motion aspects though. Valve has also been working on a biometric controller for the steambox and I think I read at some point Nintendo had been doing some research too. It all sounds much more interesting than just waving at your TV. I'm open to the possibility that this sort of technology could be a massive gameplay enhancement but no one's going to bother to develop for it if not only is there abject hatred for the product but also a negligible portion of the market that owns it.

My own thoughts is that, MS really should have developed in house a launch title to show off what the Kinect2 can do and why it should interest more gamers or at the very least have something announced already. There's no benefit to anyone else developing for this technology until either MS make it worth owning and using or another platform comes along with a similar device that takes off (which would be a massive wasted opportunity for MS).

I'd prefer them to innovate but given that it's looking like xbone owners will just end up with the kinect2 still in the original box stuffed in the back of a cupboard, it might be kinder to just ditch it.

 

[RicoADF]

I do not trust them. They could, at any moment after release, announce," Hey, you know all that crap we back-pedaled on? Yeah, we're gonna send out an update that re-establishes all that because we have you're money." They could do it with Kinect, and I see them doing it with the used-games policy. Are there things that could happen to the camera? Yes. But remember, this is Microsoft. They have been know to pull underhanded tactics.

For the record, I don't trust PS4 either.

While I can't comment on the US laws, over in EU, Australia etc there are laws that would allow said consoles to be returned, especially for those that don't have the internet/reliable net as it would kill their console. So Microsoft would find themselves with alot of returned consoles. Also even in the US where said laws may not apply M$ would quickly find sales of new consoles dropping off and sales of games droping too

 

[duchaked]

I'm still down with getting it packaged with the Kinect, but it'd be nice if I could set it up in a small gaming area (like when I just want to use it for in-game voice features).

 

[Techno Squidgy]

That's great!

Still not buying your PoS console Microsoft, ya fucking blew it.
You've already shown us your vision of the future, and I don't want it.

 

[Hero of Lime]

They keep this up and they may just say "screw it, we will keep the 360 going for another 7 years, this Xbox One thing isn't going well." It's nice, but if only Microsoft decided to drop the Kinect being included in the overall package still keeping it more expensive than say, the PS4. I can guarantee there would be many more sales if there was a version to buy without Kinect at a lower price, people would go gaga over that.

Unfortunately it sounds like the Kinect will still stay in the bundle, you just don't have to use it for basic console commands. I will wait for the inevitable price drop before I consider getting it. I think we are forgetting what the real good news is, the Xbox One comes with a free sticker! Whoo!

 

[Talvrae]

Wonder how much of the game will work without the kinnect... they might force you to use it by building it in every games or almost...