Xbox One's Kinect Can Actually Be Turned Off

Recommended Videos

Reyalsfeihc

New member
Jun 12, 2010
352
0
0
ellers07 said:
Under different circumstances I'd agree with you guys, but this can barely be classified as new information. The fact that you can turn off the Kinnect by depriving the entire system of power isn't quite what people had in mind. I don't think this particular case of delayed information is because of sensationalist journalism, it's just an entirely useless announcement that doesn't really require reporting.

It's like telling someone they can turn off the radio in their car by turning off the entire car.
Well, they were quoting Kotaku, who has been one of the most inaccurate sources of news on the Xbox One since the press reveal.
 

Trishbot

New member
May 10, 2011
1,318
0
0
Why on EARTH do we have to wait for "more information is coming" when it's a topic as backwards-simple as "can we just TURN IT OFF?" Why is that so complicated and time-consuming to address?

And how sad/hilarious is it that an actual selling-point for the system is "you can turn it off! Isn't that great?!"
 

Gatx

New member
Jul 7, 2011
1,458
0
0
Holythirteen said:
I'd still be more comfortable with a blanket over the damn thing if I have to be in the same room with it.

And lets not forget this [http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/139706-microsofts-new-kinect-patent-goes-big-brother-will-spy-on-you-for-the-mpaa] little tidbit.

I think this news just invalidated a penny arcade comic and a yahtzee poem.
What if in order for you to do things with the Xbox, the Kinect had to sense you in the room so you couldn't just put blanket over it.

As for the linked article - it's funny that a lot of the pro-used arguments are "But I can let my friends borrow movies," NOPE, not on Xbone you're not. Can't even invite more than a limited number of people to watch before they have to pay for a license.
 

MrWunderful

Filthy Console Peasant
May 27, 2013
118
0
0
Reyalsfeihc said:
Red X said:

Back tracking like a boss, eeheee!

I only say that because theey weren't clever enough to make that clear from the beginning
But they were... this interview was literally the day of the conference posted the next morning.
It just isn't juicy enough to get all the page hits.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57585620-75/microsoft-talks-xbox-one-naming-privacy-and-more-q-a/
I guess people were too busy screaming at the top of their lungs about conspiracy theories to read this link. Thank you for that I must have missed it.
 

Lightknight

Mugwamp Supreme
Nov 26, 2008
4,860
0
0
Trishbot said:
Why on EARTH do we have to wait for "more information is coming" when it's a topic as backwards-simple as "can we just TURN IT OFF?" Why is that so complicated and time-consuming to address?

And how sad/hilarious is it that an actual selling-point for the system is "you can turn it off! Isn't that great?!"
Because they need to pass the intended statement through their Marketing, PR and Legal departments.

You can turn it off by turning off the system but there's no software method to turn it off so it has to be on while you're using the console. This combined with the porn streaming service is bound to delight consumers everywhere now that they know they're being monitored and Microsoft is collecting that data.
 

Quellist

Migratory coconut
Oct 7, 2010
1,443
0
0
Holythirteen said:
I'd still be more comfortable with a blanket over the damn thing if I have to be in the same room with it.

And lets not forget this [http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/139706-microsofts-new-kinect-patent-goes-big-brother-will-spy-on-you-for-the-mpaa] little tidbit.

I think this news just invalidated a penny arcade comic and a yahtzee poem.
That article makes me feel very uncomfortable. Kinda like the Morning Exercise scene in 1984...
 

Lieju

New member
Jan 4, 2009
3,044
0
0
Reyalsfeihc said:
kyoodle said:
Gabe Yaden said:
Reyalsfeihc said:
snip
You've both missed the point. Yes the system can be completely shut down or it can be removed from the mains. What people have a problem with is that if the Xbox One is on then the kinnect has to be on at the same time.
Did we really miss the point, or did you just not read the article I linked? If you did, you'd know he talks about ways to turn off parts of the Kinect while the Xbox One is being used.

So no, I think we very well do understand the point.
It still seems to imply Kinect needs to be on, there are just 'modes where you can be sure the camera is off', which is not necessarily convincing.
 

kyoodle

New member
Dec 4, 2009
103
0
0
Reyalsfeihc said:
kyoodle said:
Gabe Yaden said:
Reyalsfeihc said:
snip
You've both missed the point. Yes the system can be completely shut down or it can be removed from the mains. What people have a problem with is that if the Xbox One is on then the kinnect has to be on at the same time.
Did we really miss the point, or did you just not read the article I linked? If you did, you'd know he talks about ways to turn off parts of the Kinect while the Xbox One is being used.

So no, I think we very well do understand the point.
Yes I read this:

'The system is designed to have Kinect be an integral part of the experience. It's not the case where you'll be able to remove the camera altogether. But you'll be able to put the system in modes where you can be completely secure about the fact that the camera is off and can't see you. '

So he out and out states the Kinnect can not be removed, and at the end he says you can put the system (not simply the Kinnect) into modes where the camera can't see you, implying that the whole thing needs to be shut down. At no point have they said the Kinnect can be independently switched off from the Xbox One, which would be simple and completely kill the rumour.

I hope this is all just overblown sensationalism but Microsoft are being so vague and the games industry has been so full of bullshit and half-truths over the last few years that this reaction is hardly surprising.
 

RicoADF

Welcome back Commander
Jun 2, 2009
3,147
0
0
As long as it require the Kinnect to run the system you can get lost Microsoft, and I'm glad to know that EU agrees with me so prepare for pain in your future that you so very much deserve. Also there are other issues.
 

Lightknight

Mugwamp Supreme
Nov 26, 2008
4,860
0
0
RicoADF said:
As long as it require the Kinnect to run the system you can get lost Microsoft, and I'm glad to know that EU agrees with me so prepare for pain in your future that you so very much deserve. Also there are other issues.
I really do wonder if they anticipated this kind of backlash before the release? They genuinely seem baffled to me. Did they fail to acquire a legitimate focus group to pitch the idea to?
 

RicoADF

Welcome back Commander
Jun 2, 2009
3,147
0
0
Lightknight said:
RicoADF said:
As long as it require the Kinnect to run the system you can get lost Microsoft, and I'm glad to know that EU agrees with me so prepare for pain in your future that you so very much deserve. Also there are other issues.
I really do wonder if they anticipated this kind of backlash before the release? They genuinely seem baffled to me. Did they fail to acquire a legitimate focus group to pitch the idea to?
I seriously wonder who their target audience is, they've heavily shunned their gamer audiance by treating them like criminals they need to watch 24/7 with security cameras, regardless of what laws say (yes it's true in EU, Australia and other places privacy laws are quite different in a better way). So I wonder who they think they can sell it to if only the US would allow it. The general public won't be interested, so yeah.....
 

Lightknight

Mugwamp Supreme
Nov 26, 2008
4,860
0
0
RicoADF said:
Lightknight said:
RicoADF said:
As long as it require the Kinnect to run the system you can get lost Microsoft, and I'm glad to know that EU agrees with me so prepare for pain in your future that you so very much deserve. Also there are other issues.
I really do wonder if they anticipated this kind of backlash before the release? They genuinely seem baffled to me. Did they fail to acquire a legitimate focus group to pitch the idea to?
I seriously wonder who their target audience is, they've heavily shunned their gamer audiance by treating them like criminals they need to watch 24/7 with security cameras, regardless of what laws say (yes it's true in EU, Australia and other places privacy laws are quite different in a better way). So I wonder who they think they can sell it to if only the US would allow it. The general public won't be interested, so yeah.....
Well, you've seen the console "war" this past generation. A lot of people have burned bridges in their arguments against the company they don't own a console for. Perhaps Microsoft is relying on a dedicated fanbase to carry the system while their removal of second hand games and expansion into the media arena will compensate for those that left. The media market is what helped the PS3 initially because they went with Blu-Ray and were several hundred dollars cheaper than simple blu-ray players at the time. I think the Xbone wants that market more than it wants its gamers. That's unexpected because gamers are the ones that buy the valuable software and gamers are the ones that are willing to pay for the online service that Sony has traditionally given away for free (I don't know that they'll continue to offer it for free anymore).

TV and media viewers already have a cable box, most likely, and the box doesn't charge them an annual fee just to access what they're already paying their cable company for.

So you're right. Who do they really think their customer is? That being said, maybe they didn't think of this launch as for gamers? Maybe they thought of this as a general system launch and are considering E3 to be their launch of it as a game console. Maybe?
 

RicoADF

Welcome back Commander
Jun 2, 2009
3,147
0
0
Lightknight said:
Well, you've seen the console "war" this past generation. A lot of people have burned bridges in their arguments against the company they don't own a console for. Perhaps Microsoft is relying on a dedicated fanbase to carry the system while their removal of second hand games and expansion into the media arena will compensate for those that left. The media market is what helped the PS3 initially because they went with Blu-Ray and were several hundred dollars cheaper than simple blu-ray players at the time. I think the Xbone wants that market more than it wants its gamers. That's unexpected because gamers are the ones that buy the valuable software and gamers are the ones that are willing to pay for the online service that Sony has traditionally given away for free (I don't know that they'll continue to offer it for free anymore).

TV and media viewers already have a cable box, most likely, and the box doesn't charge them an annual fee just to access what they're already paying their cable company for.

So you're right. Who do they really think their customer is? That being said, maybe they didn't think of this launch as for gamers? Maybe they thought of this as a general system launch and are considering E3 to be their launch of it as a game console. Maybe?
Yeah I'd agree their betting on fan loyalty to be so absolute that they'd accept anything to get the next exclusive game, not to mention ignorance of what the other console is really about. Sony got away with using the media centre to keep themselves afloat because Bluray was new and they made it, now that you can get players for $100 Microsoft is betting on a horse that's long gone and they wont win. A funny fact, since it uses bluray every XBone will also boost Sony as they have to pay them royalties for the bluray format, so either way Sony wins.
Sony won't be charging for the online service, they'll keep the free with PS+ as an option, it's the smart way of doing it really and has proven profitable to Sony, they won't want to risk mucking a working formula up.

Others have said a similar thing, that it was a launch for the general public/investors, however if that's the case then it still failed miserably on both fronts plus putting themselves on a bad footing for E3. The all in one pitch is fundamentally flawed, people who buy a console want a gaming console, yes being able to watch movies is a nice side feature but it's a console regardless. For an all in one system to do everything Microsoft is saying then most people will just use their computer/laptop, weather hooked up to the TV or not. By going that route their not only damaging their real target audience relationship but their fighting an uphill battle with a system that is literally better at the multi tasking/all in one ability (and ironically is often a Microsoft product anyway).
 

Lightknight

Mugwamp Supreme
Nov 26, 2008
4,860
0
0
RicoADF said:
Yeah I'd agree their betting on fan loyalty to be so absolute that they'd accept anything to get the next exclusive game, not to mention ignorance of what the other console is really about.
It isn't just for the next exclusive. They get a cut with every new game sold AND they're going to get a cut with every preowned game fee. We're talking a ton of money either way.

Sony got away with using the media centre to keep themselves afloat because Bluray was new and they made it, now that you can get players for $100 Microsoft is betting on a horse that's long gone and they wont win. A funny fact, since it uses bluray every XBone will also boost Sony as they have to pay them royalties for the bluray format, so either way Sony wins.
Sony won't be charging for the online service, they'll keep the free with PS+ as an option, it's the smart way of doing it really and has proven profitable to Sony, they won't want to risk mucking a working formula up.
Exactly, bluray players are standard fare now and they don't charge for use. Cable boxes come with the cable service and you'd have to pay for that regardless. So the benefit as a media center to someone who isn't a gamer isn't apparent. Especially not at whatever the cost will be.

So you and I are on the same page. Microsoft is being weird here. They're acting like an inexperienced company when they certainly aren't.
 

Slash2x

New member
Dec 7, 2009
503
0
0
FUCK OFF!!! Haha puns... No seriously I do not give a shit it I can turn the "not a webcam" off I do not want to have to even connect the piece of shit.... Nah keep your shitty system Micro$oft I do not trust you with your own security let alone my privacy.
 

ScrabbitRabbit

Elite Member
Mar 27, 2012
1,545
0
41
Gender
Female
Look, we know we can turn off the plugs and power off the whole system. That was never an issue; what we wanted to know was whether we could turn the Kinect off with the console on. It seems that we can't, which could be a bit of an issue.
 

Silly Hats

New member
Dec 26, 2012
188
0
0

I thought that this was a decent commentary on what we've seen. Also has an Escapist plug.
 

Olrod

New member
Feb 11, 2010
861
0
0
Imma buy it just so I can turn it off! Yay!

Turn it back on again? Why would I ever want to do that?
 

alteredboot

New member
Jun 2, 2013
1
0
0
I may not be able to use the xbone at all. My setup has the xbox on a computer desk and I sit too close for Kinect to work.