Microsoft has announced that they will be selling their Xbox One system without the Kinect sensor for $399 starting in June. Microsoft also stated that they will be selling the sensor separately in the fall, but have not given a price tag on how much it will cost. This now puts the Xbox One at the same price as the PS4.
Xbox’s Chief marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi has defended the fact that at first they bundled it in with the system stating “ I think it was the right call to bundle with the Kinect” and “In the beginning of a new console generation, you’re trying to set the bar for a new experience, and I think we did that with Xbox One. The proof is really in the usage. 80 percent of people are using Kinect which is remarkable compared to the last generation. We’re doing 120 voice commands on average a month with over a billion commands issued. People who wanted the experience came and bought it. We were sold out all through the holidays. I think it was the right call, and now is a good time to offer more choices for people who haven’t been able to get that experience.”
Developers also seem pleased that the Xbox One is now being sold without the Kinect. 10% of the systems power was going towards Kinect commands, but now without the Kinect being a priority game, Developers can get more strength out of the system itself resulting in better performance for games.
Microsoft trails behind Sony in terms of systems sold. Will this be enough to help them catch up? With this extra power from the system, let’s hope that we start to see more games running at 1080p and 60fps.
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