Microsoft Xbox One Kinect is unbundled when the console hits the stores June 9. A company executive defends the move in consideration of consumer preference.
Microsoft's Larry Hyb asserts the company isn't abandoning Kinect as staple hardware, though. The Xbox One without the accessory costs $399, a competitive price point which mirror's Sony's PlayStation 4.
Hyb's comment in a gamespot.com interview: "We are not discontinuing Kinect or support for it. We still have a whole team of folks working on that. But we want to give everybody who would like to get in on the Xbox One action an opportunity,"
Microsoft stated Tuesday that its long-term plans for the console involve the Microsoft Xbox One Kinect combined. The unbundling intends to make the platform more appealing to gamers, who'll eventually consider the add-on when titles requiring voice or gesture commands come out.
Developers are caught in a dilemma just the same, in-between options to incorporate the Kinect's features into gameplay. Majority of Xbox One owners (80%) actually use Kinect, but this figure changes with the rollout of new, "Kinect-less" units.
Xbox exec Yusuf Mehdi predicts the relevance of the Kinect in future games; the feature will evolve from option to necessity, and "in five years, we'll laugh at any computing device that doesn't offer voice control."
The Unbundled Xbox One comes out on June 9, in time for the E3 Event. The Kinect standalone purchase will be available by fall, price to be determined.
Xbox head Phil Spencer maintains that Microsoft Xbox One Kinect unbundling will actually increase sales for the add-on. The affordable price point allows wider coverage for the Xbox One, eventually convincing owners the need for the accessory.
An established market base is important for any new console, and Sony's PS4 is currently leading in sales. Microsoft intends to meet and surpass PlayStation 4 sales in the US, at the very least.
