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Rumor: Microsoft removing Kinect requirement for Xbox One
- Thread starter Pitmonkey
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That's completely fine with me. I'll have one if/when a compelling reason to use it is created. The mixed messaging of being able to pause/disable/turn it off but NOT disconnect it was just a crazy mixed message and a turn off (and a half) to people with privacy concerns.
MS should just fire EVERYONE. They will regain some sales though all this, but they have lost sales that are gone forever simply because people won't regain trust, and they frankly look like they are run by the keystone cops.
Not to mention its pretty clear sony surprised them.
Xbox wake up. Remove the childs toy called kinect from the box completely.
Not to mention its pretty clear sony surprised them.
Xbox wake up. Remove the childs toy called kinect from the box completely.
Except that was not enough to really do the job for them this gen when they had the advantage of Sony coming out of the gate at $599 with a hard to program for dev Unfriendly cel architecture.
With Sony starting at a cheaper price, better hardware, and dev friendly hardware do you think their paltry attempts at timed exclusive money hatting will do anything for them?
That is rhetorical by the way
I wish they would. The Xbox One has no clear focus. What's the main purpose of the system? TV? Music? Social Networking? Video Games? They want it to do too much and it's suffering as a result, I feel. Granted most of us have had no real hands-on interaction with the console.
More powerful hardware, no mandatory Kinect, no DRM. In short: Xbox 720.
This makes absolutely no sense if they actually remove the Kinect from the SKU. This would make it a weaker console than the PS4 with any promise that default Kinect integration was supposed to provide stripped out of it.
If they leave it in the SKU, but just have relaxed the thing prompting you with "Kinect not connected" prior to starting then the price can't really budge at all.
Seems like a rock and hard place to me.
Also seems like MS has the most egregiously awful project management for this console that I've ever witnessed in pretty much every way.
jamesinclair
Banned
Hey look, congress actually did something for once
They are probably making software changes so you can turn it off separately without having to power down the whole console. No price drop means it's a pack-in regardless.
I can't believe they are taking a sledgehammer to all of their hard work and money spent. They are so scared they're literally gutting the whole thing. It's just a box now.
While gamers can be happy, Microsoft has only created new problems for themselves. How are they are going to market this box with no core vision, no message and no real innovation?
it's still a tough sell for them in the long-run.
I can't believe they are taking a sledgehammer to all of their hard work and money spent. They are so scared they're literally gutting the whole thing. It's just a box now.
While gamers can be happy, Microsoft has only created new problems for themselves. How are they are going to market this box with no core vision, no message and no real innovation?
it's still a tough sell for them in the long-run.
EdibleExplosives
Member
If you're worried about the PS4 having issues running games at steady framerates, then why would you not be worried about a weaker console doing the same?
I'm talking third-party games here, that can actually be compared. If Watch Dogs is running like shit on the PS4, then it'll also be running like shit on the XO, 360 and PS3.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure you're just trolling, so it doesn't matter. If you honestly think that the XO is 'officially better' by announcing something similar to the PS4, then that's hilarious.
ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
We all wait with baited breath to hear what Larry Hyrb says about this.
Angelus Errare
Banned
Went to the MS Campus today and took a shot of the Xbox division
GANGSTERKILLER
Member
Bullshit. Killer Instinct is a game from my childhood (SNES <3) and the reboot/sequel looks awesome. And PS4 is mine too, day one.
That's a good point. Kinect is a core part of the OS. You would think this would cause some sort of delay due to all the changes needed.
FateBreaker
Member
Damn. Microsoft is not messing around with responding to feedback.
If this is true (Kinect not mandatory), I'm guessing every XB1 will still come with one so that games can be designed with it in mind.
You can have the Kinect unplugged most of the time, but when you buy/play a game that needs it, the game maker knows that you will have one and will ask you to plug it in before playing that game.
You can have the Kinect unplugged most of the time, but when you buy/play a game that needs it, the game maker knows that you will have one and will ask you to plug it in before playing that game.
I do remember. Devs whip out their magic wands and suddenly PS4 games are that of PC of 2015-2016. They have 4 months to polish their games after all. You can easily fit one or two miracles there.
SRTtoZ
Member
No they are NOT. It says it in the first post!
".@Xbox confirms NO #XboxOne price drop due to NO kinect requirement. #XboxOne is "competitively priced" & xbox is "confident with the value."
Exactly, the notion that you could only do certain things via kinect, from a base OS level, is stupid. I highly doubt that they will have to do much of anything, for the OS and games. Developers have to assume that some people won't use the Kinect, can't speak, cant stand, etc. They have to put in the option to use a controller to do the same thing if its a basic function.
angelcage87
Member
But tv tv tv tv sports?!
Holy shitballs, if the XboxOne isn't the most fucked up, controversial piece of electronics ever made...
We need inside infos, I want to know why they designed the system like that, who decided that, and what the fuck happened in the last two weeks. Did this all change due to the congressmen shit? How deep goes this giant, shit-filled rabbit hole???
Holy shitballs, if the XboxOne isn't the most fucked up, controversial piece of electronics ever made...
We need inside infos, I want to know why they designed the system like that, who decided that, and what the fuck happened in the last two weeks. Did this all change due to the congressmen shit? How deep goes this giant, shit-filled rabbit hole???
That's what it read like to me. The use of it would be optional, but they never implied they will drop it from the SKU, or lower the price.
Seriously, they just flushed years of planning down the tube in 3 days. I imagine the Benny Hill theme song is piped into Redmond while their executive run around in a panic.
Zombie James
Banned
Oh wow, so they'd remove the Kinect but keep it at $499? :/
DPtheGod
Member
In a couple of days they will announce a cheaper model. Then they will announce they are actually taking the TV features out. Then they will announce this and that and more of this and extra that.
Whatever it takes to get people to buy it, they'll do it. They will backpedal until consumers will justify their purchase, then lock you into more BS.
Whatever it takes to get people to buy it, they'll do it. They will backpedal until consumers will justify their purchase, then lock you into more BS.
GarthVaderUK
Banned
Being forced to have Kinect plugged in for the console to function was a bit extreme, if true this is for the best.
Breakfast at Noon
Member
ok NOW we are talking 
But it would give a huge push to making it more attractive to gamers... who is their main audience to begin with. Their whole direction is flawed and changing it is the best thing they can do at this point.
MaddenNFL64
Member
Enough pressure, and the kinect is outta there. Lets keep it up!
No, it's becoming the Xbox 360.
Since I don't want Kinect, I would be open to a Kinect-less model. I don't know what the hell MS is doing though. Back peddling on everything before launch possibly. Kind of funny.
Lets say MS is forecasting X amount sold at $499. If they dropped the price to $399 then they would be losing 100 dollars in profit per system. Do you really expect them to bleed like the XB1...err, XBOG days? I don't know if their share holders would accept this.
Lets say MS is forecasting X amount sold at $499. If they dropped the price to $399 then they would be losing 100 dollars in profit per system. Do you really expect them to bleed like the XB1...err, XBOG days? I don't know if their share holders would accept this.
microsoft is not going to match ps4 price without kinect. If the did that, they would be offering you something with less value for the same price. As a box, the ps4 is significantly more powerfull AND significant smaller (and that not comparing their "policies", ps4 also wins at that). Kinect is not going anywere.
feint_ruled
Member
Good point - this could be more to assuage the privacy fears than anything else.
No, they would remove the need to have Kinect plugged in at all times but still ship it in the box.
Bring on a $399 "Arcade" pack!
EdibleExplosives
Member
No, it just means you can masturbate without worrying about people watching you.
They're still giving you a kinect with every purchase you just don't have to plug it in for the box to work
SneakyStephan
Banned
Karak
Member
I admit that this is something that would really be disappointing to me big time. I like that it is there for all devs.
Ace Harding
Member
They are damned if they do and damned if they don't. They have not demonstrated why anyone should want Kinect, yet so far they've forced it on us and it is a factor in driving up the console price.
If they remove the requirement and sell a less expensive SKU without Kinect, nobody is going to put any effort into developing great uses for it because they know a lot of people won't even have them connected.
If they leave it in there and continue to have no compelling uses for it, people won't see the value in Kinect and won't understand why the console is $100 more than PS4.
Basically without a killer app for Kinect they are hurting themselves.
You would have thought they'd put a lot of effort into developing cool applications for Kinect. Voice recognition and the lame body control stuff we've seen so far isn't going to cut it.
If they remove the requirement and sell a less expensive SKU without Kinect, nobody is going to put any effort into developing great uses for it because they know a lot of people won't even have them connected.
If they leave it in there and continue to have no compelling uses for it, people won't see the value in Kinect and won't understand why the console is $100 more than PS4.
Basically without a killer app for Kinect they are hurting themselves.
You would have thought they'd put a lot of effort into developing cool applications for Kinect. Voice recognition and the lame body control stuff we've seen so far isn't going to cut it.
Well, it'd still be $100 more. And if they removed Kinect from the bundle and charged $399, you'd still be paying the same amount for for much less hardware performance. That being said, graphics aren't everything and it is ultimately about the games. But if you're looking for the better multiplatform versions of games, the money right now is on the PS4 in providing that.
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