Delivering More Choices for Fans - Microsoft

Microsoft: Since the beginning, we have focused on delivering great games and entertainment experiences for you. Your feedback matters to us and it shapes the products and services we build. Your feedback showed up in the Xbox One console we launched back in November and in the monthly updates we’ve delivered since.

[GamersHeaven]

Called it been saying this for a long time it was the only logical option left for Microsoft.

@gillri-bozo?Every one knew it was coming? Lol ok "bozo"the same people who said it will never happen because Kinect is the selling point behind the console with out it Xbox One has no advantages over the PS4.

@majie agreed Microsoft is getting stomped on in sales this is a typical desperate move by Microsoft they had no choice but to have a optional Kinectless bundle they don't have the luxury to drop the price this early on.

[majiebeast]

Console must be bombing like crazy if they drop their whole kinect is intergral to the Xbox One bullshit. April NPD will be fun too watch.

[gaffyh]

Yeah I said it months ago, http://n4g.com/news/1462432...

TitanFall must not have pushed up sales enough.

[blitz0623]

They also took out Gold for Netflix, etc. Great moves by MS here. Interesting to see if the gap between the sales is really due to the Xbox One being $100 higher.

[DarthZoolu]

I love my Kinect. Fanboys gonna hate regardless. I am 100% sure you will see the same people talking crap about them giving the option that talked crap about them requiring it.

[Gazondaily]

And what's really funny is what Phil Harrison said before:

""Correct. Xbox One is Kinect. They are not separate systems. An Xbox One has chips, it has memory, it has Blu-ray, it has Kinect, it has a controller. These are all part of the platform ecosystem.""

Xbox One is Kinect? So what is it now then? A box powered by dreams (and the cloud...which also seems like a dream).

Unbelievable.

[Codey47]

"Console must be bombing like crazy if they drop their whole kinect is intergral to the Xbox One bullshit."

It also displays how out of touch with their consumers they actually are. Apart from the fact they should be sponsored by Andrex or Charmin Plus.

Microsoft bullshit is like water off a ducks back to the MS diehards.

Battered Wife Syndrome springs to mind.

[denawayne]

I was a little confused by this at first. But now it makes sense. MS will announce a VR peripheral this E3 that will work with Kinect. So, right now you have all your gamers on the fence who will buy the Kinectless One and then when a must have VR game comes out, bam, a stand alone Kinect will be sold for $150.

[johndoe11211]

Yes, yes it is. Now here is the bigger kicker. All the xbox fans that were saying that they got the xbox because of the kinect and saying that because every xbox came with a kinect it ensured that devs would utilize it to the fullest unlike the ps camera that had no future because it was optional, what will they say about the future of the kinect now? And do they still think that it is integral to the system?

[darthv72]

Many have said that if it didnt come with kinect and require gold for even the basic apps that they would get it. Was that genuine interest or just something to add to the conversation at the time?

Some might make good on their word but others will likely still find reason to scorn the platform. It has been a trend for many generations.

[nix]

gotta love the "listening to the fans" quote they use every time they do a 180.

OT: it's good news for people who were looking to pick it up without the kinect attached.

@johndoe: i think the kinect had no future but MS still glued it with superglue and sent it out of the factory.

[gameon1985]

Do you not understand there is still a sku with kinect? They aren't droping kinect, they are simply given you a choice. But it's typical of you Sony fan boys to try and turn positive Xbox new into a negative.

[gaffyh]

@Septic - That's why people should have waited, because right from the announcement in price, it was obvious that MS would be playing a losing game with Kinect bundled in. Now all the early adopters have gotten shafted because MS doesn't believe in their own product, and rightly so.

However, I honestly think that this means their E3 will be a hell of a lot better this year. Especially because they've announced it before.

@Spam - Sony lost 1.2 billion, NOT PlayStation. PS4 is actually profitable so you need to get your facts straight.

[GarrusVakarian]

It was inevitable, but i wasn't expecting it so soon. I wonder where all of the usual suspects are that said this will NEVER happen?

Georgeenoob, MorePowerOfGreen, Truefan, Lifeisgamesok...where are you guys? I thought Kinect was vital to the X1 experience and MS would never release a kinect-less X1? It clearly isn't if MS deems is ok to do yet another 180 and release a kinect-less X1. So many people are now eating crow right now.

I knew all of that talk about Kinect and how much of a bigger role it will play by being mandatory was BS, if they truly believed in Kinect, they wouldn't be doing this. Removing it is very telling.

I gotta say though, this is great new for people who have waiting for this to happen before they buy an X1. No doubt sales will increase after this, especially seeing as it's now $100 cheaper.

[tuglu_pati]

The Phil Spencer effect. The guy is not joking.

[FATAL1TY]

xbox 180

http://www.justpushstart.co...

[Thantalas]

Mods have buried this but it IS deserving of it's own story.

"Games with Gold titles will require a Live subscription to play"

http://www.handytips.info/2...

[randomass171]

I honestly thought it was just Microsoft being more competitive.

[scotmacb]

This will change the sales war

[darthv72]

@lukas, I get the jabs you are making there but ever since it was revealed that you could still use the xb1 without the kinect plugged in, there was speculation that such a sku would be released at some point.

On topic...(taking a page from sony) offering up choice where there was none before should be seen as a good thing.

MS offered choice with the original kinect for the 360 in bundles as well as separate and people bought both. MS didnt offer choice for the xb1 and people bought it but not at the rate they were expecting. So making the changes they feel will help boost sales is not a bad thing.

Sony had to make changes to boost ps3 sales within the first year of being on the market as well. While others said it was a desperate move (at the time) it was a move that was for the better overall.

I can say i am surprised by this move from MS but then again they are giving choice and will still make games that will use kinect while other will make games that dont.

Sony offering choice is good.
MS offering choice is good.
We just need to work on nintendo. Their system is good and has fun games but people just arent noticing it.

[Mr-Dude]

Is there anything they didn't reverse by now? Jeez.... dam Microsoft where is that spinalcord?

[morganfell]

For 98% of the people this has never been about price. This is a sign of how desperate things have become for a console sitting around 100 on the GameStop list. I called it 2 weeks ago. The NPD gap will be 80k or more. Time to ban vgchartz once and for all.

I always said MS should have supported Kinect and instead their one ace against a much stronger console, whose PS Now will crush all competition, has been tossed out.

Cue a great many X1 supporters voicing anger over having been forced to buy a device MS swore was integral to the X1.

Seriously, how can you now believe anything that comes out of Redmond's mouth.

[Ri0tSquad]

It is bombing - or drastically under their expectations. All this talk about the whole xbox brand being spun-off says alot. What a hugee turnaround though. MS came into this gen with too much arrogance. All of their reversals make Xbox One far more accessible. They're ticking all the right boxes.

[fr0sty]

@SPAM

You'll be another 1 bubble troll before long, but to address your made up point, Sony has not lost 1.2 billion on PS4. Sony as a corporation has, not PS4's division. Also, Microsoft never paid back the 4 billion they lost on the original Xbox, nor the billion more they lost because of Xbox 360's RROD. The Xbox division has never once turned a profit (as in, repayed all investments made and made additional income to profit). Not one red cent in over 10 years. Granted, PS3 erased all of Sony's gaming profits too, but the PS brand was very profitable up until then.

[SilentNegotiator]

Reported as fake. Microsoft clearly stated that they would never do this because Kinect was vital to use of the Xbox.

/s

[styferion]

money-wise this is a good move, now people who had doubts about buying XB1 and those who want to buy multiple consoles will be more compelled to buy it.
but that's such a lame pricipal they had, after all that saying Kinect is inseparable from Xbox..

whatever brings them money I guess, they just have to use "listening to the fans" excuse if someone ask..

[Back-to-Back]

Another flip flop from Microsoft. How can anyone trust them anymore?

[Boody-Bandit]

"Reported as fake. Microsoft clearly stated that they would never do this because Kinect was vital to use of the Xbox."

+funny

On topic:
So many of us that are not MS only consumers have said that this was always a matter of when and not if. This is the final nail in the coffin of how MS royally screwed up this generation for themselves.

I also said that all their apps should NOT be behind a paywall and it looks like that is also being undone or soon will be.

MS and their greediness and extremely poor decision making has finally come back to fully bite them in the @zz.

Oh and to those of you comparing Sony to MS losing money? Sony's gaming division has made tons of money over the years. It's Sony's other ventures that have lost money. While MS's gaming division is still and might always be in the red. They lost billions with the original Xbox and 360. Why do you think the shareholders want out of gaming?

E3 is going to be very interesting now. Personally I would be sweating my backside off if I had to put on a smile and walk out on stage for MS. I don't know how these MS guys can keep a straight face with all their 180's and lies as to why they are happening. This went from being a train wreck to an apocalyptic disaster.

Again, E3 is going to be very telling.

Simply put. MS has to stop the PR, stop the lies, stop being anti consumer and prove that they are in this for the long haul. I have said from jump it never felt like MS jumped into the industry and said here we are everyone, deal with it. No. I always felt like they had one foot in the door and never entered and closed and locked the door behind them.

Mean while Sony kicked down the door and burned down the house only to try and rebuilt it from the ground up. And this coming from a guy that spent more time on MS hardware over the past decade plus over Sony hardware. I'm just keeping it real.

[ZodTheRipper]

This just screams despair half a year after launch. Now they reverted almost everything they announced last year, congrats on a completely failed device MS.

[christian hour]

This is great news :) Once there's a solid library of appealing exclusives on the XB1 this will make my future purchase much less bothersome on my wallet :) I couldnt justify buying an XB1 for Just Halo before because of the price, (and because of their attitude towards gamers/consumers, among other things) but now I think I could, definitely another 2-3 years down the line I can see myself getting one.

[doolin_dalton]

The console isn't bombing - not even close. Just because it's not selling as well as the PS4 doesn't mean it's bombing.

I think this is due to the mixed reception of Kinect Sports Rivals. That game was being touted as a killer app for the new Kinect. While it's not a bad game by any means, it clearly isn't a killer app, and there are no other potential killer apps for Kinect on the horizon.

I think MS was waiting to see how KSR would perform before making a decision about the future of Kinect.

[troylazlow]

I love that for months a voice in the forums have been calling for this, and now that same voice is calling foul??? Almost like they never had an intention on buying an Xbox One in the first place...

[UltimateMaster]

What do you guys think Sony will do?
I don't think they'll drop the price considering it's still the better hardware. (And their financial situation)
Unless AMD agrees to make it cheaper, due to the high level of sale and buying in bigger bulks, then that could be a possibility.

[UltraNova]

Nothing we didnt expect here folks, moving on.

I just feel sorry for those4-5 million who shelled out 100 more for the formerly integral part of the one.

Not really, they should have known better, they weren't 5 year olds.

[UltraNova]

Nothing we didnt expect here folks, moving on.

I just feel sorry for those 4-5 million who shelled out 100 more for the formerly integral part of the one.

Not really, they should have known better, they weren't 5 year olds.

[UltraNova]

Sorry for the double post above.

On another note,

It makes me wonder though, why drop the Kinect altogether? They know the reputation around it is awful and widely considered a FAD, don’t they realize that they have just killed it?

Or are they intentionally killing it off in sake of something else? Say VR?

A small reminder, MS owns 4% of Facebook which just bought Oculus, effectively meaning MS owns part of Oculus.

Did anyone believe MS would let Sony go at it alone? This years E3 will be interesting to say the least.

Just remember you heard it here first folks.

[pyramidshead]

@lukas

"It was inevitable, but i wasn't expecting it so soon. I wonder where all of the usual suspects are that said this will NEVER happen?

Georgeenoob, MorePowerOfGreen, Truefan, Lifeisgamesok...where are you guys? I thought Kinect was vital to the X1 experience and MS would never release a kinect-less X1? It clearly isn't if MS deems is ok to do yet another 180 and release a kinect-less X1. So many people are now eating crow right now."

I assure you all of them ate crow that night and cried softly in their sleep. I assume at least some of their friends put them on suicide watch.
Brilliant post though haha, man that must have ruined all of their collective days :P

[Rickgrimes95]

Just shows Microsoft is losing badly an they had to do something because their getting pretty desperate

[osprey19]

Be warned, there is nothing more dangerous than a desperate opponent.

[osprey19]

Why hate on this? Its a good move, people have been asking for it. No one is losing, gamers are winning.

[MysticStrummer]

Yeah as I've been saying for awhile, MS could see what was going on even if some of their fans couldn't or wouldn't see it. I didn't expect this to happen so soon, but it's a logical move from MS. So much for all that "integral" business.

[SPAM-FRITTER-123]

Yeh because Sony losing heaps of money on the PS4 and giving Kaz a pay cut is doing really well right?

MS are still in the profit although it be slow selling.

[randomass171]

Even if it is a move of desperation, it's a very competitive one and it makes their service look closer to Sony's in appeal.

[Mikeyy]

X box division is still at a loss learn to read financial releases. Microsoft billions is all windows money. It always has been.

[kenshiro100]

SPAM, what does your ranting have to do with Microsoft dropping Kinect?

Anyway, all I have to say about this is...LOL.

You start out wrong, you end up wrong. Microsoft got way too arrogant for their own good.

[Malacath]

Desperate or not.

This is a good move by Microsoft.

Most Sony fanboys wont agree but competition is good for us gamers.

If MS do ever lose the war you can say goodbye to free games on Playstation Plus. If Xbox didn't exist then Sony would have no incentive to keep giving us free games every month.

At the same time if ps4 didn't exist then MS wouldn't need to lower prices, unbundle kinect or give us games with gold.

So any console fanboy who wants the other console to fail is a total idiot

[Eonjay]

Thats the power of competition baby.

[Rainstorm81]

EXACTLY

this is why we need competition, imagine if what ms announced in May '13 came with no competition

Or if Sony wasn't forced to make the PS4 what it is after last gen

Now I may have to get a X1 near Xmas

Gotta love competition, and the fans having a voice

[insomnium2]

@rainstorm

You seem to imply that there is/was something wrong with PS3. Sony had a monopoly of sorts during the PS2 era and look what happened. Games, games, games, games and games.

Now fast forward when MS fealt that they had a strong foothold they immediately went for the throat (DRM etc.).

MS should leave the industry. This 180 even further proves that they have no backbone. They are willing to do anything for money. You cannot flip flop your "this is what we stand for" and assume that people are dumb enough to believe you every step. MS blew it with the initial reveal for XBone. Better luck next life as far as I'm concerned.

[Gazondaily]

Honestly...what cowardice from Microsoft.

This shows that:

1) They don't have the courage of their convictions with the Kinect

2) The X1 is getting merked in sales by the PS4.

So NOW you want to offer choice? What about at the start? Delivering for choice for fans? Seriously, eff off. You caved so hard after shouting from the rooftops about the bleeding thing, and now, any advantage regarding developer parity in catering for Kinect games just went down the toilet.

What a load of bull. Seriously...go ahead and trademark Xbox 180. This has royally p***ed me off.

[pyramidshead]

All those articles about stating they were 100% behind it too and that they would never ever offer a kinectless bundle.

This should help them get back in the sales race some what. This also does render kinect as the over priced voice controller that it always looked like and always was. The gaming software for it is terrible, it's a terrible gaming peripheral like the first kinect. It is the buttonless mouse. The move is equally a joke but it has buttons and ACTUAL precision.

Also from all of those that remember the user, Edonus on suicide watch xD.

[majiebeast]

They should atleast give you guys a bunch of free games like Nintendo did with the 3DS. Its the least they can do.

[Volkama]

In all honesty, Kinect isn't having the impact they hoped it would, inside or outside of gaming.

The all-in-one ir blasting magic voice set-up switches off my TV and AV if they're already on, and I still need a controller to navigate blu-ray menus.

The gesture control shows the device still carries real latency that will make it quite limited for gaming.

Concerns about "spy cam" have penetrated minds far and wide, whether fair or not.

I am disappointed because I have a kinect, so of course I want to see MS make it work and now the chances of that are slim to none, but it's a risk you take when you buy into something new. See HD-DVD players, or the Sega Dreamcast.

[Kayant]

Looool well said a bit over the top ;)

Am not surprised I fully expected them to drop it just that the announcement will come E3. Kinect is just something that will never really be beneficial for gaming as a whole it has very limited use cases and does really add that much of a compelling experience if any IMO. It's a media/interface device that's what it's best at as shown by XB1's OS features.

So £350 in the UK?

[johndoe11211]

What did you expect them to do? The reality is poeple who were saying that the xbox was selling well enough for microsoft and that they were happy with their sales were living in freaking denial.

If they were happy with their sales there is no way they would have removed the kinect. The fact that they are getting raped in sales means they had to make a desperate move. there is nothing else they could have done to help boost sales, nothing.

The sad part about this is that microsoft just basically screwed every single person who bought an xbone up to this point because there is no way now that they will continue to support that thing as much as they were planning to.

If this doesn't open the eyes of a lot of the microsoft fanatics who post around here I don't know what will. This is a good thing for xbox one sales and a terrible thing for the future of the kinect.

[IrishSt0ner]

Very annoyed at this too, they've just cheapened their whole position.

[XBOTTOX]

I AGREE. Been a xbox fan since 2002. Just my preference. Being someone who shelled out $542 for a 'Day One Edition' having them scrap the kinect and lower the price is so ridiculous. We might literally have to petition redfunds because this is not what we bought into

[Eonjay]

No. None of that crying bull up in here. You are not a child and you know how the world works by now. Microsoft is a corporation and as such will change as they see fit to ensure their piece of the market share. How many times have they reversed course. What, Kinect was beyond reproach?

You are a gamer so play the damn game and chin up. Kinect was a bad play. Its over.

[-Foxtrot]

Well least your being honest Septic and not trying to spin it

Got to give him that one

I agree with this post aswell, I just find it hilarious how people are making it out like it's Super Duper Phil Spencer to the rescue again

[Gunstar75]

So if you were running a business and you knew that a LOT of potential consumers were asking for something that you could deliver and you knew you were missing out on potential sales because you were not offering that something, but it was not part of someone else's original vision you would just puff out your chest and stand your ground, so as not to look like a coward?

I wouldn't, I'd say "screw their vision, lets diver what they want"

Seems more like business acumen that cowardice to me.

[maniacmayhem]

I agree with Septic, from a gaming standpoint the Kinect would have guaranteed that devs could have made a game with Kinect features in it and they be used by the gamers 100%. Now it will be pushed back as some ON/OFF button in the Options menu.

If MS was serious about supporting Kinect they should have just dropped the price 50 bux and took the loss.

It's going to take a serious well executed E3 to take away this bad taste.

[DragonKnight]

What I want to hear is the comments from people who said the Xbox One is the true next gen console because of its inclusion of Kinect, and that the PS4 is just a PS3 with better graphics.

So many people are eating crow today.

[Volkama]

@DragonKnight While I never directly said that, I will admit that Kinect interested me. Anything that can enable a new gameplay experience for me, something I haven't tried before? That is more exciting than a visual bump.

Kinect had that potential to add something new this generation. Now I'm pretty much pinning all my hopes on Cloud Compute and VR to make things interesting.

Without such innovations these consoles are indeed a quite poor showing in my opinion. They're only an incremental performance advancement from the old consoles and sit orders of magnitude behind my PC.

Of course that wont stop me enjoying some games on them, but the hardware itself does not excite.

[gillri]

Yes your amazing we get it, you just totally called it! But unfortunately for your ego alot of us did, its wasnt exactly hard....but well done!! 5/5 for you sir

[MysticStrummer]

A lot of people said it was what MS needed to do, but not many thought it would happen so soon and some said it would never happen.

[Dark11]

Yeah great move from MS , also this is a bad news for sony because they need the playstation division to make profit as much as possible because it's the only part of their company that still make profit , but now MS will make things harder for sony and try to push them out of the market.

if the PS4 failed , it's game over for sony.

[OrangePowerz]

They still have several advantages such as multiplatform games performing better.

[Ron_Danger]

How is this bad news for Sony. The XB1 without Kinnect should cost less than the more powerful PS4, not the same.

The system hasn't even been out for a year and they slash the price.

And whenever MS says "we listen to our fans" you should all know that it's just PR talk for "our inverstors made us".

[Codey47]

As it stands a couple have already realised/realized the bigger picture.

Apart from the Xbox One losing it's identity....they've also sent the Kinect V2 into the graveyard buried next to it's older brother.

Every developer had an excuse to implement extra features because the device was bundled into every Xbox One Packaging.

Now you'll only find a select few that'll dedicate themselves to the device.

[randomass171]

Sony still has the home field advantage and they are still very much in the lead. This just gives Microsoft a chance to compete more closely with Sony.

[Mr-Dude]

@dark

You clearly don't see the picture... MS just pissed in your face and you enjoyed it immense! Months of pr, where they told the kinect is a part of the x1 and now they flip it again like the whole DRM...

Early adopters who bought the X1 with kinect at full price are going to feel that pain in a surten spot...

And you X1 fans keep taking it...

[badz149]

@Codey47

"...they've also sent the Kinect V2 into the graveyard buried next to it's older brother."

now we know why they dug out the copies of ET from the desert! need more space for the landfill LOL!

[kenshiro100]

When in doubt, bring up Sony's financials for no apparent reason.

Just...stop.

Microsoft made a huge fool out of gamers who bought their system and believed their crap...they didn't do squat to Sony.

[callahan09]

Now THIS is good news! I've been waiting for this... It'll be time to get an Xbox One soon. Can't wait for Sunset Overdrive!

[Benchm4rk]

The question now is all the people on N4G the past 6 months saying they will but an X1 when they drop the price and Kinect, now they have done that will they actually but one?

[imt558]

Microsoft is on fire! Nice!

Well, it seems that they go via PS+ :

Free Games Offer: For paid Gold members only. On Xbox One, active Gold membership required to play free games you’ve downloaded. Must download titles during designated window. Kinect and/or hard drive required for some games.

[-Foxtrot]

Oh look at this....CAN YOU BELIEVE IT....and I thought I was wrong....huh guys

Called it...but I kept hearing how wrong I was to believe this.

Well least I can wait untill it goes for an even cheaper price after this and then grab one at Asda with my 10% discount

For all the people who said this would NEVER happen....please leave N4G for a few days.

Oh by the way for the guys who did argue against it, don't spin it around make it seem like Phil Spencer did this for "gamers"....he did it for sales, it was a business decision nothing more, nothing less. Something which should of happened at the start

[randomass171]

"don't spin it around make it seem like Phil Spencer did this for "gamers"....he did it for sales,"

Well, yeah. I mean that's how all of these corporations operate, is it not?

[-Foxtrot]

@randomass171

Theres a difference though between

"Oh my god Phil does it again, god he's so awesome, he really cares if he's doing this for us gamers"

and

"Wow so Microsoft decided to do a Kinectless bundle, about time. They should of done this from the start but whatever...least it's here now"

Phil didn't do crap....higher ups did. Do you really think he went to the higher ups and pleaded to give him permission to release a Kinect-less bundle.

This is what I've been saying for ages now, how Phil is a "front" for Microsoft's new strategy to get gamers to trust them again for more sales. Yeah I was being a little repetitive but I was trying to get the point across because I knew this, a Kinect-less bundle would be something they would do. Yet it's worked as people are making Phil to be this hero when really it was higher ups decision to bring in more sales.

[malokevi]

It was inevitable, I wasn't expecting it so soon though. Good to get it out of the way before E3 so that they can focus on games, rather than have the show be dominated by hardware announcements like last year. Very smart.

I'm still happy to have mine, but we will undoubtedly see a bunch up on Ebay and Amazon.

[pyramidshead]

The NPD coming up must look very, very dire for NA.

[Infernostew]

The numbers must have come in and they probably got stomped in April. This seems like an E3 announcement that got pushed up to combat poor sales for investors. Good for gamers but MS is going to be taking a huge hit in costs per consoles produced and trying to get rid of Xone + kinect bundles that are sitting in storage.

Also, if I were an early adopter, I would not be happy about this. The console isn't even out a year!

[Volkama]

I would say they are very deliberately announcing this away from E3, because this bombshell would over-shadow the rest of their presentation.

With this it should be out of people's minds when they demonstrate whatever shiney new things they have lined up for the presentation.

[uth11]

Won't this cripple their May sales, if many potential customers hold off buying until June when the Kinectless unit is available?

[TFJWM]

@uth11 Ya def almost no sales in May with this, But we also have no idea how bad April sales were. Retailers with alot of Xbox1s with kinetic cant be happy about this

[Volkama]

But does it still come with the cloud???

Sorry to be "that guy", but it is kinda the last feature that distinguishes the console from the PS4. +Halo and Gears I suppose.

[styferion]

Maybe they'll slash the price another $50 with cloudless bundle, because it's less integral than Kinect after all..

[Cryptcuzz]

Cloud is still included in all SKU's, just don't expect much other than matchmaking and storage.

Basically what it has been last gen as well. Only reason why MS pushed the cloud thing so hard with Xbox One, is because they knew their console, compared to their closest competition, has the hardware specs's advantage and need something to offset that.

[ExitToExisT]

I and most others said last year they would release a $400 xbox one without kinect. I am glad to be right and i will buy an xbox one when it's available in my country:)

[MightyNoX]

AngelicDiamond: anyone who thinks Microsoft is making a Kinectless Xbox is an idiot!!

Whelp...once again, MS embarrasses it's most loyal customers.

[truefan1]

This was a bad move by MSFT, yes you will get more sales, but the PR from this is damning. To me kinect was the most innovative aspect of this console generation, and you can pretty much expect all game support for it to be dropped now. Now it's priced the same as its competitor, but it's competitor has stronger hardware. I still believe XB1 will have the better games, but I'm not feeling this move at all. Quantum Breaks and Sunset Overdrives better be a regular on XB1.

MSFT better demonstrate how DX12 or cloud computing work for XB1 to make up for the weaker hardware, now that they unbundled kinect.

The only positive I take from this is that they are willing to make difficult decisions and changes. Actually there is one more, they freed up more time at E3. MSFT better go bezerk at E3 with GAMES.

@ps4 fans below, I always speak the truth, it just so happens that I said something you agree with this time. As an early adopter I still would have gotten kinect and bought and XB1, because at the time craziness was going on and I need something to divert me attention. Its a lose-lose for MSFT, so I respect that they went ahead and bit the bullet. MY E3 HYPE DID INCREASE EXPONENTIALLY THOUGH.

[Jdoki]

Is this the real truefan1? Cus that's the most sensible comment I've seen from you!

I am not an XB1 owner yet, but I thought Kinect was a unique selling point. Now it's optional devs will definitely drop support.

[Mr-Dude]

@truefan

wow... did you really say that? I wonder how you feel since you paid full price and now they do this...

[GarrusVakarian]

I don't think it was a bad move at all, i think it was 100% the right thing to do. Developers don't care about Kinect, just look at last gen...what did we get? We got a bunch of family shovel-ware games with extremely limited movement and games with basic voice and motion controls tacked on, the tech just isn't good enough to replace the controller.

MS know that this gen will just be a repeat of last gen in terms of Kinect, so why not just do a 180 on it being mandatory and make your console more appealing? This makes things so much more interesting now, not only does it benefit MS, but it benefits all those people who have been waiting for this and/or a price drop before buying an X1.

There's no way MS would let the X1 carry on getting dominated by the PS4 this badly for the entire gen, no way, they knew that had to do something, and do something they have.

I will say this though, doing a 180 on Kinect is very telling, they said for months before the X1 was even out that it was a crucial part of the X1, and that it was revolutionary for gaming, and that we would never see a Kinect-less X1. Now they have taken it out. They made all those people believe in Kinect and believe in MS's vision for Kinect...just to take it out 6 months into the generation. They clearly didn't have the confidence in Kinect behind the scenes that they portrayed to the masses. Add that lack of confidence in Kinect to the fact that you're so far behind in sales and you get a desperate company taking desperate measures to compete.

And the gamer benefits! Rejoice!

[GarrusVakarian]

" I always speak the truth, it just so happens that I said something you agree with this time"

Lmfao! Did you really just say that? What an arrogant thing to say! You always speak what YOU think is the truth, that doesn't make it the truth though. Are you seriously telling me you think you are 100% right 100% of the time?

Were you speaking the truth when you said this wouldn't happen (which you definitely did say)? Lol.

[pyramidshead]

You never speak the truth lol.

[georgeenoob]

@Septic

Sure MS was saying that, but mainly it was Mattrixk, not Spencer.

[Kayant]

Some people like to live in the cloud it seems -

Harvey Eagle - "[A Kinect-less Xbox One] is not in our plans at all," he said. "As we've said from the very beginning, we believe Kinect is an absolutely integral part of the Xbox One experience.
http://uk.ign.com/articles/...

"Look at all the thousands and thousands of game clips that have been posted by gamers to Upload Studio, of their gaming highlights, captured by speaking the words 'Xbox record that', which has already become part of Xbox vocabulary.

"It's a really great example of how Kinect makes the experience on Xbox One even better."

Phil Spencer -

“I always want to make sure that we're in tune with what current or potential customers are asking for from us. Right now, dropping Kinect is not the number one request from people. Usually it's, ‘Where are the great games?’ There are a number of games on the ID@Xbox programme that use Kinect, and you'll see more games in the fall.”

"It's something that's really important. Putting a common tool in the hands of all the developers so I don't have to think about [with] a third of the install base: 'Do they have Kinect and the rest of them don't? How do I deal with that?' Making that a common base part of the platform has been really instrumental in getting the devs to support Kinect in many ways."
http://news.softpedia.com/n...
http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

And many more from other people that are not Don Mattrick

[Blaze929]

smh, big mistake Microsoft. big mistake

[imt558]

CBOAT: Xbox One KINECTLESS For 400 By Summer

http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

http://www.worldsfactory.ne...

PRAISE CBOAT!!!!

[3-4-5]

* This sounds like a Phil Move.

He realizes they need to get momentum going into E3, to build some REAL buzz and not manufactured hype.

This is a step in the right direction.

Microsoft - Now has this to help get people excited going into E3.

Nintendo - They have Mario Kart 8 releasing 10 days before E3, that gives them good buzz going into E3 as well.

Sony - They just need to maintain the idea that they are the leading console and to maintain confidence in it.

They also have The Order: 1886

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

I thought MS said you have to have a kinect to use the Xbone...Maybe they weren't telling the truth...Which would be a shock...

[XiSasukeUchiha]

@GamersHeaven

I love the fact,they dropped the Kinect but really why $400, I wanted to be $350 not $400, it's not more powerful than PS4 so MS please explain to me why the $400 price tag, $350 would make the Xbone unstoppable.

[Benchm4rk]

Gives them room to move with specials and bundles. A $399 X1 with a big special sticker on it for $349 would look really enticing. Bundle it with Titanfall like they have been doing and it should move a few units

[colonel179]

Everyone and their mother called it! It was an option that should've existed since the beginning in the first place.

But I must say that Phil Spencer is on a roll! This guy has improved costumer perception of the Xbox a lot in just 2 months.

For sure I expect the Xbox One to have a huge boost in sales!

This generation is going to be so interesting!

[kenshiro100]

Microsoft drinking that crazy juice again.
Choices? What choices did they offer? Maybe if they didn't screw up from the beginning, the XB1 would have actually made a bigger impact.

Now they're screwing up even more.

[Rainstorm81]

Rational gamers knew......with all the events leading up to this announcement.....it was obvious

[BattleTorn]

Hold the phone!

One can get a Titanfall bundle, which includes X1+Kinect+Titanfall, for $450. http://kotaku.com/target-ha... (essentially bringing the price of an X1/wt Kinect down to $390)

So now, MS is providing the choice of buying an X1 for $399? ($10 more!)

Essentially allowing people to pay $59.99+$399=$450, for a Kinectless Titanfall bundle..

More choices to pay more, I see. GENIUS

[aceitman]

so now the Kinect will be taken off the question here is if the x1 didnt sell to there expectations from 399$ to 449$ with Kinect and a game will people feel it is worth buying it for 399$ without game and Kinect.

[Jonny5isalive]

one good thing about ms sales is that for years they have been offering alot of 50% off deals. Glad tahy will continue that. These changes are pretty sweet, Im more likely to get a xbox 1 someday for sure now, but still getting a ps4 soon.

If I get a xb1 someday it will be the one without kinect.

[ALLWRONG]

You PS fans really should be doing a little less rejoicing, and a little more worrying. Before the Xbone was holding its own and was $100 more. Now Sony has to deal with a cheaper Xbone with better games.

[TheSaint]

Truth hurts.

[Gamer1982]

I don't get why they didn't announce all this at E3?? Its like 3 weeks away..

[Azzanation]

Its not getting stomped in sales, X1 is the best selling Xbox in history and its only available in 13 countries.

Dropping Kinect has nothing to do with Kinect not being any good. Its to do with price. Cheaper systems sell, that's the rule of marketing.

[pierce]

Microsoft gonna be competing hard with Sony now.

[Dark11]

Yeah sony should be worried about this.

[Hellsvacancy]

Lol, MS talks, Sony walks all over them, been that way for generations, every year before E3 MS talks like this

Greenberg was the WORST, that mofo had loads to say and nothing to show

[majiebeast]

The only thing M$ has done this entire year is react to Sony, Ps4 is still the more powerful console for the same price, and people know it. Xbox One is now a less powerful PS4 with no identity of its own.

[Rickgrimes95]

Ohh yeah I bet Sony is just shaking in fear with their 7+ million sold
I have never been happier spending 400$ on ps4 an glad I did not pay 500$ for xbox one an the clusterfuck that is kinect

[nypifisel]

This is a drastic change, sales must have been abysmal. Whether this will change the course substantially or not is left to be seen, but the PS4 still gives you a better gaming console for your money.

Funny though seeing how they said "the kinect is integral to the system". I guess not ;P

[Majin-vegeta]

Lol how so??Sony still have the stronger hardware and better Multiplatforms on thier system

Now the only question is do people wanna spend $399 on an xbox or spend the same on a more powerful console??

This gen just got more interesting.

[kiz2694]

they have nothing to worry about.

[pyramidshead]

Why?

[randomass171]

I don't see why Sony should be worried. If anything, I can see this invigorating them to try to make PS+ seem even more appealing than before (not that it isn't already a stellar service, even compared to Xbox Live).

[iamnsuperman]

Actually Sony seems to be in control. Microsoft seem to be reacting to what Sony has already done. This puts Sony in control. This will boost sales for the One but the worry for Microsoft is was this too late to stop the momentum of the PS4. The PS4 has had some incredibly impressive sales that won't change at the flip of a switch (it takes time to kill momentum)

[SilentNegotiator]

Yeah, just look at how big of an impact they had when they stuffed a game into the box (TWO games in some regions) and dropped the price $50.

/s

[MysticStrummer]

"sony should be worried about this."

PS4 is still the more powerful of the two, and the XB1 disKinect appears to be dropping the price only to the same level as PS4's, when it should be lower for the weaker hardware.

The announcement of not needing XBL for NetFlix and other apps is also just bringing XB1 to where PS4 was already.

PS+ still offers the better value in terms of content for your money.

This will help MS for sure, but I don't think Sony needs to be worried quite yet.

[sigfredod]

Yes they know that are losing the numbers war, the thing now is hou about all those fans that state kinect was tthe thing that made xbone different from the competition, that the every xbone to have one so the developers use for unique "experiences" on every xbone, now what?

[farhad2k8]

A more powerful console with more AAA exclusives, and more games overall for the same price as an XBOX ONE? Sony has no competition. The reason Microsoft are making these moves are simply because Sony have dominated the first 6 months of this war.

[kewlkat007]

I'm still confused...what just happened?

Thx Sony and all the other streaming boxes out there..

If your trying to make an all-in-one media device make streaming available to all, I'm not sure how long Microsoft was gonna have a paywall for these types of apps.

XBL have been making money for a long time at $60 before apps and streaming services were a popular. Times have changed with so many options.

Now if you go out and buy an Xboxone because you only want to stream sh!t then that's your business. At least now Microsoft can get that non-gamer hardware sales just like the other consoles have been getting.

Phil is really changing the Xbox culture and keeping it competitive because, well he has to. Now some other hardware devices are loosing their edge, and really the only edge they had.

[NYC_Gamer]

This was a very smart move by Phil and MS.

[christocolus]

Phil is great. A lot of my friends are going to get one now. Damn, I'm so excited. Just called two of my pals to tell them about this..I see sales picking up pretty soon.

MS must have a lot planned for e3 if they had to announce this today.

[-Foxtrot]

Your excited....pretty sure you were one of the guys on here who told everyone this wouldn't happen.

A person who argued quite vocally against it.

Oh and don't make it seem like Phil did it from the goodness of his heart. This bundle will sell more, thats what he wants and thats what should of happened from the start

[MEGANE]

^^This one(Cristoculos) is beyond salvation guys! move along

[johndoe11211]

Does this quote seem familiar to you: "I know a lot of hardcore fans including myself who actually find kinect very appealing but why should the focus of this E3 be centered on kinect? MS wasnt focused on kinect last E3 either. I dont see MS taking kinect out of the box either..they will rather swallow the cost and keep the device bundled in".

It should, you made it.

[christocolus]

@foxtrot and megane

Lmao...foxtrot always bitter about something?. Show me one comment where i stated otherwise..ive been up for a price reduction and i even stated on a number of ocassions i would be sad to see kinect go but it was the only option for MS.i use kinect but ive always stated that i wanted more of my pals back on xbox one and if this move does that then why would i be bitter about it?my friends who were undecided are happy about this too.you guys are just so biased and honestly bitter about this move cos you actually do not want sales to pick up and you know im right.

@megane

You need help. Your trolling knows no bounds.go enjoy some other article or something.

@jon

i didnt think they would do that but they did and it actually could help them. Im not upset bro.im very happy for them.

[Godchild1020]

Kinect will be sold for 150, to make up any loss from the console sales. I'm all in for a Xbox One now.

[LGM313]

So people will pay $399 and than pay $150 for the K? very smart of you.

[BattleTorn]

Or people could've bought the $450 Titanfall bundle, and paid essentially $390 for the X1 WITH Kinect...

But, NAH! They'd rather pay an EXTRA $10 to get it without the $100-150 accessory.

HAHA

[Charybdis]

True probably same price as the original kinect (150), seems more like a money grab from Microsoft. They definitely stand to make more money by selling more xb1 lower value and added price of kinect. I really believe they should have lowered the price to 350 if they want to compete with the ps4. In the end it will be interesting to see if people will buy the xb1 with or without kinect.

[mushroomwig]

The rest of this year is going to be very interesting to say the least.

[cfc78]

Should of been this way from the start.

[danowat]

Smart move, although I like Kinect for voice control, it's certainly not a necessity, and only a good thing to offer people the option of not having it at a reduced cost.

[ape007]

Phil Spencer FTW

Don Mattrick Sucks

[lodossrage]

You all give Mattrick too much blame and Spencer too much credit.

Everyone acts like ONE man makes these single big decisions. Sure Microsoft had a few bad ideas with the XB1, but it's not like Don Mattrick came to decision to move along with those plans. An entire board came to that decision (A board where Spencer also had a vote)

Mattrick was just the fall guy for the decisions that the ENTIRE executive board came to conclude.

Same thing with these constant 180 announcements. Spencer isn't the only one coming to these decisions.

People around here fall to PR Hype and fodder WAY too easily.

[ape007]

make sense

[-Foxtrot]

People seem to think if Phil decides he wants a Tank in his office or a anti air cannon on the roof of the building that he can magically do it with the snap of his fingers.

Massive board room with the main MS big guys and all the branch heads is where everything is decided. They tell them what to do and it's up the branch heads (Phil) to make it happen...and with a smile also.

Don failed and because of that they blamed it on him so the whole company didn't look bad.

[sAVAge_bEaST]

Yes, even I agree.. Phil is a much better Gamer, than Don .

[Kayant]

Wow...... Oh shit.... Damn was expecting this at E3. Why now?

Still this is great and should help boost XB1 sales for MS as quite a few people will jump in now and that lower price helps. Am guessing an update will be coming soon to help make the OS more controller friendly?

The Games with Gold titles for Xbox 360 in June are “Dark Souls,” “Charlie Murder” and a bonus game of “Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.” We’re pleased to bring Games with Gold to Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One in June.

Phil Spencer is damn quick..... Nice so no app paywall. Optional kinect, Dark souls next month :), GwG on XB1 in june.

MS are bringing their A game.

Edit -
"Free Games Offer: For paid Gold members only. On Xbox One, active Gold membership required to play free games you’ve downloaded. Must download titles during designated window. Kinect and/or hard drive required for some games." - looks like they are going IGC(PS+) model with the XB1 plan and you have to download it within the month so am guessing you can't download it after that period even if it's on your download list?

@CoLD FiRE
Seems that way can't wait to see what they show.

[CoLD FiRE]

"Wow...... Oh shit.... Damn was expecting this at E3. Why now?"

If they're confident enough to announce all of this before E3, it only means they have even much bigger news to announce at E3.

[IrishSt0ner]

E3 must truly be all about games then, a LOT of information to announce prior to the event.

[Ace Killa 08]

E3 is in June 10 - 12 X1 (kinectless) sells June 9.... I see the trend here.

Still what about the people who have and X1? no incentives of any kind or apologies for being forced to buy the X1 with this stupid kinect? I hate my choice now :(

[CoLD FiRE]

@Ace Killa 08

How were the people who bought the Xbox One with Kinect were forced? It's not like MS held a gun to their heads and forced them to buy it! Anyone who bought it at the time knew exactly what they were getting. Those who were not happy with the inclusion of Kinect wouldn't/shouldn't have bought the console in the first place.

[Infernostew]

April NPR probably forced their hand. I can imagine some unhappy investors after those numbers so it seems like a quick reaction to cool the damage.

[vongruetz]

I don't think their announcing it now has to do with their confidence in their E3 lineup but rather to soften the blow for low sales expected in April/May. Now when May's sales come in much lower than expected, they can say, "Well naturally a lot of customers were waiting for the less expensive option."
Now it looks like you have two nearly identical products, each at the same price, with the PS4 being slightly more powerful.
Titanfall didn't change things, will this?

[danowat]

Also...

"We’re pleased to bring Games with Gold to Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One in June. Members will have subscription-based access to free games ranging from top hits to breaking indie stars. The program will launch on Xbox One with “Max: The Curse of Brotherhood” and “Halo: Spartan Assault.”"

[Wikkid666]

I'm glad I didn't buy those games yet!

[IrishSt0ner]

I can second that... 'subscription based' too.

[CramShaft]

Right...I'm kinda shocked this part has been overlooked by the majority of people posting comments.

They just announced removing paywalls from apps, games with gold for xb1 and that it will be subscription based like ps+. I'm definitely excited to see the evolution of xbox live this generation.

[gameon1985]

I am really scared of Microsoft's E3 (in a good way)they have announced the purchase of gears, shown SSOD gamplay and announced anew SKU?price drop for xbox One all before E3. Man Phil was a Dam good choice fro Xbox head.

[Crazay]

Paywall for apps is gone as is Kinect. See? Phil is listening. This is just more proof that MS should have dropped that twit Mattrick and handed the reigns over to Spencer a year ago if not more.

[GameDev1]

I though paywall for apps was just a rumour

[Fireseed]

Welp. I was totally wrong on this. Overall I'm happy I got a Kinect but glad to see others can get their Kinectless SKU they've been clamoring for.

[Sayburr]

Yep, me too. I believed them when we were told the Kinect was essential to the XBO... but, I guess that was just PR bull poop.

Still, this has to be a positive move for all gamers.

[akaFullMetal]

Surprised it took this long for them to see that they were going down a path that people didn't want, and that was apparent with the sales we have been seeing from the x0. Hopefully this will boost their sales, but lets not act like this is a favor from microsoft as the title insinuates.

[bleedsoe9mm]

games games and more games at E3 , now that this is out of the way . Go phil !

[Majin Uchiha]

Phil Spencer in beast mode ever since he was named head of xbox

[Kurisu]

This is good news for consumers, and should make a lot of people happy.

[lemoncake]

There goes any hope of decent kinnect game support this gen, shame cause it had really great potential.

[bleedsoe9mm]

wait for VR both will use the eye and kinect

[incendy35]

Perhaps a little bit, but as a developer I would still make games that use it. Most systems only come with one controller but there are plenty of games that support more than one controller. As long as it is an option I feel safe writing code for it.

[patsrule316]

As a person who has had both a PS4 and XB1 both from day 1, I stopped hoping for a decent Kinnect gameafter a week. Kinect doesn't work well. The motion control is a disaster, and litterally almost never works. The voice control is better, but still I would say is less than 90%, which is not good enough to control a game. They can add in optional voice controls for games, but I feel the Kinect is by far the worst part of the package. Glad for future buyers that they won't need to pay for it.

[incendy35]

Max: Curse of Brotherhood is a great game to open Gold with. I love that game! Although I already own it. But great for those that didn't get it haha.

[syne49]

We all win from this decision. The One sales should pick up considerably, and definitely make things more competitive. I can't wait to see what happens when both companies are on equal footing and hungry. Both can't afford to further screw up any momentum. E3 really is going to be one helluva show.

[Sharius]

"On Xbox One, active Gold membership required to play free games you’ve downloaded"

also know as PS+, lol

http://i.imgur.com/Wn6meE2....

[CoLD FiRE]

It's what people asked for and it's what they got. While I'm not a Sony fan, I always preferred their version of free games with PS+ model. So, I'm glad if it means we're getting better games now since they've gone with a subscription model with GWG for Xbox One as I've always been a Gold subscriber and it wouldn't have made a difference for me if a subscription was required for the games to run.

[n4rc]

This is insane..

I dont really agree with removing kinect but games with gold is huge..

This could make the sales race interesting tho

[bleedsoe9mm]

my opinion kinect is far superior to the eye , and yes i own both . this puts them on even footing as peripherals .
that UI is going to need a fast Redesign , somethings only show up with kinect

[tyjor]

.... about time, we've all been waiting for this announcement lol.

bit too late though when some of your fans have probably already migrated to the ps4.

honestly I wish i'd waited and not bought the Xbox One at launch. I regret buying a ps4 at launch as well because it's only now that there are a list of games I want to play.

oh well I have what I want now, could be worse lol

[Debaitable]

Very good move for them. I may actually go pick one up myself now/

[gameon1985]

Sony has just awaken a sleeping giant.

[DVS-Zev]

A giant so desperate they had to drop their price a $100 within 6 months.This is good for consumers but this was the last ditch desperate card they were supposed to hold onto until the very end.

They pulled it 6 months in lol

[Illusive_Man]

Everyone knows the console was launched at an artificially high price point. Great companies know how to respond to customer demands. People said no Kinect and MS responded.

The Games with Gold stuff/and Gold Deals is just icing on the cake.

Microsoft could have announced this at E3 but apparently they have more ammo.

[n4rc]

And they didn't drop the price.. They unbundled kinect.. Not the same thing

[DVS-Zev]

"Great companies know how to respond to customer demands. People said no Kinect and MS responded."

Don't thank MS.Thank all the people who didn't buy an X1.MS certainly isn't selling these cheaper because they're such kind hearted people lol.

[CEOSteveBallmer]

LOL Sleeping giant. If MS is a sleeping giant. Then Sony is a colossal "Fire Breathing Dragon", Tell me, What else did MS removed/backtracked/adjusted?? no more DRM? check!, can sell games check!, more indie frinedly check!, and now optional kinect. Wow i didn't know PS4 has a clone now.

[Joe913]

They should have had Phil running stuff this whole time now they playing catch up when they could have been neck and neck or at least a whole lot closer.

[Atomicjuicer]

This is it! I'm in! I'm buying an Xbox one ASAP!!!

WOOOOOOOOO Titanfall and Killer Instinct BABY

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

People bitched about the Kinect driving up the price.

People bitched when removing the Kinect to bring down the price.

N4G. I don't understand you.

[CoLD FiRE]

People even bitched when the Titanfall bundle was selling for $450....What did you expect! Now, they'll find something to bitch about....maybe how the standalone Kinect would most likely retail for $150.

[silkrevolver]

Now they're really in the race.

Though, now they don't have any sort of "edge" over the PS4, as far as technology goes, but I think the price cut is worth ditching kinect .

[LAWSON72]

MS is coming out guns blazing already cant wait til E3. I have a feeling they are going to steal the show with their conference. Thank you SOny for making them have to put an effort into attracting gamers

[DaleCooper]

This is great news for all!!! Games with gold coming to XB1 too, yeeehaww!!!

[modesign]

micro cant unload their kinects.
sony cant keep up with demand for the eye.
ironic.

[LAWSON72]

I agree but odds are Sony did not make that many, they probably thought it was that niche product a select few would pick up

[MightyNoX]

Awkward...

[LAWSON72]

Free DkS is awesome finally an amazing not 6 year old game. Just read the whole article and they are clearly doing all this to fight the deal that is PS+, cant wait for games with gold on my Xbone. (not a huge variety but give me strider or peggle 2 those sound like a good start)

[IanVanCheese]

Sony fans in this thread be all like "Damage Control Mode: Activate"

[Toman85]

Like all Xbox One fans saying this: Kinect make Xbox One a better system than PS4. UI, auto signin is the best out there blah blah blah.

Like a owner of all consoles this gen, this move is healthy and will certainly boost sales.
But on the negative side, what about the owners who paid 100$ more for Xbox One that didnt want Kinect? Its gonna stir up some of the loyal costumers. I imported the Xbox One and got it the same day as PS4, will not be mad about this.

But sure PR/media gonna fire back at the claims that MS made about Kinect.

[gjruk]

People moan when the xbox has kinect, now they moan that there is another option without it, how can you win?
If developers want to utilize the kinect in their games then let them, personally, the controller will always be my preference to play games anyways. The kinect for me has always been a way to get around the OS quicker and utilise the 'xbox record that' feature. Other than that, I don't use it in games. D4, which is a kinect focused game, I would even play that with a controller.
I'm glad Microsoft have changed their minds, you can say 180 blah blah, but it's different leadership and a leadership which is leaps and bounds better than Matrick!
This decision for me has proved it, along with the exciting games for gold announcements and can only mean big things for E3 as this was a big announcement before hand.
I could now see them bringing out a mic which could control the OS, similar to the Kinect.

[LAWSON72]

"The kinect for me has always been a way to get around the OS quicker and utilise the 'xbox record that' feature."

This is exactly why I like my Kinect.

I am curious how they will add features like record that, maybe hold in certain buttons (e.g Steam with controller use guide button and RT which could probably work)

[rextraordinaire]

Nobody's moaning about the new kinect-less verison... Except those that bought the first generation of xbox ones...

[kewlkat007]

I can actually say, I used Kinect everyday...it's just part of my entertainment setup. \

This news is great for those that really have no interest whatsoever and feel like they would of paid for it if they bought the $500 Sku. I'm not sure who would pay for an XboxOne just to watch netflix or have it be the go to device for streaming media well, I have no doubt there will be now.

I always thought it could happen because Microsoft is trying to position themselves as an everything box in the living room so a new SKU was plausible in the future.

But man that Phil...

[Revolt13]

Would have really been nice for them to announce this at E3,
Fans would have lost their minds with this and all the games they will show :)

[Veneno]

Are you kidding me? It would have been seen as a huge sign of weakness. That is not a big announcement to make for E3.

[NemesisAU]

Holy shit they actually unbundled it didnt see that coming, better games with gold on 360, games with gold coming to xbox one, no paywall for apps, im liking this new direction microsoft keep it up!!

[Dchops]

Happened sooner than expected, but at least this gives a more affordable option. Just hope kinect support doesn't become meaningless again this gen.

[King_of_Nothing]

I'm happy but also somewhat dissapointed in the news. I was really turned off by kinect at first due to thoughts of being forced to flail my arms around for motion gaming. As of now, I actually do enjoy using it for voice commands and prompting the game dvr, app snap, etc. I'm glad consumers will have more choices now and that this will allow more people to experience the xb1. I just hope this doesn't cause developers to completely shelve kinect functionality.

[Jdoki]

Wow.

I only posted an hour or so ago in another thread that I thought MS would not drop the paywall for Netflix etc. How wrong was I!

I've also said in the past that Kinect was an integral and important part of MS' living room takeover strategy... I was wrong again!

When I finally get round to buying an XB1 I will definitely go for the model that includes Kinect as I like some of the options for controlling TV, but for those who were supposedly waiting to buy an XB1 'if only it didn't have Kinect bundled'... I wonder how many will now be lining up for the console.

I actually think removing Kinect is a mistake. Sure it creates a cheaper console - but now, what incentive do devs have to create a game that includes Kinect functionality.

To date Kinect integration in hardcore games has been a bit of a gimmick - but I still believed at some point there would be a killer app that used Kinect. Now I doubt we will ever see that as devs no longer have incentive to take advantage of it.

I'm also surprised they announced this now. I'm sure it would have got some major news coverage if they waited for E3.

I see this as a sign they are seriously worried about the PS4's dominance. They claim they are reacting to demand from fans - but I see it as capitulating to Sony. It'll be interesting to see if there's any sort of sales spike (or sustained increase) from this.

If MS had the balls they would have taken a hit on the hardware, and sold the XB1 INCLUDING Kinect for the same price as the PS4. I would have respected them as a company more for that sort of aggression, instead of rolling over and cutting yet another feature that made their console more unique.

EDIT: Did anyone else notice that the Games with Gold for the XB1 requires users to have an active subscription to play the games - just like PS+.

Quote:
"**Free Games Offer: For paid Gold members only. On Xbox One, active Gold membership required to play free games you’ve downloaded. Must download titles during designated window. Kinect and/or hard drive required for some games."

[aragon]

wow im surprised wow

[pwnsause_returns]

nice to see the change in direction at the xbox camp. Don Mattick is an arse for almost ruining that brand.

[Neonridr]

Great news for those who were holding back on purchasing an Xbox One due to the high price tag. Now the prices are the same, so it should be interesting.

[Sokol]

Very happy to see Microsoft listen to its customers, that happens very rarely. It's also possible Xbox One sales were pretty underwhelming in retrospective the move was made with new cheaper SKU.

As a PlayStation 4 only gamer I actually look forward to this Christmas. With proper price and introduction of Xbox Gold free games for the Xbox One I can see myself purchasing the console as well.

This is exactly the reason why competition is good for us the gamers and consumers.
Next time fan boys decide to scream and yell to eliminate and get rid of their rival console let them remember that at the end of the day, it's all about business and profit for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.

[Skankinruby]

This happened a lot faster than I expected, with all the moves they've been making to try to boost console sales and none of them working this was really the only option left. They're turning X1 into a ps4 clone more and more with all these changes they keep making.

[Menkyo]

"Delivering More Choices for Fans now that Mattrick is gone-Microsoft" Fixed the title for you.

[Gr1mmyshadows]

Lets see how this'll do for their sales

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Part of me is sad as I really like the Kinect integration...HOWEVER....if this ultimately means the Xbox One will do better and have success with gamers then I can't complain as I think the system and their upcoming games are pretty fantastic.

[DoesUs]

LMFAO! And thus completes a complete and total 180 in a year!

This is an absolutely mega MEGA desperate move. I await all the XB1 fans saying Kinect is integral to differentiate from the competition. Still, they can't do jack about the hardware gap.

[no_more_heroes]

They can make good games, which is the main thing that matters...

[achmetha]

I'm glad they decided to make a bundle without the kinect. I didn't want to pay an extra hundred dollars for something I'd never use.

[no_more_heroes]

Hmmm...looks like I will be able to afford an XB1 much sooner than I thought. As mentioned above, if they're announcing all of this before E3...

...damn, now I'm VERY anxious about MS press conference.

Hold on to yer butts, people. Things are about to get very interesting.

[cabinotier]

this means MS confirmed "sce is right"
MS has lost their mind and decided just follow competitor.

[achmetha]

why does the chart show that the xbox 360 has Game DVR? can someone explain this? I feel like I am missing something.

[SonyMontana]

Don't be fooled, this isn't about "choice". This is about falling behind in sales to the PS4. If they really wanted to be competitive, they would have made the price a little lower than the PS4, let's face it multiplats are better on PS4 and always will be thanks to the hardware differences. I think that's worth a little more money, hence even without Kinect the X1 should be cheaper than the PS4. That's just my opinion and I'm sure many will disagree.

[RAWSTA]

HATERS GONNA HATE! GOOD DAY FOR XBOX BAD DAY FOR PS.

[Majin-vegeta]

How so??

[LogicStomper]

"GOOD DAY FOR XBOX"

Mhmm.

"BAD DAY FOR PS"

No.

[Magicite]

This poor sob just said what many knew from beginning.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

If this really is the right move for MS to have the Xbox One gain back much of what is lost then so be it. I personally love the Kinect integration but clearly it was divisive to many gamers and cost differences just can't be overlooked.

[lonewolfjedi]

wow console must have not sold 4 million yet for them to cut the kinect this quick ahhhh competition gotta love it!

[cabinotier]

now, how long "power of the cloud" can stand?

[XabiDaChosenOne]

Now with the PS4 and XBox one at the same price there will be no more excuses, it will no longer be PS4 outselling the Xbox one because of the X1s faults, it will be because the Playstation brand is just better.

[DevilishSix]

Yeah but even at the same price the PS4 is the better hardware with faster RAM and a better GPU.

[GameDev1]

Well I love this, definitely getting an Xbox One now that is after i sort out the PS4 and Vita

[Jaqen_Hghar]

A man thought they would be less without Kinect...

A man doesn't see how having the less powerful console with less games and more behind a paywall is going to put MS in a winning position. Sure it'll help and now they may look similar price wise, but value wise it's still a clear PS4 advantage just looking at power and free games.

[PsylentKiller]

I always thought that the XB1 without Kinect wouldn't be a good idea but now that it is a reality I think it's the right move. I bought three XB1s at launch and if I had this option to choose Kinect back then,I would have still bought the bundle. I bought one PS4 at launch and would have gotten the camera as well but they were sold out. I just bought a used one for $50 bucks from GameStop even though there isn't much it can do now. However, the main selling point, for me, is the voice control which is the same selling point the Kinect provided for me this generation and last.

The $400 price tag is great but I still believe it should be bundled with a game code. Maybe The downloadable Halo game, Lococycle, Crimson Dragon. Basically any one of the crappy $15 games would give it an added selling point.

I think the kinect will sell well on its own when people realize that the "Xbox, Record That" command won't work without it. That is easily the most used command. Especially when playing Titanfall.

Also, the separation of Xbox Liive to Gold and something like Silver, I guess, is great. Now if the Xbox One portion of Games with Gold gives two games a month or even one good game they will be able to erase some of the advantages PS+ has.

[leemo19]

Its about damn time, geez apps behind a paywall was one of the dumbest things MS did on xbox, glad their finally removing it. Kinectless Xbox-one wasn't really a surprise since most people knew it was coming, it was just matter of time when MS would announce it. Now xbone being $399 like the ps4 competition will be up again, unless Sony at e3 goes $50 price cut but who knows for sure. E3 now with the announcements MS just made is going to be real interesting can't wait.

[gixer]

Ok so they have removed the kinect.....so what? People are still gonna moan about something else and still not buy it

[FATHASUN]

This is where Sony must go for the jugular. Continuing their lead is more financially crucial to them than to MS. Both consoles are on par with pricing so they must emphasize the power of the console with features and content. Your paying the same amount for an arguably less powerful system. First party exclusives must be lined up one after the other to maintain momentum. MS is gearing up for a battle and Sony must not become complacent. Don't Sleep!

[salmon_slapped]

better late than never.

[no_more_heroes]

Funnily enough, I did come around to the idea of using Kinect to augment navigation of the UI...

[corvusmd]

Well, while I'm glad that MS is offering gamers choices, I'm actually very happy with my Kinect, I don't really game with it, but I like it. I understand not everyone will though, so this is good for gamers....however all the announcements that came out today were supposed to be E3 announcements. So A) the rumors were true and B) they announced it early....so what are they clearing up this "space" for?

Side note: I noticed that alot of the people whining on these pages now are the exact same people that were calling for this to happen...it appears not that it was only an excuse to hate XB1..because now they are on to whining about other things with such eloquence as "XB1 sucks, PS4 will alway be better" ...just looks like fear at this point. I love all my systems...there's nothing wrong with XB1...just get over it already.

[supercpu]

its all about choice . its great that MS are listening to there fans .

http://i.imgur.com/vEpY6OD....

[HiTMaNHuntr]

Well time to look into purchasing an Xbone. :)

[Jamaicangmr]

Let the games begin Hehehe!!!

[gamertk421]

The Kinect was essential to the original vision of the console. Obviously that vision changed, hence the backing off from the required Kinect. A coyote will gnaw off its own trapped leg to survive.

BTW, I believe there is a reason they are releasing this sku on 6/9, as they probably will be bundling a game with it.

[DevilishSix]

Damnit I just got an X1 Sunday. I was trying to hold out for an SKU without kinect but I was falling to far behind in games. So, this is just my luck in life, buy something then the version I wanted was announced, lol. Anyways I did get a good deal, by getting Ryse and DR3 for $40, Titanfall for free, and 12 Xbox gold for $40. So I saved around $140 towards the purchase of the X1. Funny thing is the kinect is still in the box and will stay there or now there will be a market for them now a kinectless option is available. Wonder if I can get $75 for it?

[MasterofMagnetism]

Should have been this way from the start.

[tommygunzII]

Microsoft commiting suicide by getting rid of Kinect. Now the Xbox is just a less powerful console with less games and nothing unique.

[feraldrgn]

You can only tout the "more choices" if you'd hadn't been stubborn from the start.

[Izzy408]

Apparently, the only people who don't like this move seem to be PS fanboys.. go figure!

[ocelot07]

@scotmacb Do you mean positive for Microsoft as in catching up to PS4? I honestly can't see it. Here in the UK the Titanfall bundle with XB1 and Kinect could be had for £350 the same price as a standard PS4 with no games.

Yet the PS4 still outsold it. Now we have a XB1 with no kinect and no games for £350. Same price as a PS4 with no games. If XB1 with kinect and Titanfall for £350 can't help Microsoft then I can't see a XB1 with no game or kinect for the same price helping them.

[thatsBangin]

Now you aren't the controller :/

[Ol_Boy]

"In fact, more than 80 percent of you are actively using Kinect, with an average of 120 voice commands per month on each console. Some of the most popular voice commands include “Xbox On,” “Xbox Broadcast” and “Xbox Record That.”

Anyone else found it creepy that MS knows all that?

On topic there's a lot of positive news in that article for Xbox fans. I feel bad for the people who bought the $500 sku. It's like MS took a crap on you guys. All this time they repeated a kinectless xbone for 399 would never happen only to due that exact thing a few months later.

[DynDasE]

Xbox Stop listening !

[dragonyght]

so the 180 continue

[asmith2306]

Said it before and I will say it again, MS will never get my money again. Such a pathetic games company.

[LogicStomper]

Wait, what about this was bad?

[DynDasE]

The real problem is that MS are treating their current customers like shit. No wonder people switch from their products to their competitors all the time because MS do not value their willingness to adopt the console early, destroying customer loyalty in the process.

However, MS should have listened their customers from the very beginning. lol

[Silly gameAr]

Finally got the heat just right.

[DarXyde]

When we consider that the XBOX 360 was touted as a console of choice (having a HDD and not having one at launch, then the Arcade unit, etc.) it's rather surprising that Microsoft tried to get away with forcing Kinect on consumers. Either way, Spencer seems to be taking a stand now, which is great. I really appreciated his down-to-earth, somewhat ambivalent statements regarding Kinect where he says "I love it, but I understand some people just want a controller in their hands". It doesn't get any more chill than that.

I'm not sure what this will do for the sales gap or if price was the big factor here, but I guess we'll see in the coming months for sales.

[The_devils_chum]

I love it ! we wanted to give them more choices. What really happened is microsoft they were the $hit and got cocky. They said you couldn't play used games, you always had to be online. Watch this video to see what happens when you get cocky the blue will snatch you by your skinny neck. Blue vs green i love it.

[Ghost_Nappa]

I think its great that MS is willing to toss aside its own agenda to give us what we want

[forgetmenot]

"Deliver more Choices" lmfao
really -when your where forced to have a kinect, when you were almost required to be always online to play the system--yeah .

anyway this is good news for Ms fans and a set in the right direction

[shuuwai]

Meh,

Fans won.

I doubt MS doesn't wants too see Sony's PS4 sales in the double–digit at the end of the year.

MS 399.99

Sony 399.99

Nintendo 349.99

Hmmm...

So Nintendo needs to drop their price too 299.99. heh

[palaeomerus]

Most stores in the US already carry the Wii U deluxe with a game for $299 and some for $289 now. The Mario Kart 8 bundle costs more ($329) because they add a wiimote plus and a plastic steering wheel.

[Alvia]

Nov 2013: "Why do they force me to buy Kinect?! Fail!" today: "Xbox One without Kinect?! Fail!"

[kingdom18]

Cheaper Xbox One, and no Gold required to use Netflix, this here people is why competition is good! This of course won't benefit everyone, but I love the fact that I can get an Xbox One cheaper now and I don't have to buy Gold!

[BattleN]

Ok show Gears 4 and we see if I buy this

[jmc8888]

I do actually think it is a positive for even the early adopters though. With increased sales, there will be more people buying one, which will help the size of online lobbies.

On the flip side, when you telegraph your moves this far in advance a few things can happen.

1. They give Sony a month to decide whether or not they want to also drop their price.

2. Most people interested in buying an Xbox One will now wait until at least June 9th so they can buy one without Kinect.

So it wouldn't surprise me to see absolutely horrible May Xbox One sales. By revealing this before it happens, they've told everyone a cheaper Xbox One will be on the shelves in about a month.

This also will fudge their data in seeing 'how successful' the price drop was. I don't think it's a motive, but if they use May data as a baseline for a '% increase due to price drop' angle to tout, then they are being either stupid or dishonest.

June should be a good month for them though, at least one would expect so. If they lose June though....

[Skate-AK]

As long as the choices are good for the consumer.

[gigoran]

These choices should have been available at LAUNCH! Too little, too late. All Sony has to do (and probably will do) is announce a slight price drop. Even without that, people still know it's the superior console this generation and won't be turned by a slightly cheaper xbone.

[marlinfan10]

6 months into the life cycle and its too little to late lmao.. you guys are gonna get tired of saying this for the next 7-8 yrs

[lonewolfjedi]

damn Microsoft is really following and playing catch up to sony now.

[DaGamingKing]

MS has done well here and I applaud their efforts. Way to listen to everybody and make changes. People will complain still dont you worry about that, but I personally think its a great step forward for MS. Hopefully MS drives more sales. As the cheaper console (at least in Australia) and on par with USA, it should remove any debate about price. And finaly gamers can make their choice on the games instead.

[90Supra]

"We really had no other choice" - Microsoft

[Reem]

What a failure

[Mister_G]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[64commando]

I love how it's so obvious they're only doing this because Sony is handing them their ass, yet theyre turning this around and using it to make videos on how they're "listening to fans" which we all know is complete bs. I'm glad MS is doing this but don't Xbots get tired of Microsoft's constant Bullshit?

[Jdoki]

Damage control and marketing.

They're not going to admit they are getting their backsides kicked by Sony at the moment.

That's also why every time they talk about XB1 sales figures they compare it to the 360 at the same point in time... Yet when the 360 was beating the PS3 (in the US) they made such a big thing about it, as if the US was the only territory in world.

Yes it's a double standard, and yes MS are the more guilty of it (and I don't appreciate them treating me - a potential customer - as if I'm a clueless idiot that can't see through their BS), but other companies do this too, to some degree.

It's yet another 180. It does show MS are fighting for market share, but it also shows they lack a real strategy (which was one of the things that annoyed me about the 360 life cycle). MS never really knew what they wanted the 360 to be - so they just continued to shout that it was a casual machine, it was a hardcore machine, it was a connected living room device and so on - but without really impressing in any one area).

[16bitNutritionist]

What did the SNES have over the Mega Drive, what did the Saturn have over the N64, they are both consoles they both play games....yes one is stronger hardware wise but to get the best experience means getting both consoles and loving what they both provide not fighting over trivial shiz all the time like this. Just chill the heck out and play you're games people...... Much love.....kiss kiss....bang bang.....xx

[marlinfan10]

fanboy logic:

"xbox needs to unbundle the kinect, its a NSA spy tool, and its stupid!"

xbox finally unbundles kinect.

"omg i can't believe xbox would do a 180 like that, ill never support a company that would do something like that"