Microsoft Comments On $399 Xbox One: "No, You Cannot Believe Everything You Read On The Internet"

Microsoft Comments On $399 Xbox One: "No, You Cannot Believe Everything You Read On The Internet"

[Qwagy UK]

Bin kinect, bring it down to the same price point as the PS4, then I may buy one just for the exclusives.

[GarrusVakarian]

Exactly the same thing im hoping for, for the same reason.

[Megaton]

I probably would, too. I'm sure they'll launch something I want to play eventually, and the Kinect is the dealbreaker. Aside from the janky camera itself, the dashboard's reliance upon it needs to be fixed.

[mcstorm]

So let me get this right. This site is flooded with negative press about the Xbox one being less powerful than the ps4 and more expensive but now people would accept the Xbox one being the Same price as the ps4 even though its not as powerful and they drop Kinect which is the main device the console has been built around?

[garos82]

id get one for exclusives only and not for the current price point.would be interested in Kinect if it wasn't a piece of crap

[Sitdown]

@mcstorm
Haha... well when you put it like that.

@garos82
What all xbox one games have you played with Kinect that helped you reach your conclusion?

[Studio-YaMi]

You missed their point,they said they would get it ONLY for EXCLUSIVES!

Meaning that any multiplate releasing on both systems they would still buy on PS4 since(as you have stated yourself) it's much more powerful than the XboxOne.

[ABizzel1]

@mcstorm

$399 is better than $499 for a camera you don't want.

I've said it should be $349 - $379 due to the weaker hardware, but $399 is a good starting point for them and removing Kinect will allow them to hit other regions MUCH FASTER.

[giovonni]

which is strange, because the kinect allows the system to do more. so if MS did all of what you said, wouldn't the ps4 still be the better system?

[DeadMansHand]

Yes. im not buying a bone because it's less powerful, I'm not buying one because to me, kinect is stupid and unwanted. I bought a WiiU and it's really less powerful but I love Nintendo exclusives. I like halo and gears so if I could buy a bone for 399 ish and it had no stupid camera I had to set up, even just once then I would be all over it. Even though ms says kinect not mandatory if a dev put a section in a game that uses it now I have to take it out of the box and hook it all up to continue playing. If they sell a kinectless sku then devs cannot put it in a game since they know a lot of people don't own one. That's literally all I'm waiting for. I have 432.00 in my second savings account just waiting for this to all happen.

[Hicken]

People- especially enthusiasts in any field- don't like paying for stuff they don't want. Personally, even without the Kinect- which I mostly just see as a waste of resources, not necessarily a failure- I don't want an XB1 at all.

But some people would be more inclined to bite the bullet on the price if it were lower and didn't have that damn accessory they don't want. They want to play Halo, Forza, Fable, and Gears(as well as the new stuff), but they don't want to pay MORE for a system that's pretty much only more because of a camera they don't have any desire to use.

Folks defending the Xbox- and Microsoft in general- always take this "all or nothing" approach. As if EVERY person who's not keen on the XB1 feels exactly the same way, and they'd ALL change their minds if the exact same things were changed.

Qwagy spoke for himself, and some people agreed with his sentiment. You can't- well, you can, but that's ignorant- look at that and say, "Oh, so now everybody's fine with X?" because that's not what's happening.

[mcstorm]

I get that people want different things but people are just nit picking about the Kinect. Its like saying I don't want a ps4 until Sony drop the light out of the controller as it has no use at all without the camera and it shortens the battery life. Or I want a wiiu without the wiiu controller as I don't want a tablet as a controller and it puts the price up. All these parts of the consoles are there for a reason and can add to the console and games. As I said the Xbox one has been designed around Kinect the same way the wiiu was designed around the touch controller. Take them away and you are just left with a console that adds nothing from the last gen console.

[Charybdis]

Some people have said the same of the wii (ditch the motion control). Kinect is an integral part of the design, appeal and marketing efforts of Microsoft.

If they would release xb1 without kinect there would be people complaining about the high price of a stand-alone kinect or not being able to use advertised features(ir beamer is located in the kinect)

[SilentNegotiator]

Baloney. You can still do all of the important features without the Kinect. Stop spewing this "integral part of the design" PR garbage.

"there would be people complaining about the high price of a stand-alone kinect"
-
Kinect 1 sold about 24 million units; about a 30% attach rating. If Kinect 2 costs a lot more than the first, then MS is already losing a LOT of money forcing it into every package, so there would be no reason to sell it for a lot on its own.

[BitbyDeath]

You're confusing Wii with Wii U.
Nobody ever said to ditch motion controls.
Had you said the Wii U tablet you would have been correct.

[GamingNerd013]

Agreed yo I might buy it if no kenect is with it and it's drops to 350 wich is fair sense well it's weaker then PS4 and the fact that I will only play it 4 exclusives as well mostly JRPGS as I'm a sucker 4 them:) glad I have my PS4 as I will be using it 4 all the 3rd party games and exclusive of course.

[Bolts-N-Rays1109]

Ditching Kinect won't happen any time soon. XB1 is selling fine with it, so they'll keep it. Had the XB1 sold poorly, then they would most likely drop it.

[mhunterjr]

Of course they would deny an impending price drop. The news would only hamper sales...

[Charybdis]

They haven't launched in all territories yet, have better sales compared to their previous console (360).

Microsoft likes money price drop therefore unlikely, would be nice though. As long as their consoles are still moving from shells at a sufficient rate I don't see a price drop. Inclusion of a free xb1 bundle with a free game is more likely .

[mhunterjr]

I agree, i think a price drop would be premature, especially when they have some key titles approaching, that will surely drive interest. I'm just saying, if they DID have one planned, they wouldn't admit it... Not this far in advance.

[MsmackyM]

Birth Control in the ghetto is selling better than the Xbox One, MS needs to do something and do it fast.

[mhunterjr]

What are you talking about man? Nearly 3.5 mil after 10 weeks, in just 13 countries. Sure it isn't selling as well as the ps4, but let's not pretend it's performing poorly.

[MsmackyM]

The Xbox One practically hit a brick wall after launch pre-orders and the only region that showed a bit of interest is the US. Microsoft has said themselves, they only sold through 3 million with 900,000 sitting on retailers shelves. And to make matters even worse for the Xbox One; multiplats are performing significantly better on the PS4. That is extremely troubling if your main push is multiplats.

[nope111]

Remove the Kinect.

[Angeljuice]

@nope111

It's not going to happen, Kinect is the feature they built the XB1 around. It is their main vision for the console, it's the USP for the console. If they removed it, it wouldn't look good for investors (a diluted incarnation of their core design vision).
I'm not saying I agree with their decisions (Im not interested in an XB1 at any price), but I understand that you can't just remove a core feature of a product without causing major problems.

[Arkardo]

I hate kinect and i will not buy an X1 until they ditch it, but i can say that your statement it's the most accurate i have seen on ng4, they just cannot turn their core vision again that will be the final blow to MS.

Its sad because i really wanted to play exclusives, but with kinect and at that price sorry, no buy from me.

[KonsoruMasuta]

That would be the dumbest thing ever. There are huge problems with digital games that needs to get addressed before anyone thinks of making a digital only console.

[OpieWinston]

But Microsoft already confirmed that in the future they're going to address the price gap issue.

[KonsoruMasuta]

Not only that but what about when they shutdown services for that system? How will you re-download your games if your HDD gets corrupted? 100s of dollars down the drain.

There is also the problem of not enough space on the HDD, games are getting up as big as 60GBs nowadays.

@Opie
Steam is a single service that is ongoing. Steam users don't have to change to a new Steam every 5-7 years. They also don't have to worry about no BC.

[OpieWinston]

When do you foresee this "Shut Down"?
Do you think Steam is shutting down within the next 20 or so years?
WORST case scenario in the next 15-20 years Microsoft sells off the Xbox Division and they supply the Cloud servers to keep the system running.
The same Cloud servers that Skydrive/Xbox Live/Skype all run on is what's keeping it all up and running including your purchases.

Microsoft has thought that part through.

[GentlemenRUs]

If that's the case, I can't see how £429 is acceptable... Not... One... Bit...

I guess the F5 people are out in full force today.

[skydragoonity]

You don't think they can just flip the switch do you? LoL ;)

[jmac53]

MS never comments on rumors or speculation but they did with this. Whether it's true or not it will really damage their sales if everyone holds off for the cheaper model.

[guerojose]

Translation: "PLEASE don't believe this, because we don't want our sales to plummet to zero. If everyone decides to wait for the cheaper one, our market share and finances for the division will be even more screwed."

"BTW: Please DO keep believing what you read on the internet about Xbone having great technology, the best games, being the fastest selling console, etc."

[Excalibur]

I'm waiting on the $399.00, Kinect-less, 1TB WITH Blu-ray system.
If Microsoft wants to compete it WILL happen.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

1 TB, Kinectless XB1 FTW please MS be smart about this!

[from the beach]

Truer words never spoken. It's always the same with these rumours, good or bad - believe them at your peril! A price drop seems likely but a new model Xbox One doesn't.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

MS has to do something before PS4 completely run away with the lead but it won't stop PS4 it's a beast.

[SonyROXitoohya]

Nobody with an xbox one cares is ps4 is leading, I don't get why people don't see that. Microsoft is selling millions of consoles right behind the ps4, nobody cares they are behind, except for the sony fans which is pathetic lol and shows ur worried.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

For you to not care you sure took the time to comment about it. Really though you should care because if MS isn't making the money they want from XB1 it could very well be their last console.

[Whiskeyjacked87]

Commenting equals caring.

[mhunterjr]

MS doesn't need to outsell the ps4 in order to make money from the ps4. They just need a decent marketshare. They had 30% last gen, and will probably have that or slightly more this gen.... Unless the WiiU has some miraculous turn around...

[Ctiboi2010]

I don't understand the arguments here.

1. The Kinect 2 for the Xbox One is a great piece of technology that most Xbox One owners enjoy to have included with the system. Implying that it is a worthless piece of junk is just false, this is obvious to those who use it on a daily basis. There can definitely be more functionality with games but it's 3 months into the console's lifespan and there are plenty of updates to come that will indeed enhance the performance even more.

2. How are they not able to compete sales wise? Both consoles are selling great and they offer different features for everyone to enjoy.

3. It seems as if a lot of people on here equate the higher price of a console with performance and refuse to acknowledge the other features of the Xbox One that makes it a valuable piece of equipment. Anyone remember the 600 dollar price tag of the PS3? performance wasn't the only factor in the price, Blu Ray was a big part of that due to it being new tech. History shows it paid off. I think there may be a problem with short sightedness. We may need to start acknowledging the possibility that the risk Microsoft took with the Kinect 2 will pay off in years to come.

4. I keep hearing the argument about the inferior performance and how "real gamers" would buy the PS4 to have the most optimal gaming system. Yes, the PS4 is more powerful and as of right now for a number of reasons (one of them being power) multi plats perform better on the PS4. Did this stop early adopters of the 600 dollar PS3 from enjoying their systems? No, it just didn't. Were 360 owners wrong for rubbing in minor differences in performance over the PS3? Yes, it was stupid. Does that mean gamers should react the same exact way against the Xbox One? No. Quite honestly, the "hardcore gamers" that actually notice the difference between 30-45 vs. 45-60 fps or 900p vs. 1080p are the minority when it comes to gaming. MOST people would never notice the difference, it just so happens that the gaming community has a lot of techies as well.

Yes the Xbox One is 500 dollars and everyone knows down the line BOTH consoles will lower in price, it's what happens. At the end of the day, why try to turn this into a negative IF it is true? Having a cheaper system with more exclusives available to all of us is a bad thing now? Does this somehow solidify your choice to purchase which ever other console you may have chosen? I just don't understand the logic.

[Yodagamer]

For number 3 and 4, with the extra $100 you got a bluray player and at the time one of the cheaper bluray players and alot of people wanted that. Xbox one is $100 more and you get something very few people want and most of it's functions could be replaced by smart glass or a cheap headset like the ps4 does.

[Ctiboi2010]

@ Yodagamer

I understand but at the same time I disagree when you say that very few people want the Kinect included in the box. The Sales numbers that Microsoft has say otherwise. Like I said, both systems are selling very well at the moment.

You are correct about the PS3 being the cheapest Blu Ray player at the time but we can't forget that
a) It was 200 dollars more than the premium Xbox 360 when it launched and

b) It was still untested waters at the time. The Blu Ray format was in direct competition with HD-DVD and no one knew which format would take over. Sony took a huge risk with the PS3 being 200 dollars more and luckily it paid off in dividends.

This helps my point about the Kinect 2, although it may be 100 dollars more expensive it may pay off in the future for Microsoft. It offers a direct distinction between the consoles which is good for all gamers and the possibilities with functionality are there as long as Microsoft and developers embrace it even more within the next few years. I'm just not willing to call the Kinect 2 worthless after three months is my point.

Also in response to the headset the PS4 includes in the box being able to replace most of the functionality of the Kinect 2 I just don't think that is true. Features such as being able to control your whole entertainment system as soon as you walk in your room, Skyping with friends and family in HD with great sound clarity, the hands-free ability of controlling your cable, hulu, netflix and whichever other apps while you are cooking or busy, and the console detecting who is holding the controller and adjusting the setting based on that person's custom profile would not be possible.

http://n4g.com/news/1319833...

(Not to mention the Xbox fitness app would be impossible and that app is great lol.)

[jmac53]

What games right now make the Kinect a worthwile inclusion to the box? Crickets... As far as I can see it's a fancy UI remote control. If MS and 3rd parties are not supporting it then it will be worthless. Sorry, maybe things will change but this is someone who got burned by the 1st Kinect and I wont be fooled again.

[Ctiboi2010]

@jmac53

"What games right now make the Kinect a worthwile inclusion to the box? Crickets..."

Sorry man I just saw your post. I posted this same link in my reply to Yodagamer, it shows some of the Kinect 2 Funtionality with games on the Xbox One so feel free to check it out.

http://n4g.com/news/1319833...

"this is someone who got burned by the 1st Kinect and I wont be fooled again."

The first iteration of the Kinect actually sold very well, in fact 24 million were sold by Feb 2013 (roughly a quarter of the 360's install base). I also wouldn't base your expectations for the Kinect 2 off of the capabilities of the first Kinect seeing as how the technology has been vastly improved. There is a pretty impressive Tech video of the Kinect 2 you may want to check out as proof floating round on the internet.

As far as "worthwhile"...I can't speak for what you define as worthwhile because that's up to the individual. What I may think is "worthwhile" is not the same for you and vice versa.

But as I said in my first post:

"There can definitely be more functionality with games but it's 3 months into the console's lifespan and there are plenty of updates to come that will indeed enhance the performance even more."

I as well would like to see more Kinect 2 features in games so yes you're right, but then again we've got AT LEAST 8 more years of this gen and I'm pretty sure we will see some more features to come. It all just comes down to Microsoft's and the game developers' ability to capitalize on the tech that is included in every box. If they can, it will show that the Xbox division made the right choice to include it despite its higher price point and it will pay off for gamers who decide to buy the system at some point if they haven't already done so.

[Hercules189]

Kinect Sports Rivals looks very fun to play

[Ko_Uraki]

I don't understand all the credit that some insiders have or claim to have.
Horzion 2? For me was 100% sure without being an insider.
Same thing for Halo 2 Anniversary.
A XBOX ONE price cut before Christmas 2014? We have PS4 which costs 100 €/$ less and is selling better. Clearly a price cut is a real possibility.

Logic is far more "reliable" than "insiders".

[jmac53]

Well we are talking about MS here. Consumer logic was absent from MS this past year. You would think it would be a no brainer but the same was said in the early part of last year with people saying MS would never implement DRM and always online.

[Hercules189]

The X1 is selling less but at the same time is making about the same amount of money because its more expensive. Honda sells much more than Mercedes but Mercedes doesnt worry about reducing their prices because they sell enough to make a huge profit.

[brewin]

Any price point where the Kinect is included is too high. Even if it sells at $400, it could be $100 cheaper without the Kinect. I will not buy One until there is a version without Kinect and I also feel there will be a redesigned slim model sooner rather than later. I can hold out. There isnt anything that make me feel I need to drop that much. It just seems like theyre offering a lot more of the same crap just prettier. Maybe Quantum Break and Sunset Overdrive do something that cannot be done on last gen consoles. Until I see something that is amazing ad doesnt require some kind of always on connection (Titanfall, Elder Scrolls online) I will just wait. Its not like I dont have a good backlog anyway.

[Dirkster_Dude]

Unfortunately, Microsoft we can't believe everything you say either.

[Batnut00]

A shame, I would totally buy a 1tb discless Xbox.

[The_devils_chum]

Omg really somebody should smack the taste right out of aron greengurgs mouth.realy fire his sorry ass, what a sad specimen. Im glad i never believed any of the xbone crap in the beginning about the drm, used games, kinect included, and all the online rumors about cod,ac,bf4,thief,tomb raider,watch dogs, and many more being inferior graphically. Those were all internet nonsense nobody should have given a 2nd thought about (but they came true). Judging by the sad state of things im inclined to believe just about anything microsoft denies.

[The_devils_chum]

You can actually get a xb1 on ebay,amazon,craigslist for around $425 because nobody wants them and they were purchased to flip but nobody wants them. Ps4s are selling for around $700 to $800 because its a highly desired product.

[MegaRay]

And im the one who believes everything on the internet, so let me guess there's no half life 3 ; (

[GraveLord]

They wouldn't confirm it this far in advance.

[alti]

This is technically on the internet.

$399 Xbox One CONFIRMED.

[sAVAge_bEaST]

Yes, if anyone has taught us that, it is your company Micro$oft.
And that goes for your Legion of Astro.Turfers, also.

Classic Classic, Classic M$,. Leak rumors/fud/disinfo with the left hand, while raising the right hand in defense.

[BG11579]

Funny thing, he used the internet to say this.
Good way to counter his own statement.

[neomahi]

Ah yes! Kevin Butler said that back in 2009 when the PS3 got a price drop to $299 in response to the Internet Monger and Sony got all of this about some reference to World War II or something.

But, yes. Its really hard to believe anything Micro$haft says either.

[BattleReach]

So it's 349?
- kinect, -discdrive.

[pabadamus1]

Speculation and what if will become what? when? if a sizable sales gap develops. For all of the denial, MSFT would have to price correct to stay competitive with Sony if they start to pull away. How will they do this?..drop the Kinect. It may not happen early this year or this year at all but MSFT cannot afford to lose mkt share over the long run. If I were a betting man I would bet on a Kinect-less sku Christmas time or by the middle of next year to accompany a Halo or Gears game. The next few sell through reports by both manufacturers will determine what happens next.

[SynestheticRoar]

Aaron Greenberg that's who I'am suppose to believe. Get the F-out of here.

[tommygunzII]

If there is one thing I've learned about MS fans it's that they would pay $800 for a console. No need for a price drop, just make games and stop trying to bleed everyone and it will sell.

[ziggurcat]

right... because the information that has come out is *so* unbelievable that you're seeking legal action against the person who leaked the information.

good one, greenberg.

[TBONEJF]

Y Would anyone read that they would come out with a cheaper model of XB1? It's only been out a few months takes a bout a few years for the console drop in price. stop acting so desperate.

[NeloAnjelo]

And you can't believe everything MS says... "You can't just flip a switch!"... Oh wait

[PAYNEinc85]

I know it may be too late but Microsoft needs to figure out a way to make their second batch of Xbox ones more powerful so they can up the framerate and/or resolution to be able to achieve 1080p. The 1st batch of Xbox ones would still be able to run these games. Just not at 1080p/60 FPS. Like I said though, it's probably too late. I'm sure they have millions of the original chipsets already premade waiting to be assembled.