Microsoft has done it again. The fans rejoice, haters too (because the proud, mighty giant, has once again bitten into the humble pie), and I am guttered. Microsoft’s announcement of the unbundling of Kinect with the Xbox one bundle has massive implications—positive for the most part if you’re Microsoft, but rather mix ones for video gaming and the industry. The Xbox One has lost one of its defining features and that’s never good. I fear the Xbox One has fallen too far from its grand, original concept and it is at risk of devolving into a bland old generic gaming machine. Motion control has lost a champion and as a result, this generation of gamers will no longer be able to see the full potential of motion-facial-voice recognition capture realized.
The Kinect isn’t a bad device, not by a long shot. It has had its shortcomings but Kinect 2.0 was supposed to be the device its predecessor wasn’t. The promise of increased support and utilization by developers is at high risk of ringing hollow. With the unbundling Microsoft has gone down a slippery slope with the Kinect and early adopters will be aggrieved by this. As it is, the software for Kinect is weak; a sorry stable of games, and reported 50-75% accuracy on gestures and commands. What Kinect requires now is support because that’s the only way it’s going to improve. As it stands, there are already users using the Xbox One without the Kinect, who’s to stop the white elephant from sliding further into obscurity?
What is the Xbox’s defining feature now that it has ditched the Kinect? Integrated TV experience? Phil Spencer wants to rebrand the Xbox One as a hardcore gaming console but the PS4 has already built quite a fortress there. At least at US$499 with the Kinect, Microsoft could market the console as a premium device, one that’s boxed with a state-of-the art motion sensing/capturing camera. At US$399 it’s swimming with the PS4, and we all know the PS4 is a bigger fish in terms of hardware.
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Consumers want the freedom to choose, but not as much as attractive pricing.
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As a South East Asian gamer without a ‘next gen’ console to call his own yet, I was excited at what the Xbox one had to offer. I was genuinely interested in a Kinect that had serious applications apart from being the nifty party trick. Alas, perhaps it was naive of me to think that the same Kinect functions offered to Americans and Europeans will be afforded here. If there was little chance of that happening it sure as hell won’t happen now. Even if Microsoft does come true with TV integration in this region it seems the media remote (at US$26.50 on Amazon) will suffice.
At the end of the day, a price drop was what Microsoft needed to boost prospective sales. Losing the Kinect however was a decision borne out of panic. Consumers want the freedom to choose, but not as much as attractive pricing. In my opinion, keeping the Kinect and dropping the price by $50 would have been more attractive. Price parity will ensure greater competitiveness in the long run, but at what cost to the Xbox vision? There were some very exciting, innovative plans outlined for this machine, and I’m afraid that all this backpedalling is going to make it count for nought.
The Kinectless Xbox One is slated to hit store shelves this June the 9th.
videogamer300 
I’m not a fan of motion controls so I won’t shed any tears regarding the Kinect’s demise. Right now a lot of people are opting for the PS4, due to the price, so you cannot blame Microsoft for doing something to cut manufacturing costs.
I’m not a big fan of motion control in its current state but I was excited at its potential. Microsoft’s folly was not showing us how the Kinect was integral to their vision of the “all-in-one” entertainment system. I suspect there’s a good number that went with the PS4 because they saw little value in the Kinect, and they’re right, there’s no tremendous improvement in one’s “entertainment experience” with the Kinect. If only Microsoft could show us all why we’d want the Kinect I reckon they’d be pushing out more units even with the $100 price disadvantage.
On the flip side, I’m not sure how much they’d actually be saving on manufacturing cost by doing this. They don’t plan to discontinue the Kinect so they’ll still be manufacturing it, but with support now waning, interest in the product will decline, and they’re going to see a lot more Kinects sitting on store shelves collecting dust.