Xbox One getting $399 version without Kinect in June

Microsoft is introducing an Xbox One without Kinect included. It will launch on June 9 for $399.

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Update: Twitch is also among the apps that will be available without a Gold subscription.

Microsoft announced a new, cheaper retail option for Xbox One today, without Kinect included. It will launch June 9 for $399, putting it on-par with the price of the PlayStation 4. The company also confirmed reports that entertainment apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Twitch will be accessible without a Gold subscription starting in early June.

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  • reply
    May 13, 2014 8:55 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Xbox One getting $399 version without Kinect in June.

    Microsoft is introducing an Xbox One without Kinect included. It will launch on June 9 for $399.

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 8:56 AM

      [deleted]

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        May 13, 2014 9:03 AM

        It's not like there was ever any pent up demand for it and most people just use it to command the cable box. It keeps getting hyped as the next big thing, but know one ever seems to come up with a satisfactory reason why. It's admittedly a cool piece of tech, but it's not really useful outside of a handful of games.

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          May 13, 2014 9:12 AM

          [deleted]

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            May 13, 2014 9:32 AM

            Lololilol you mad

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              May 13, 2014 10:00 AM

              I'm a little mad, and I don't even own an XBO.

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            May 13, 2014 9:33 AM

            What they should have done was release the Kinect 2 for the pc way way before the X1's launch, allowing indie devs to do the hard work figuring out cool applications for it in advance of the systems launch.

            Although i still feel they were pressured into releasing the X1 earlier than they wanted to, so that couldn't have happened.

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            May 13, 2014 9:33 AM

            Missing the point. It was useless even if mandatory. It's been out for 5 years and no one has come up with a compelling use for it, other than changing channels.

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              May 13, 2014 9:36 AM

              It needs marketshare so developers will be enticed to make an AAA experience for it.

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                May 13, 2014 9:38 AM

                Oh yeah, preempting some replies, I couldn't give more fucks about the Kinect

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                May 13, 2014 11:19 AM

                Build it and they will come. If there is no compelling content, there is no reason to spend the extra C note.

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                  May 13, 2014 11:28 AM

                  well its a catch 22 since devs wont give a crap if people dont have the kinect. Microsoft just wanted to be the chicken/egg that came first to try to get the ball rolling.

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            May 13, 2014 9:38 AM

            look, i like the kinect idea, it seems cool in a lot of ways, but evidently the audience doesn't care so much, and clearly devs aren't that into it or there'd be more pressure to keep it mandatory. i don't think there are revolutionary experiences down the pipe. even though i said it was forward-thinking and had a lot of potential the market doesn't seem to agree, so they are doing the only thing they can do as a company that wants to be profitable.

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            May 13, 2014 10:34 AM

            It was worthless before they removed it out of the SKU. There wasn't been any meaningful reason or showcase to justify owning one. Had there been a killer app or must have game AAA utilizing it people would buy the accessory.

            Also keep in mind that the Kinect doesn't necessarily work in every situation like small rooms or bedrooms. So why pay for something you can't use all that well.

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              May 13, 2014 10:41 AM

              [deleted]

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                May 13, 2014 12:55 PM

                I think there was enough outcry about it in the first place that no one wanted to make anything for it. They realized that no one really wanted to use it so they didn't bother.

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            May 13, 2014 8:33 PM

            If this is seriously the problem they face (if) then they need to come out with a truly fantastic first party game that showcases some of the awesomeness that the kinect can bring to gaming rather than just being a gimmick.

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            May 13, 2014 10:02 PM

            It'll be as worthless when not shoved down customers' throats as it is currently, because luckily one doesn't have to install it. It never was a piece of hardware developers could assume to be present in 100% of Xbone owners' livingrooms.

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        May 13, 2014 9:28 AM

        They should have kept bundling games in each system. That would have closed the price gap enough to make the Kinect seem like a cheaper add on

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        May 13, 2014 12:54 PM

        I see it as a good thing.

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          May 13, 2014 9:20 PM

          how? They officially crippled any reason for a dev to integrate Kinect functionality because the install base is going to keep shrinking and they can't guarantee that everyone is going to have a Kinect. It's the dumbest move they could make in a long line of dumb decisions.

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      May 13, 2014 8:56 AM

      called it!

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        May 13, 2014 11:03 AM

        Lol for all the people who shack piled on those who wanted a kinectless xbone :(

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      May 13, 2014 8:57 AM

      Anything left for them to go back on now?

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        May 13, 2014 9:34 AM

        You mean another 180?

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          May 13, 2014 9:44 AM

          Whoa whoa whoa we don't want that. DRM, always on, etc is back that way.

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        May 13, 2014 10:15 AM

        Nope, not really, no.

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      May 13, 2014 8:59 AM

      I called it too. There was no way they could sustain a $100 price differential. They either had to eat the cost and lower the price or they had to drop it. I got a lot of lols for that and it turns out I was right.

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      May 13, 2014 9:05 AM

      Ahh, so Xbox is now PS4. Great choice that console.

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      May 13, 2014 9:12 AM

      hahahahaha, xbox one. such a shitshow... so much lost potential. such fail.

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        May 13, 2014 9:25 AM

        Didn't they originally claim the console was being designed in such a way that it couldn't work without kinect and it wouldn't be possible to separate them? Funny how losing money makes things possible.

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          May 13, 2014 9:32 AM

          It's all strategy and marketing. Of course it could work without it but they had to make a decision and it turned out to be the bad one. Now it's all back peddling and damage control at this point. I think the only thing they can do at this point is focus on getting good games on the system and they need to do it sooner rather than later. I'm still holding out on buying a next gen console probably until the end of this year, early next. If history has taught me anything, it's that new console generations are generally rocky from the start.

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      May 13, 2014 9:18 AM

      So dirty.

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      May 13, 2014 9:23 AM

      This doesn't change anything. The ship sailed months ago. Fuck them.

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        May 13, 2014 9:26 AM

        such anger. i am glad i'm not HUGELY emotionally invested in these money making products created by massive corporations.

        cheaper xbox and no gold req. for apps? cool!

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          May 13, 2014 9:30 AM

          [deleted]

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            May 13, 2014 9:33 AM

            i wonder what will be worse, the smug satisfaction of the people who "predicted" this a year ago, or the people who still hate microsoft for daring to release something that PERSONALLY offended their sensibilities and then WEAKLY changed their stance...?

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              May 13, 2014 10:00 AM

              lol.. not HUGELY emotionally invested or anything.

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          May 13, 2014 9:46 AM

          I don't own either of the new consoles. I have no emotional or monetary investment at this current time. But I just remember the before launch crap with Microsoft and how they handled it. Some of the stuff said just turned me off.

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        May 13, 2014 9:31 AM

        Ouch. Someone certainly is emotionally involved in this console race.

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          May 13, 2014 9:35 AM

          Not really. I don't own either one of them. But I'll probably grab ps4 by Christmas.

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      May 13, 2014 9:27 AM

      I wonder how they'll translate the "record that" to a controller. I don't see how you could you catch a clip of Titanfall midgame without messing up your game by going into menus on a live match. Maybe they'll copy the the way the PS4 just records the last 25 minutes all the time.

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        May 13, 2014 9:29 AM

        [deleted]

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          May 13, 2014 9:32 AM

          I guess, but I hate wearing the headset if I'm not explicitly using it to talk to someone, and then you'd also have teammates yelling into their mics "XBOX RECORD THAT SHIT. YEAH NIGGA YOU DUN GOT RAPED BITCH."

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            May 13, 2014 9:34 AM

            [deleted]

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              May 13, 2014 9:36 AM

              That's not practical you silly bitch. They'll need to make it easy to use for a controller based setup. The PS4 already has solved that problem. I mean when it comes down to it, I don't give a shit really, I gots mine. It's just that it was one of the best Kinect features and the implementation for editing and sharing were better than the PS4 too.

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            May 13, 2014 9:46 AM

            ...that's not much different from now.

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              May 13, 2014 11:50 AM

              Yeah. Voice chat doesn't selectively ignore kinect voice commands, does it?

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              May 13, 2014 5:14 PM

              I would think that it's possible to sidestep that problem by just quickly toggling the mute button before using a command.

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        May 13, 2014 9:29 AM

        I don't think you will be able to unless they change how the DVR app works. There are certain things that just won't work without it.

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          May 13, 2014 10:17 AM

          You can't even use Upload Center at all unless you have your kinect hooked up. It annoys me as I never have my kinect plugged in except when I have wanted to upload some footage to onedrive.

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            May 13, 2014 10:20 AM

            Wow. I didn't know that. Have they said why that is? Or is there no way other than Record That to make a clip?

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              May 13, 2014 10:28 AM

              You can snap the DVR app in and record like 5 min or gameplay or something like that all with the controller. The DVR app and Upload Studio are two different apps and both need to be used to upload something to Onedrive.

              The reason upload studio needs the Kinect is I guess if you want to add voice comments or something. It's so dumb though because I never used it even in there to upload clips because for that you don't actually have to use the kinect yet the app says you do, which is what it's annoying to me.

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        May 13, 2014 10:48 AM

        [deleted]

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        May 13, 2014 1:48 PM

        Add a mic to the console.

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      May 13, 2014 9:32 AM

      HEH.

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      May 13, 2014 9:34 AM

      Bombcast should be fun this week.

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      May 13, 2014 9:39 AM

      whoops

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      May 13, 2014 9:41 AM

      Heh. I love it. They really should have named this one the 180.

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      May 13, 2014 9:44 AM

      no gold required for apps? about time.

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      May 13, 2014 9:45 AM

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffCEr327W44 I knew it, well lets be honest Kinect is pretty much useless for mainstream gaming it is a specialty device it should of always been optional.

      No one talks about how fantastic Kinect is for gaming on the Xbox One(or the 360), so I have to give MS massive respect for doing this, the only shitty thing is that money could of been put into a better GPU initially and the XB1 could of been > PS4.

      All well this is very good news for MS moving forward, I dig it its a good on them, no hate, you can not live in the past.

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        May 13, 2014 9:49 AM

        Word, all these changes today are good for people who love playing games. We've seen the last two generations what happens when one company gets too dominant and comfortable. This is a great step to keeping that fight going.

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          May 13, 2014 9:59 AM

          For sure man, totally this ^^ it is a very positive move.

          I really hope the DX12 upgrade will be massive like they have said, they could really use that extra juice.

          Very cool for both camps this will keep things interesting like you said.

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      May 13, 2014 9:46 AM

      One thing to remember is that a lot of the executives who were responsible for the Xbox One's problems have either left or been purged. Now their replacements get to clean up the mess and what a mess it is.

      Really most of the Xbox One's problems can be attributed to a small group of completely out of touch with reality executives who have their bad ideas praised by yes men. Meanwhile the employees who actually have a good head on their shoulders can do nothing but watch the train wreck knowing the executives will get off scott free, and still get a huge bonus too, while everyone else gets a pink slip.

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        May 13, 2014 9:49 AM

        ^^^ totally this

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        May 13, 2014 10:10 AM

        I think the problem is more that the execs were ahead of their time and were willing to be risky to innovate. The PS4 is what every console has been before it - a faster machine. There really is nothing new it brings to the table. That turned out to be a good strategy for them and I'm not saying they were wrong. But innovation is a good thing, and it was good to see Microsoft take a risk on real innovation.

        The Kinect tech will eventually be there - some sort of voice command and motion sensing. Just like eventually games will only be sold online. But it apparently is not now.

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          May 13, 2014 10:15 AM

          It really isn't all about kinect. That's just a part of it. The whole drm thing and the steps taken to prevent used games from being played. And I just didn't like their overall attitude when handling the criticism or questions from people. I'm sure there's some other stuff I'm forgetting since it's been almost a year. But it wasn't all about kinect hate. At least not for everyone.

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          May 13, 2014 10:19 AM

          a large portion of the consumer base don't want to pay for hardware that isn't ready to meet their standard of quality. you can be as innovative as you want in R&D and concept designs, but when it comes to selling an actual product you're bound by the market... so you wait until the hardware is good enough.

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            May 13, 2014 9:16 PM

            Yup, a good example is VR tech in the mid 90s, which was beyond terrible. And now we have something potentially good in the guise of the Oculus Rift.

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          May 13, 2014 10:25 AM

          I totally disagree "the execs were ahead of their time and were willing to be risky to innovate" none of the things they wanted to do benefited the gamer/customer what so ever.

          If the original vision of the Xbox One would have gone through I would of never got a Xbox One what so ever, if Sony or anyone else followed the same path I would go exclusive on the PC and ditch consoles.

          I want no part of that gaming future it was more like gaming big brother max security we 100% control the gamers experience marketing machine dream, it was a terrible idea.

          What was so great about the original vision? what don't we have now that was so great int he original plan?

          I can not think of any benefit we missed out on.

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            May 13, 2014 10:27 AM

            [deleted]

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            May 13, 2014 10:32 AM

            They straight up didn't release a killer Kinect app for the Xbox One, and still haven't. That is their biggest mistake. You could argue that the Kinect was a cool innovation for gamers if they actually put out some impressive games, but they haven't.

            I still don't understand your super negative stance on it, it had potential but they didn't do anything with it. If they released games and the games were fun, that would be all that matters to me.

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              May 13, 2014 10:42 AM

              Exactly. I'll spend the $100 gladly for something of value. They have like 3 2 star at best games that are Kinect based now. They are arguably 1 star shovelware games honestly. I use the voice commands, but more because I already have the One, they aren't a killer app. They couldn't even make it work for the basic On command for many people in the real world. If they had some crazy ass implementation that was going to blow us away for the Kinect they should have that fucker ready at launch. MS's biggest problem this launch was their inability to convince people of their arguments. I mean Sony didn't do anything particularly innovative, they really did just pump out a powerful machine at a good price and fed games to it fairly regularly from launch. MS could have made the One something bananas awesome, but they tried radical changes with poor arguments behind them and then told game fans, some of the touchiest angriest people alive, to fuck off and hand over their money.

              Today's changes, and all the changes they made so far are good changes for their sales and for continued competition. For all the LOLMS180LOLOL, they are listening to the audience and making adjustments, and hopefully at some point they get some execs capable of selling the vision they want to implement if they are going to try and get weird in the market space. They lost so much ground out the gate though that it will be years at least I'd imagine before they could possibly get back into a leader position. Sony has the advantage and momentum now and can dictate the playing field until MS comes out with a killer exclusive game or feature.

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            May 13, 2014 10:43 AM

            "Execs ahead of their time" lol. That's creative spin alright.

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            May 13, 2014 11:29 AM

            I'll throw out a few:
            Digital distribution: it was going to be steam for the consoles, which means we almost certainly would have gotten cheaper games later on. Everybody complained that they were removing the used game market. Which is true, but it would have been great. That market only exists so that people who wouldn't normally pay $60 a game will buy a game cheaper. The reason steam sells games so cheaply is because of economics - the cheaper the game the more people will buy it. You remove the used game market and the people willing to pay less for a game are still there. Tying a library to yourself, no matter where you go (or what Xbox you use) is obviously going to happen sooner or later as hard media go away. And it's good for the consumer - no disc to scratch or loose, no buying multiple copies.

            Kinect: I've talked about this before, but gaming has reached a standstill in innovation. Simply put, all we can do is provide better graphics. Graphics are good, but they are not everything. The Kinect allows for entire new genres to be created. Granted it's only allows for - not guaranteed. But the PS4, as is, has almost no possibility for that - we've created all the basic ideas already. What would such a new genre look like? Here's one I thought of, and I'm not even a computer designer: a detective game where you have to interview people with voice commands, using tone, and facial expressions (remember the research valve did into facial expressions for HL2?), and also manipulate opbjects in your hands to find clues. Maybe place the gamer into a crime scene and have them move around their room (and having objects in the game reflect objects in your real room).

            Let me reverse it to you: is there any benefit the PS4 gives you over your PC, outside of possible exclusive games?

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              May 13, 2014 11:33 AM

              I regret my earlier stance on the digital games only thing. At the time I was concerned that Gamefly would shut down and fuck up the Shack, a totally selfish and short sighted opinion because in hindsight, Fuck Gamefly.

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                May 13, 2014 12:03 PM

                I can't understand how the same people who praised steam hated that digital implementation. It was actually less restrictive than steam in some areas.

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                  May 13, 2014 12:22 PM

                  Well there were still significant negatives. Kids often rent games from like a Redbox or something, especially in a household where their parents can't drop $60 every weekend for the new hot game. MS kind of told those kids to get fucked. Also, it's easy to forget how shit broadband is in large sections of the country or even unavailable shockingly. I know those are common issues to the PC gaming market, but frankly that has been the fringe of gaming for a long time now. It's not dying, or even really in bad shape, but the majority of people playing games do not do so on a PC.

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                    May 13, 2014 12:54 PM

                    The rental market issue only is valid for new games. As games eventually get cheaper, it becomes more economically viable to buy a game for $10 and play it for a few weeks then to rent it for 2 weeks. Broadband was also not an issue - you could still buy a game in store and have the game data installed from the disc.

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                      May 13, 2014 1:10 PM

                      Do you not remember being a child? Waiting until the game is on sale is not an option in your 8 year old mind.

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                  May 14, 2014 1:02 AM

                  Because it was going to be a monopoly. Like how games on PSN on the PS3 are 2-3 times the price of retail discs. There is no incentive for them to lower the price. They have no competition.

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          May 13, 2014 11:29 AM

          Thing is most people buy their video game consoles to play video games and infrequently use the other added on features/functionality. The executives responsible for the Xbox One forgot/ignored this in favor of trying to create some magical anything and everything box that would be the center of people's digital lives.

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            May 13, 2014 12:18 PM

            They just ran off the number data too strictly. Last generation people used the consoles a huge amount to watch netflix and such, way more time then to play games. MS just chased those numbers instead of factoring in that the games part was want sold people on that more so then buying a multimedia box that also plays game. They raw data numbers support the idea but reality doesn't.

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        May 13, 2014 10:15 AM

        [deleted]

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      May 13, 2014 9:56 AM

      [deleted]

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        May 13, 2014 10:00 AM

        LOL :) , you mean Kinect can join E.T. LOL oh shit * SNAP *

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        May 13, 2014 10:19 AM

        Who is that?

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        May 13, 2014 10:23 AM

        Ouch.

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          May 13, 2014 10:27 AM

          I was just thinking on Twitter that Fantasia is literally the only game I could think of that really heavily depends on Kinect.

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            May 13, 2014 2:16 PM

            Do you expect ANY other title of that magnitude for Kinect down the road ?

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        May 13, 2014 10:25 AM

        I just talked to him yesterday. Super nice guy and it's gotta kill him to see this. I feel really bad for the Harmonix crew, who are genuinely good people.

        So I'd better take this time to remind you all that the Amplitude Kickstarter is still going.

        https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harmonix/amplitude

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        May 13, 2014 10:28 AM

        now see, this is when i get annoyed at internet nerds. i understand why they dropped kinect but, this was probably going to be amazing.

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          May 13, 2014 10:31 AM

          Devil's Advocate argument: Would this possibly make it easier to buy a refurbished Kinect a la carte at a discounted price somewhere like Gamestop or Best Buy? Could this make it easier for some people to grab a Kinect and try this Kinect-centered for themselves?

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          May 13, 2014 10:33 AM

          The game is still coming out, but I mean this probably is and was always going to be the ONLY good Kinect game. Even Ryse dropped it almost completely and it debuted as a Kinect game.

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            May 13, 2014 10:40 AM

            I was shocked at how bad Kinect Sports Rivals turned out to be. It's fussy, overly complicated, and the mechanics just aren't solid. I'm a fan of the genre, but Kinect always seemed to be in a distant third place in terms of motion controls. I figured the new hardware and a new game capitalizing on it would move the whole thing forward, but Rivals is kinda worse than the 06 Wii Sports.

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          May 13, 2014 12:00 PM

          It's not like this decision retroactively destroys the millions of kinects already out there, or stops people from buying the kinect bundle new.

          Fact is people who want a kinect-less Xbox wouldn't buy or play a game like Fantasia or Dance Central anyway. Things may not have turned out this way if a good example of what the kinect can do like that was actually available for the system do Microsoft and the developers could point to it and keep some faith, but it was pretty much dead on arrival.

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          May 13, 2014 3:11 PM

          Why would you be mad a Internet nerds?

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        May 13, 2014 10:51 AM

        [deleted]

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        May 13, 2014 12:05 PM

        Maybe MSFT can make it up by bundling their game with a Kinect or something since there's going to be that segment without one.

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          May 13, 2014 12:06 PM

          I replied to the tweet with "BRACK FRIDAY BUNDURU!!!"

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        May 13, 2014 10:08 PM

        Won't matter. People who hate Kinect and don't have it installed in their living room wouldn't have bought a Kinect-dependent game anyway.

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      May 13, 2014 10:26 AM

      I really wish Nintendo could muster up the courage to do the same thing with their gamepad. I would say the gamepad is even more pointless than the kinect.

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        May 13, 2014 10:28 AM

        this is a wrong opinion

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          May 13, 2014 11:17 AM

          Ok, I forgot about off TV play. That is pretty awesome.

          But as far as gameplay, I haven't seen anything super-impressive, and it certainly doesn't make sense to force every customer to pay for it.

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            May 13, 2014 12:57 PM

            I don't know what you're expecting, but I can tell you it's a comfy controller. A 2 y/o can reach the thumb sticks yet it's still great for adults.

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              May 13, 2014 1:33 PM

              I preferred the Wiimote + Nunchuck for Mario 3D World. I think the Gamepad is comfortable, but not as much as a regular controller. I really think it should be an optional accessory. Optional accessories can still be really successful, like the Wii Fit board.

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        May 13, 2014 10:32 AM

        That's crazy talk. It's the strongest feature. They have fucked up in almost every way, but the Gamepad is pretty awesome.

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      May 13, 2014 10:30 AM

      Alright, but that still seems too expensive if I can get a PS4 for the same price since that seems to have the better hardware.

      But there's no rush for me to get either yet. Maybe MS will be able to build up a good lib in the next 2 years. I am curious to see a new Forza Horizon.

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        May 13, 2014 10:34 AM

        It's all about the games. If they can provide a compelling game lineup and no longer have to deal with being more expensive than the competition, they can gain some market share.

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        May 13, 2014 11:21 AM

        Honestly, most of us could get by without either one. PC is more popular than it's been in years, and I think it's going to see most of the major realses, even more than the last generation.

        The only way I see myself getting a PS4 is if they make a new Wipeout, or if The Last Guardian is game of the century.

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      May 13, 2014 10:34 AM

      Such a huge terrible, terrible mistake on so many levels.

      Kinect isn't the reason people don't buy the Xbox One... it's the MAIN reason people have bought the Xbox One, because all the marketing was about the Kinect. The Kinect should have been sold as the coolest bonus feature on a gaming console, not as the main feature of an expensive TV tuner.

      And now that PS4 is winning the best-gaming-console contest (at least as far as sales are concerned), MS reacts impulsively (yet again) and does this... it's basically throwing away the only advantage it had over the PS4. All they needed to do was lose $100 per console for a year or so and they would have won this console gen IMO (and I'm saying this as a PS4 owner).

      So many bad moves from MS on the Xbox One... as much as I dislike MS it's a bit of a shame to see.

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        May 13, 2014 10:37 AM

        What makes you say they would have "won" this console gen? What compelling Kinect games on the horizon were going to really boost Xbox One sales numbers and help it start to outsell the PS4?

        I say this as an Xbox One owner. The Kinect had potential to be a selling point for both apps and games, but they dropped the ball on the games part big time.

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        May 13, 2014 10:43 AM

        Kinect was all potential and no delivery. You can't win over people just with pure potential.

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          May 13, 2014 10:52 AM

          Yup. Kinda how the Wii U has a cool controller screen but game makers have no idea what the hell to do with it.

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            May 13, 2014 12:26 PM

            [deleted]

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            May 13, 2014 12:46 PM

            I can't agree with that. I've seen it put to good use in many games.

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              May 13, 2014 12:48 PM

              [deleted]

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              May 13, 2014 12:57 PM

              Such as an inventory screen or something? Lol. Ok but seriously. What qualifies as good use?

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                May 13, 2014 1:44 PM

                Zombi-U and Rayman make good use of it. Most of the Nintendoland mini games are based around it.

                Does the new mario kart use it? I've not seen it mentioned.

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                  May 13, 2014 1:45 PM

                  Oh, it's great for pikmin, you can use it to plot routes and stuff, very nice.

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                  May 13, 2014 4:29 PM

                  So inventory screen for zombi u... No mario kart will not use it.

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          May 13, 2014 11:15 AM

          Kinect is a tech demo. It really has no use beyond a few niche games and tasks.

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          May 13, 2014 12:23 PM

          [deleted]

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          May 13, 2014 3:45 PM

          I agree, I'm just saying their ads focused most on Kinect-based features, such as voice commands. I don't think the problem with the Kinect and WiiU controller is that it's hard to find good uses for them... it's just that as a developer you don't WANT to, unless you're making a game that's exclusive to a single console, in which case your target market is a fraction of what it could be.

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        May 13, 2014 12:46 PM

        Kinect has been around since 2010. Where are the games for motion control? It's a dancing and aerobics instruction accessory.

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        May 13, 2014 3:28 PM

        Kinect is far from the main reason I bought an Xbox One...

        • reply
          May 13, 2014 3:42 PM

          It's not the reason for everyone, I was just saying they advertised that feature more than any other, and it's the biggest (but not the only) differentiator over the PS4.

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 10:43 AM

      lol. That is all.

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      May 13, 2014 10:48 AM

      And with that MS has truly lost this console war. They should have stuck with the Kinect until they had the killer app that Sony couldn't counter. This move basically sticks a fork in the XB1 and puts behind the PS4 for good.

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        May 13, 2014 10:59 AM

        Hyperbole much?

      • reply
        May 13, 2014 11:07 AM

        They are still selling the version with the Kinect. I think you're being just a little dramatic here.

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          May 14, 2014 12:01 PM

          They have essentially fragmented their own consumer base. The ones with Kinect and the ones without. MS sunk a ton of money and resources into the Kinect and won't see ANY return for that investment. I don't think I'm being the least bit dramatic.

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        May 13, 2014 11:18 AM

        Kinect has been out 4 years. It was in development for even longer. It's not like people haven't been thinking about how to use it in all that time. They just came up blank.

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          May 13, 2014 3:46 PM

          Nah... they just don't want to spend all the resources on using it, when they can't use that work/tech on other consoles or PC... developers would basically end up turning their games into Xbox One-exclusives, which is risky compared to releasing the same game on all the major consoles + PC and getting many more sales.

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 10:48 AM

      Blehehe didn't even last a year.

      "Dis-kinected" is probably the best pun headline I've seen today.

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 11:20 AM

      le oof.

      I don't own one yet, but watching a big company retool this early in a console generation is certainly interesting.

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      May 13, 2014 11:41 AM

      one of the main problems with kinect was always going to be you needed a ton of people with PhD's in vision to decipher what the player was doing. To go from a button press boolean to figuring out what the hell this skeleton model is doing is insane for a game programmer. And hardcore gamers want 100% accuracy so it makes it even harder to cater to them.

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      May 13, 2014 11:50 AM

      I wonder if this means the Xbox One will now be cheaper than the PS4 in Sweden. Seeing how they cost exactly the same today. Going to be weird.

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      May 13, 2014 12:24 PM

      I'm just glad they didn't end up dominating the market. If they did it's obvious they'd just do whatever they could get away with. Now they actually have to listen to the consumer instead of trying to force thing down their throat.

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        May 13, 2014 2:16 PM

        thing is, Sony is usually the one doing this. I was shocked by MS' overall approach on the Xbox One vs. the 360. it's almost as though they threw out everything about what works well [which they began to do with the 360 hardware by making it far less off-the-shelf compared to the Xbox] with their previous generations and assumed they would do well just because.

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      May 13, 2014 2:11 PM

      No sub for the media stuff is really nice =)

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 2:14 PM

      shoulda gone with integrated http://gizarosso.free.fr/images/18.jpg instead

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 2:15 PM

      THIS is the right Move.
      Kinect is useless and makes the console more expensive.
      Well done MS !

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 2:59 PM

      "It's totally the 'You will get a second job so you can afford this!' of this generation. Don Mattrick is the new Ken Kutaragi." -- Brad Shoemaker, Giant Bombcast 06-18-2013, 1:52:08

      Also, in July 2007, a year after the epic "FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE US DOLLARS!" announcement of E3 2006, Sony announced that the 60 GB PS3 was dropping to $499, and an 80 GB SKU was launching for $599. http://www.shacknews.com/article/47826/ps3-price-cut-confirmed-new

      Now $599 was a huge price tag, even back then. But Sony's decision to launch at $399 really set the stage for this maneuver, as well as the Kinect's continued retreat back into a niche of voice command remotes and occasional motion control (which IMO is exactly where it fits best, and not as a primary game control device).

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      May 13, 2014 3:01 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        May 13, 2014 5:33 PM

        that game would be cool with kinect support tbh. ground and pound your pillows man

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 4:32 PM

      Microsoft has reversed on everything. There's literally nothing left at this point. And I don't mean just the Xbox. They're even going to patch a Start Menu into Windows 8 later this year.

      This is unprecedented. I've never seen a big company do so many major reversals in so short a time.

      • reply
        May 13, 2014 4:41 PM

        IMO, they should have stood fast on some things, but you can't say they don't listen.

        • reply
          May 13, 2014 4:43 PM

          They don't listen. And that's the problem.

          • reply
            May 13, 2014 5:20 PM

            So, all these changes are imaginary?

            • reply
              May 13, 2014 9:48 PM

              That is probably more a reaction to sales than listening to any group of people.

              • reply
                May 13, 2014 9:56 PM

                Isn't that what sales are? What would be the point of listening to people that won't buy your product?

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                  May 13, 2014 10:39 PM

                  When people kicked and screamed about the DRM and they changed their plans that was listening, for better or worse. Changing plans when the sales indicate you can't move product off the shelf isn't what I call listening. Maybe you consider that listening but then I don't know what to tell you.

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                    May 13, 2014 11:19 PM

                    I just can't... I don't... I think you are actually serious.

                    • reply
                      May 13, 2014 11:33 PM

                      Why else would they remove the kinect and drop the price by $100. The numbers are terrifying. They are in a panic.

                      • reply
                        May 14, 2014 9:02 AM

                        You are being insanely obtuse. Dropping the price because people are saying it's too high is the definition of listening to your customers.

          • reply
            May 13, 2014 5:21 PM

            quite the opposite. this is exceptional listening, and then acting on it

            • reply
              May 13, 2014 5:28 PM

              They're listening to dollars (low sales) because they didn't listen to their customers. If they had actually listened in the first place this wouldn't have happened. I'm speaking for Windows only here.

              • reply
                May 13, 2014 5:33 PM

                What? How exactly were they supposed to listen to customers when they were working on a console launch which is akin to state secrets? I didn't see Sony broadcasting what the PS4 launch was going to be like before the announcement. They made some mistakes, some of them I believe they made because they did listen to idiots on the internet, and they are correcting course. What do you want, blood?

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                  May 13, 2014 5:35 PM

                  "I'm speaking for Windows only here."

                  As for Kinect, I don't think it adds any real value and never wanted one, or to pay $100 extra for one. Obviously others feel differently, but really I don't care either way because I don't want an Xbone.

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                    May 13, 2014 8:13 PM

                    Gotta say, having no Kinect actually makes it more likely I'd want to buy it.

                    I had no interest in the Kinect, or paying the extra money for one. Also, perhaps this is tinfoil-hatty of me, but I never was comfortable with the idea of a camera pointed at my living room connected to an always-on device connected to the internet.

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                      May 13, 2014 9:54 PM

                      I've never understood this tinfoil mentality when most people have been carrying a camera and a microphone connected to an always-on device connected to the internet in their pocket with them everywhere for a decade now.

                  • reply
                    May 13, 2014 9:57 PM

                    Then you aren't a customer and they shouldn't care about what you say.

      • reply
        May 13, 2014 4:43 PM

        Between xb1 and windows 8, what have they not fucked up?

        • reply
          May 13, 2014 5:02 PM

          It's what happens when MS tries to be eccentric instead of the bog standard. They're a great bog standard company but don't have an ounce of likable eccentricity.

        • reply
          May 13, 2014 9:25 PM

          Zune still around?

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 5:13 PM

      Lol, nice 1 min response from Videogamer TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y6PDHw5O-M

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 5:20 PM

      I was hoping to see some creative uses of the Kinect but I guess that's out the window now.

      Or at least is one less thing to be excited about when it comes to future games and apps.

      • reply
        May 13, 2014 5:36 PM

        Good games thrive, I wouldn't worry about it.

      • reply
        May 13, 2014 9:52 PM

        Kinect 2 for windows is out soon, thats where most of the interesting stuff happened with the last kinect.

    • reply
      May 13, 2014 10:23 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        May 13, 2014 10:37 PM

        a mic on the controller would be unable to turn on the system, and a mic on the console itself would be buried in a cabinet. having the mic on an attached dongle is really the only option for the full range of functionality needed

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