Gamers who have been patiently waiting to buy the Xbox One, but who do not want to shell out the $500 price tag, may finally get their wish. Acclaimed industry analyst expert Michael Pachter predicts Microsoft will indeed be selling the console without the Kinect. This was spoken about during his weekly web show on “BonusRound”. The device, which debuted back in 2010, has had its fair share of problems and complaints. From frustrating controls to getting the system to be reactive and responsive to a person’s movement, the Kinect has been receiving mostly negative reviews from the user base. When Microsoft said that it would include version 2.0 on its next-gen console, everyone was entirely convinced that it would be up to par with the standards of gaming. Overall, since the Xbox One’s launch, the titles for the Kinect have been lacking and the same negative attention is still present.
However, this may change. Having the choice to get the console without the Kinect has been on the minds of fellow gamers who do not want to burden themselves with the unpopular add-on. Pachter claims just how the Xbox 360 saw a new version of itself; Microsoft is more than likely going to follow the same path by introducing a Kinect-less Xbox One. He also mentions a probable price drop as a result. The add-on is the sole reason why the system has been priced at $500 and when you see how much better the competition has been doing at $100 less, people will most likely turn to Sony for their gaming entertainment. Finally, he goes on to say that the unbundling of the Kinect will give the Microsoft competitive edge against the Sony’s Playstation 4, who has been outselling the console in almost every region in the world. Mircosoft may also include a bigger hard drive, just like it did with the original Xbox and 360.
If this happens, it will most likely occur early 2015, when we can probably start to see price drops and new versions of consoles will debute. Do you believe Microsoft will unveil a Kinect-less system next year? Let us know in the comments below.