Eating crow. Backing the wrong horse. Barking up the wrong tree. Swallowing the jagged little pill. Pick your euphemism, folks! They all apply to Microsoft, who had to put a positive spin on yet another blunder with their Xbox One as June sales showed that, no, people do NOT WANT the Kinect. Specifically, Microsoft was “happy” to announce that sales in June doubled over May. That’s a stunning number, all things considered. And it says a lot about Microsoft’s misreading of the console market regarding the Kinect.
Not that this was their first Xbox One blunder, of course. From the very first introduction of the device at E3 last year, Xbox One has been a series of backpedaling and redirecting. From DRM to disc loading to mandatory Kinect usage, Microsoft’s original conception for their next-gen console was a lot different from the one that was selling fast last month.
And there’s no doubt that the Kinect-less Xbox One is a more appealing device, and not just because of the price. I don’t own an Xbox One in part because I didn’t want the Kinect irregardless of the cost. I have friends who do own an Xbox One, though, and I routinely see things like this when I visit:
“Xbox, off!”
> … <
“Xbox, off!”
> … <
“EX-BOX-OFF!”
> Are you sure? <
“Yes. Yes. YES!”
Then they grab the controller and hit the button. They could use hand gestures, maybe, which are functional but feel silly, especially when other people are around — even sillier than talking to the Xbox. When I see them using the Kinect to navigate their console, I don’t feel jealous. I feel happy I chose PS4.
There’s not a single major game worth owning on the system that uses Kinect in any meaningful way. Kinect Sports Rivals is probably the only one worth mentioning. And let’s be honest: at this point, there probably never will be a killer Kinect game this generation. Certainly, no multi-console release is ever going to embrace Kinect; and at this point, with Kinect more or less an unneeded peripheral no longer a guarantee in every Xbox home, it’s not going to change for Xbox One exclusive titles, either. Why would any developer limit their sales like that?
By selling the Xbox One Kinect-less, Microsoft more or less delivered the peripheral a mortal blow. And these sales figures, if they maintain for the next few months, will nail the coffin shut. Within a year, I’m willing to bet the Xbox One Kinect package gets discontinued, and only the Kinect-less box will be on sale come Christmas 2015.
I’m glad that Microsoft saw the wisdom in pulling the Xbox One Kinect as a required purchase. It puts their horse back in the game, sales wise, and makes this generation just a little more interesting because of it.
