Recently Microsoft announced a new, cheaper bundle for the Xbox One. The new Kinect-less console is $100 cheaper than the original launch price, but what did Microsoft give up? despite the bad rap the kinect on the 360 has, kinect 2.0 actually works (well mostly) and many consumers are happy with it. Have Microsoft condemned the hardware they promised a bright future for? the companies motion sensor is a soul key to the experience of Xbox One. The recognition of you when you enter the room, voice control it’s all important and to think that now, if i want that experience i have to pay$100 for it is a little bit steep.
What’s really wrong with the kinect?
It’s my opinion that there isn’t actually anything wrong with the kinect, I mean sure there are flaws such as the voice recognition not always being accurate and the motion sensor being a little off but it was early into the idea. The kinect is a good idea, people haven’t accepted it yet but they would have if Microsoft had fully committed to it. Game developers waited for a sign that said hey, this things works and is worth making games for. Now i know there are good games for kinect like Just Dance, Ghost Recon and Fable Journey but the problem is when i think of kinect I don’t think of those games. I think of Kinect Sports, Kinectimals and Kinect Star Wars. The image of the kinect is that it does’t have serious games that attract the right audience. Don’t get me wrong I can understand Microsofts angle to attract the younger generation to be active and have fun that’s fine but children are not the ones paying for your machine.
Let’s be honest the first kinect wasn’t the best and I think people are basing the future of it on the slow uprising, and it is rising. Millions of people bought a Wii console and after a few months millions of people let it collect dust and now because of that first impression, a great console such as the Wii U isn’t selling to it’s potential. The same thing is happening to kinect.
The Xbox One is a great console, off launch it had its critics and annoyed fans because a kinect was mandatory, months after the release of the console people are finally seeing that this next gen experience is helped by kinect. Microsoft have listened to its audience very well and have made some great changes, I believe holding back on the kinect isn’t one of them.
