Today Microsoft announced that there will be a new “choice” for purchasing an Xbox One and this choice comes with the ability to purchase it without the Kinect. This drops the price of the Xbox One down to $399 in the USA and $499 in Australia.
The announcement was made through a YouTube video which you can watch below:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_NLK-jEDGc[/youtube]
We also received news from Xbox Australia which stated:
“Today, we announced a new standalone Xbox One SKU that does not include Kinect. The standalone Xbox One is priced at $499 AUD and will be available on June 9 in all current markets where Xbox One is currently sold.
The new Xbox One SKU will continue to deliver all the great Xbox One features, including access to multiplayer on Xbox Live and unmatched blockbuster games like “Titanfall,” “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” “Forza Motorsport 5,” “Dead Rising 3,” “Ryse: Son of Rome” and upcoming titles such as “Watch Dogs,” “Destiny” and “Sunset Overdrive.” You can also access popular entertainment apps, such as Twitch, YouTube, and Netflix, as well as watch live TV and use OneGuide. That’s in addition to the features that already make the Xbox One great, including the ability to get game invites while you watch TV, switch between games and entertainment apps, enjoy Twitch broadcasts, and upload your favourite gaming moments.” -Doug Johns
The Kinect has been pushed by Microsoft as the key point of difference for the console since it was announced less than a year ago at E3. You can read about it being announced right here in my E3 summary from last year.
Reactions of people around the web were like this:
Now that Xbox does not have the Kinect and is at a lower price, I wonder if this will boost its sales?? It will be interesting to see if taking a feature away and lowering the price at the same time will entice the consumer to purchase the Xbox One and choose the Xbox One over the competitions product offerings. The Xbox One is currently 3rd according to VG Chartz today and is trying hard to gain ground in the console market (4th if you include handhelds).
What do you think? Will this change make you go out and buy the Xbox One? The new Xbox One without the Kinect included will be available on June 9, 2014.
