We've heard for a while now from multiple sources, consumer and industry alike, that Microsoft would do well to shuffle free the Kinect of the Xbox One coil, and it looks like the company finally did just that. So, obviously, everyone is applauding the news...right?
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The short answer is yes... mostly. On the pro side are hundreds of voices in the Twitter-verse, which are joined by the oft-quoted Michael Pachter, who said Microsoft would have to do something to drop the Xbox One's cost if it was to compete with the PS4, and Pachter's opinion was that ditching the Kinect seemed like the best move to reach such a goal.
Back in late April, he said: "I think that ultimately, for the Xbox One to be successful, the Kinect has to be decoupled from it, and I think that might be hard, because there's a lot of stuff going on with the hardware where it's all integrated, and it might not work," said Pachter.
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"But I think that you will probably get in 2015 a redesigned Xbox One that has no Kinect, and I think what will accelerate that process is if Sony cuts the PS4's price: if there is a $349 PS4 on the market, Microsoft has a real problem. They're gonna have to do something, and they'll have to do it really quickly. I think that in 2015, you might see a $349 PS4, and an uncoupled Xbox One, and if you see both of those for $349, the consumer wins, and they will both sell very well. Microsoft is not looking to lose this cycle."
Now that Microsoft has done just that, Pachter provided us with his opinion on the recent news:
"I don't think that Kinect was particularly game-friendly, and think many consumers had problems coughing up $100 for it. The multimedia applications are cool, but limited. The fact is that PS4 was taking share, and Microsoft had to do something to hold Sony off. I think the cut is consumer friendly, drives XB1 sales up to the PS4 level. The two consoles should split the market, and overall sales should rise by 10% or more."
Numerous gamers will no doubt be more than satisfied by Microsoft's decision -- or just about anything that could make the console cheaper or that matter. But what about the developers? Teams working on console exclusives will be happy, as it opens up a larger market, but it's quite the opposite case for any teams working on a project centered around the peripheral.
Case in point Harmonix, developer of the heavily Kinect reliant Dance Central series. John Drake, Harmonix's Director of Publishing & PR, was less than enthused by the news, tweeting, "Oh, great. Super great." The sentiment was echoed by fellow company publicist Nick Chester, who tweeted, "Now Kinect designers have to work extra hard to innovate and make solid software. Good thing we were already doing that!"
A company representative for the company told us, "As avid gamers, we're excited for fans to have more choices out there. As game makers, this platform change doesn't affect our strategy – it reinforces that we must continue to focus on building innovative, compelling and well-designed motion experiences to motivate consumers to buy our games."
Regardless of your opinion, Microsoft's decision will no doubt have an interesting effect on the Xbox One's performance down the road, especially regarding how it will compare, possibly even catch up to the massive sales numbers of Sony's PlayStation 4.
