Microsoft released a standalone Xbox One and sees future purchases of a standalone Kinect.
Standalone Kinect sensors for the Xbox One will be available to purchase in October for $150, Microsoft announced today. It will launch on October 7.
The Kinect-free Xbox One became available on June 9 for $400, compared to the Xbox One and Kinect bundle at $500. The cheaper price helped to double sales of the console in the U.S., competing with Sony’s PS4 at $400.
The difference stands at $100, but buying the Kinect sensor separately from the Xbox One costs $150. It will include Dance Central Spotlight with 10 songs.
In May when Microsoft announced it would sell a Kinect-free Xbox One, it noted that in the future it would also sell Kinect sensors separately for Xbox One owners who don’t want Kinect at this point but may want it later on when there are more games that use it. Dance Central is indeed one of the more popular series making use of the Kinect.
The Kinect sensor allows players to interact with games and the Xbox One’s operating system via gestures and voice commands.
Harmonix’s games rely on the Kinect peripheral, and Microsoft initially billed the Kinect sensor as an integral part of the Xbox One. However, the price of the Xbox One made it hard to compete with the PS4. Now the option exists for people to buy the console with or without the Kinect, and to have the option of picking up the Kinect later on.
Source: Xbox Wire
