Beginning June 9th, Microsoft will release a standalone Xbox One bundle sans Kinect for $399, the company announced today.
Speaking with the BBC, Microsoft’s head of Xbox business strategy, Yusuf Mehdi revealed the reasoning behind the decision, all the while reassuring owners of the Kinect that the company remains “fully committed” to the controversial hardware.
“This decision wasn’t made by ourselves We spent a lot of time speaking to our gaming partners and entertainment partners to balance the right feedback to meet their needs and our customers’ needs.”
Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s announcement, retailers have begun accepting pre-orders for the newly unveiled SKU, with outlets such as GameStop and Amazon pinning the release on the aforementioned date of June 9th — which, incidentally, is also the beginning of this year’s E3.
In terms of Kinect itself, though, it will be interesting to see how Microsoft manages the rebranded accessory given that it has been such an integral component of the Xbox One’s user interface hitertho. Nevertheless, the company will look to the Kinect-free package to bolster the Xbox One’s sales performance, which could, potentially, bring parity to the sales gulf between it and Sony’s PlayStation 4
In hindsight, as we approach the one-year anniversary of its initial reveal, the Xbox One has undoubtedly experienced a series of U-turns relating to its general set-up. Still, today’s long-rumoured divorce between the console and its Kinect motion sensor is perhaps the most significant, and it’ll be fascinating to see where Microsoft takes the peripheral from here on out.
The all-new Kinect-less Xbox One bundle will be available worldwide beginning June 9th.
