XBOX One dumps 24/7 Kinect

[Baydestrian]

Just announced yesterday you no longer need Kinect to be connected to the console....but you still need to pay for it LMAO....still considering cancelling my preorder and waiting til mid next year

The Xbox One will still ship with the new version of the Kinect camera, but connecting it will no longer be mandatory, Microsoft Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten told IGN

"Like online, the console will still function if Kinect isn't plugged in, although you won't be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor," Whitten said.

When it launched the Xbox One, Microsoft made much of the console being a full package, shipping with both Kinect and a controller. Microsoft highlighted that the controller and Kinect sensor worked together, telling people back in May that "Kinect does require to be connected to Xbox One in all cases."

The latest policy reversal follows Microsoft removing its infamous "Internet check-in" requirement, which would shut down key features of the Xbox One, such as offline single-player gaming, if it couldn't connect to the Internet at least once every 24 hours.

Whitten did note that the Kinect could also simply be turned off if people had fears about the device collecting information on them.

"You have the ability to completely turn the sensor off in your settings. When in this mode, the sensor is not collecting any information," he said.

[TeamHT]

"Like online, the console will still function if Kinect isn't plugged in, although you won't be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor," Whitten said.

[WastedTalent]

Not to sound dumb but uhm, when did they announce that it had to be connected at all times? I mean, seriously. (Sarcastic, in a sense). Just think about all the smart tv's that can do netflix and hulu and facebook and all that crap. majority need an internet adapter. which is an extra cost. if you unplug that adapter, your television still works. So microsoft thinking, even for a second... along with all of it's fanboys... that because you don't have kinetik plugged in, the console won't work? Now that's the funniest shit I've heard.

That'd be a worse move than the used game thing. I for one, whether ps3 or xbox, have no room period for the camera. (kinetik or ps eye). So tellin me I'd have to have it plugged in in order to play a game? When I literally can't use it? (say I'm playing baseball, I'd seriously hit the television.) HUGE turn off on it for me. But, eh. It's whatever.

Still find that funny.

[Baydestrian]

It's been since the beginning. People were complaining about the NSA and the camera spying on us even though they said you would be able to fully disable it. It was going to be a requirement for it to be always plugged in or else your XBOX wouldn't work.

I kinda do have a feeling they will make it so you won't even have to purchase it, putting the PS4 & XB1 very very close with eachother b/c the XB1 will then be dropped down to $400

[WastedTalent]

Nah, they've already started shipping it. I mean, Idk if it's shipped at all period but, already in production to come that way. They may change it for the future. But all the pre-orders and most likely all the consoles for the first while will be with the kinetik. I'd say probably at the model change.. like when ps3 went to the slim version (that's not really all that much slimmer) or xbox did all of it's crazy shit... that's probably when the kinetik disappears as a mandatory feature for buying. But I do agree that at some point, the kinetik will disappear as far as coming with the console.

[Emmet]

It's been since the beginning. People were complaining about the NSA and the camera spying on us even though they said you would be able to fully disable it. It was going to be a requirement for it to be always plugged in or else your XBOX wouldn't work.

I kinda do have a feeling they will make it so you won't even have to purchase it, putting the PS4 & XB1 very very close with eachother b/c the XB1 will then be dropped down to $400

It was more that microsoft has a patent on some tech that allows a camera to check how many people are in the room. Say you are watching something and if they decide that what you are watching, only a certain amount of people are allowed to watch it without paying more.

“The users consuming the content on a display device are monitored so that if the number of user-views licensed is exceeded, remedial action may be taken.”

That's from the patent. Worst thing is it doesn't just deal with xboxs but also phones, tvs and computers.

[Skullz]

Technology is "awesome", just for all the wrong reasons.

[WastedTalent]

Technology is "awesome", just for all the wrong reasons.

Reminds me of that movie Repo-men. Was a good movie imo. But they have a cure/fix for anything. Synthetic parts. Kidney failure? Heart failure? Get a synthetic one. No problems. You just gonna pay out the rear for it.

We have all this technology... able to play movies directly on our television without any console, computer, anything (Smart TV's) and yet some companies trying to limit our potential by detecting how many ppl are watching. Idk, I know Sony isn't really all that much better this go around but eh. Just find it all kinda... pointless. "Let's make this new cool stuff, but you gotta jump through all these hoops".

Either way, still gettin a console and all.