Kinect-less XB1 soon to be a retail option - $399 - official
Kinect-less XB1 soon to be a retail option - $399 - official
Delivering More Choices for FansThe following blog post has been posted on Xbox Wire from Phil Spencer. Since many of you can’t visit Xbox.com while at the office, I am posting the full text here so you don’t miss anything
Since the beginning, we have focused on delivering great games and entertainment experiences for you. Your feedback matters to us and it shapes the products and services we build. Your feedback showed up in the Xbox One console we launched back in November and in the monthly updates we’ve delivered since.
Today, we’re excited to share more ways your feedback is impacting the products we build.
First, beginning on June 9th, in all markets where Xbox One is sold, we will offer Xbox One starting at $399*. This is a new console option that does not include Kinect. For $399, our new Xbox One offering will continue to deliver access to the best blockbuster games like “Titanfall,” “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” “Forza Motorsport 5,” “Dead Rising 3,” and the upcoming “Watch Dogs,” “Destiny” and “Sunset Overdrive.” You will also be able to access popular entertainment apps, such as Twitch, YouTube, and Netflix, as well as watch live TV and use OneGuide. Finally, you will continue to be able to use many of the unique features of Xbox One including the ability to get game invites while you watch TV, switch between games and entertainment apps, enjoy Twitch broadcasts, and upload your favorite gaming moments.
Next, we’re bringing more value to our Xbox Live Gold members while extending the entertainment experiences available through Xbox to every connected console. So, also starting in June, we will roll out a new set of benefits for our Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One and we will offer anyone who owns an Xbox 360 or Xbox One access to popular games and entertainment apps without an Xbox Live Gold membership. Here is what you can expect from the new generation of Xbox Live:
• Free games with Games with Gold**. Since Games with Gold launched on Xbox 360 a year ago, over 12 million people have enjoyed great free games, resulting in nearly 200 million hours of free fun playing Games with Gold titles. We’ve been learning from your feedback and have focused on making improvements each month to the selection of titles. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Games with Gold for Xbox 360 and as a thank you for helping shape this program, members will receive an additional free Xbox 360 game in June. The Games with Gold titles for Xbox 360 in June are “Dark Souls,” “Charlie Murder” and a bonus game of “Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.”
We’re pleased to bring Games with Gold to Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One in June. Members will have subscription-based access to free games ranging from top hits to breaking indie stars. The program will launch on Xbox One with “Max: The Curse of Brotherhood” and “Halo: Spartan Assault.” A single Gold membership will get you access to the free games for both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
• Exclusive Discounts. Deals with Gold will also launch for Xbox One in June, delivering discounts for great games each month, with significant savings for Xbox Live Gold members. The first titles offered in June will include “Forza Motorsport 5,” “Ryse: Son of Rome,” and a few other surprises. This program will continue to be available for Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox 360. And new on Xbox One, we will launch a virtual VIP room exclusive to Xbox Live Gold members where we will feature free games, monthly deals, and other great benefits.• Popular entertainment apps will be available for all Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners. Xbox 360 has been a leader in delivering entertainment experiences for years, with over 170 global entertainment apps and experiences available today. We’re constantly adding new partners and experiences to the growing catalog on Xbox One. Coming in June, anyone with an Xbox will be able to access popular entertainment experiences – whether or not you have an Xbox Live Gold membership. This includes great gaming apps like Machinima, Twitch and Upload, popular video services like Netflix, Univision Deportes, GoPro, Redbull and HBO Go, sports experiences like the NFL app for Xbox One, MLB.tv, NBA Game Time, NHL Game Center and more.*** Microsoft experiences including Internet Explorer, Skype, OneDrive and OneGuide will also be available to all Xbox customers.**** You can find a full list of apps and features that will be available below and here.
We’ve heard that you want more choices from Xbox One. You want a wide variety of options in your games and entertainment experiences and you also want options in your hardware selection.
To be clear, as we introduce this new Xbox One console option, Kinect remains an important part of our vision. Many of you are using Kinect for Xbox One every day. In fact, more than 80 percent of you are actively using Kinect, with an average of 120 voice commands per month on each console. Some of the most popular voice commands include “Xbox On,” “Xbox Broadcast” and “Xbox Record That.” We will continue to offer a premium Xbox One with Kinect bundle to deliver voice and gesture controls, biometric sign-in, instant personalization, instant scanning of QR codes, and enhanced features only available with Kinect in games such as “Kinect Sports Rivals,” “Just Dance 2014,” “Project Spark” and more.
If you buy Xbox One for $399 and later decide you want to have all the experiences Kinect enables, we will also offer a standalone sensor for Xbox One later this fall. We’ll share more details about the standalone Kinect for Xbox One in the coming months.Phil
@XboxP3
Big grin, slow wink, and extra slow clapping.
Available for pre-order at Walmart. Can i send by kinect back for a $100 refund? LOL
. $200 in the fun fund for another console. Unlikely it will be another X1 but you never know. I've been watching the daughter play some older games on the 360 and they look beautiful.
I was hoping for a price drop soon, but I kind of thought Microsoft would stick to their guns and keep the Kinect.
Since I do not have the XB1 yet, is the Kinect worth the extra cash? Yes, the Kinect will be offered as a standalone purchase too, but I was wondering if it's worth a purchase. I do have one on my 360 and while it's fun for the occasional game, I've not really used the device. Is the new Kinect functionality worth the price of admission?
I'm mostly leaning toward the Kinect-less option.
The cost is a major factor, but also games. If there was a XB1-only game that I really wanted to play, I'd feel more inclined to make a purchase. As of now, the only game I felt any interest in playing was Titanfall, and it's available on 360.
I also realize Destiny will be on 360 too, but I feel like this will be a good time to upgrade, plus we'll have more of an idea about the next Halo game at E3.
As long as Bungie and 343 don't fail miserably at E3, I can see this $400 version being very attractive.
I'm happy to have paid for a Kinect even if it won't get used a lot.
Kinect is total crap. I only use it for voice commands, such as "Xbox record that" or "Xbox snap party." In no way is that worth $100. I'm sure developers will be walking away from Kinect, too. I will be trading mine in at Game Stop as soon as possible.
Seems the market has spoken and that Kinect is not the be all and end all to gaming that MS insisted it would be during the launch of XOne. That's a shame.
This is what it was going to take for me to actually want an X1. I'm glad to see that MS has basically admitted that they were dead wrong on just about everything that they stood so firmly by with this console. I do feel the tiniest bit sorry to all the people that wasted money on a kinectbox up to this point. If you feel you're getting your money's worth, that's great, but i'm with lou, I see this whole kinect thing becoming a small niche in console gaming. I don't think it will completely die but I don't think we'll see blockbuster games coming out with the kinect being a major part of the gameplay.
Gotta tell ya (and I'm not trying to pick a fight) I think that Kinect is a joke. I had my X1 for a month and the Kinect works 50% of the time... there's nothing worse than playing Titanfall and all of a sudden it snaps because it detected a trigger word you didn't even say. The most fun I had was getting technicals in NBA 2K for foul language and thats about all it was good for. For me a Kinectless version is the way to go and I may pick up another when they do a redesign.
I should have added, if I get a second XB1, I will appreciate getting the cheaper Kinectless model.
Agreed. I'm glad I can get a cheaper version for the bedroom.
Kinect isn't total crap. It works very well. However, I understand some people have no interest in it. That doesn't change the fact that it's an amazing unique piece of tech, and the most advanced motion tracking on the consumer market. HD Skype video that zooms in on you and follows you around the room with no moving parts. Voice control that works 95% of the time. That's some cool shit. However, the hand waving stuff has never worked for me. Luckily, you don't need it. Xbox, Go to Netflix. BAM. That's futuristic.
Well well who would of thunk it...
This has adjusted my que...
They should have pulled out the BLuRay player, put in a 1Tb HDD as well and made a kinect-less digital distribution one for 259.99.
I agree with you up to the digital distribution idea; every time a game is released that requires online only play (like Sim City) it turns out to be a buttfuck because the infrastructure of the internet just can't handle everyone playing yet. There are a lot of people that had to wait many hours for Battlefield 4's massive patches because of limited service from their ISPs. I don't need a Blu Ray, but that would have hurt Microsoft's idea of the Xbone being an "all-in one entertainment system."
Tank isn't proposing they make that the only option. He is saying make it a second option.
And really, I haven't touched a game disc or bluray with my X1 yet. Discs are on the way out.
what? I don't understand your question. Digital distribution doesn't mean online play. It means you download the game. Like XBLA, or any new X1 game.
Possibly, but with more and more companies either imposing data caps or thinking about it, game companies may have to keep discs as an option.
You can digitally distribute a single player home game? Although I'd say in general, the markets running away from that.
who's doing that? There's like 5 cable companies now, and I know that Comcast stopped capping data in like 2011. Things are only going to get larger - they won't be able to get away with capping data without people jumping to a different provider or public outcry for monopolies.
While the article is 2013, it's late 2013. http://gigaom.com/2013/11/15/data-cap-2013/
TWC and Verizon are looking into capping data in various cities.
The fact that some companies already have caps and others are exploring the idea is something that needs to be taken into account. And good luck jumping to another provider as most towns and cities only have 1 cable company, that is, unless you want to go with DSL which is slower.
Yeah last year there was talk of caps. So many people are canceling cable (tv), and using Roku and similar streaming devices, there was talk of data caps to screw us. I live in a fairly large city and have one cable option and that's it.
AT&T just bought Dircet TV, the big companies are consolidating and that doesn't look good for the average consumers protection against price gouging...
Shadow, I wasn't asking a question, I it was more of a "Don't you know this" kinda thing. YOu CAN digitally distribute off line games online, if that makes it any clearer, as a response to Tanks idea of the HDD increased space non -blu-ray version.
I don't think there will end up being any caps. As mentioned previously, data is only getting larger. What will probably happen is there will be less emphasis on cable TV and the internet pricing will just rise to offset the cost. I guess you could consider raising cost as a "cap" in some way. But I don't think we're going to see limitations, only cost increases.
what company?
Comcast technically has a 300GB cap, which isn't enforced. What happens when you go over your "cap?"
250GB = 8-10 full X1 games in a month. Which is pretty ridiculous. I don't think I've gotten near the soft cap in a long time.
Suddenlink. If you go over your cap, they throttle you to near dial-up speeds until the next pay period or you call and pay for some extra gb. And 250gb may equal 8-10 games in a month, but you're not factoring in Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, regular internet usage, online gaming, youtube, etc. Not to mention, the PS4 and soon the Xbone, have the option to stream to twitch. So while I may not purchase and download 8-10 games every month, a 30-40 gb game will put me over, considering I'm typically around 10-15 gbs short a month with regular checking. I've gone over quite a few times already.
Some ISP around here have caps for the higher bandwidth contracts. ~250 GB/mth.