In an interview with Edge (via Gamesradar), head of Microsoft’s Xbox division Phil Spencer said that Xbox is still committed to the Kinect and has no plans for that to change any time soon.
Spencer made note of the fact that Microsoft just created Upload Studio 2.0, which has the ability to provide green screen support, and wants to “build functionality to make it a valuable part of the ecosystem.”
When questioned about why Microsoft made the decision to offer a Kinect-less purchasing option when it comes to Microsoft’s latest console, Spencer said it was about providing more options for more consumers.
“That said, price point’s really important for the console – we saw that over the holidays in the UK and US, where we did well when we dropped the price, which was great,” Spencer said. “And I want to make sure consumers have choice on how much they value the functionality of Kinect when they buy a console. If you want to go buy a Kinect console [bundle], then they’re still available. I think it’s a great part of the ecosystem. And if you want just a console, and either add Kinect later, or Kinect’s simply not something you’re interested in, we give you that choice as well.”
Spencer also made note that he didn’t believe the Kinect was useful to all genres of games.
“I’d say the area that hasn’t really landed – and I don’t know if it will – is, ‘Is Kinect integral to all of the core gaming scenarios on our console in terms of minute-to-minute gameplay?’ There are genres where Kinect works really well, but if you’re playing Halo or Call of Duty, there’s not really a scenario that says, ‘Hey, I need a Kinect.’”
These statements come when we are just around the corner from E3. Microsoft recently announced their plans for E3 and a commitment to announce a new first-party IP at E3 this year. Whether or not that IP will support Kinect remains to be seen.
