Agreed.

Looks like they added the word "optionally". Probably because a lot of people were asking.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Not everyone. Far from it. They're not handing a victory, they're trying to avoid inevitable defeat. They just couldn't maintain sales parity at $100 more and Kinect was easy to drop because it was extraneous and most people didn't even turn it on. They've got the numbers to look at. I guarantee, this move is…

Ok, so this brings up a question. Are they unbundling Kinect from EVERY xbox1 sold? Or are they simply offering a kinectless SKU?

Bing is the first thing they've done that lost them more money than the xbox division.

Totally agree. If there are great games, the console will sell gangbusters. Simple as that. Just not enough great games on it. Some great ones to be sure, but not the steady stream that a console needs to keep up sales growth.

The gamecube sales don't support that assertion. They're doing what they're doing precisely because they tried what you're saying they should do and it resulted in their worst console generation to date. The gamecube was capable of playing any PS2/Xbox game and yet they still didn't get the 3rd party games. I…

I hadn't really thought about this but I think you're right. I had predicted this would happen for a holiday price drop. And probably would have under previous management. I'm honestly afraid, under this new management, that if the xb1 sales don't surge, we may see the rumors of xbox division sale coming true.

It's the smartest thing they've done so far in the life of xb1. The ubiquity is a paradox because the kinect is what was hampering sales (MS must have the numbers to prove this beyond doubt or they would never do this so soon). A product can't become ubiquitous when it is the reason for slow sales. Ditching mandatory…

I can't argue with a word you've said. Believe me, I tried. :)

Ha!

I already did it. I sent them this linked article. All of them. Some were good sports. Others were just angry. I think they feel betrayed. Because they went to bat defending MS and now they feel screwed. I think they knew the Kinect was a boondoggle so now they're pissed they got in line for a corporation. Many are…

I think you're right. I also think their investment in Kinect 2.0 made it hard for them to cut bait. When you have that much money and development time into something, it's got to be hard to just let it go as an option. Especially when you foolishly positioned your product as that being the main differentiator.

Well, we're saying the same thing I think. We just have differing ideas of what's a "good ability". I expect companies to do all they can to monopolize, strong arm, whatever, in the interest of making a profit and growing the business or brand. Some companies do it too long and sacrifice their ability to achieve their…

If they'd have followed your advice, they would go bankrupt with an incredibly expensive and niche product that alienated most of it's core demographic. Thankfully, they have people at the helm who know the difference between a whiny fanboy and a potential paying customer. I don't know if it's too late, but if they…

I agree 100%. But the alternative to admitting defeat was very likely.....defeat. Now they can admit defeat and maybe till pull of a draw. :) At least they're fighting on the same battlefield now. It takes a good company to recognize when they are throwing good money after bad and if they held strong to the Kinect…

I think it's good that they will give you a choice. If you want the "full" experience, you can totally get it. If you just want to play games, you can now do that. It's a win win. Everybody gets what they want (and MS gets better sales which is good for everyone). Except for people who wanted others to be forced to…

How does recognizing a market inevitability hold MS back?

Exactly. They could cut a lot of underused features and drop the price even more. That's what Sony did with PS3 and that's exactly what I was predicting they'd drop Kinect. My only mistake was thinking they'd wait till the holiday.