With Kinect no longer required, will we get a $399 Xbox One?

Ever since Microsoft first revealed the Xbox One it has been criticized for a number of the included features deemed as standard and forward looking. And in response, Microsoft has repeatedly reversed those decisions.

The once always-connected machine that incorporated a used game management system, an always-on and always-connected Kinect sensor, and no room for self-publishing indie developers, is now a console you can run offline, can trade used games freely, has embraced indie developers, and as of yesterday, no longer requires the Kinect sensor be plugged in.

Gamers can finally stop complaining about the Xbox One, right? Well, there is one more feature that hasn’t been met with too much enthusiasm: the price. The biggest remaining advantage the PS4 definitely has over the Xbox One is the $100 price difference. But could that also now change?

An Xbox One OS developer revealed back in July that the Kinect unit that ships with Xbox One actually costs more to manufacture than the console itself. With the motion controller now no longer being a mandatory peripheral, it gives the option for Microsoft to ship a version of the console without it in the box.

It seems unlikely Microsoft would make such a change so close to launch, but did anyone see that Kinect decision coming yesterday? There’s also going to be a great temptation by Microsoft to remove that price differential with Sony’s console. If the Kinect does cost so much to make, removing it from the box and matching the PS4 at $399 would actually generate Microsoft more profit, or less loss per sale than the $500 version.

It’s also worth considering why there was uproar over the fact Kinect always needed to be connected. Gamers were mainly concerned about privacy issues, but there’s also those who just don’t see the benefit of the motion controller and can’t see any real use for it. Microsoft keeps saying it will enhance gaming, but they haven’t really given any compelling evidence of that yet. Battlefield 4 will take advantage of it, but that’s mainly voice commands, and Killer Instinct uses it to identify you for tournament play, but that’s a niche use.

So, a $399 Xbox One without Kinect is now possible and I believe it would be popular with gamers while allowing Microsoft to better compete with the PS4 this holiday season. But will Microsoft do one more u-turn and offer such a package?

Now read: What if the Wii U was launching this November for $350?