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[Skeleton]

I just don't want to read anything anymore Gaf.

My brain just hurts, My day one purchase feels like a real crappy choice right now.

I've had fun with it and Titanfall is good, but I don't have anything else positive to say.

I just feel like I should have just bought a PS4, but in my mind I was like man Halo will be awesome and hell a more powerful 360 hell yes I'm on board. So bought both.

I have no issues with my PS4 purchase it's been an absolute joy.

Then you come to the realisation of Microsoft didn't have a clue what they were doing.
I'm pretty sure the launch should have been march. but they forced it for christmas, so the playstation didn't get to far ahead.

By doing so now all I have seen this gen from Microsoft is them literally whoring themselves, They'll be whatever you want for a price, that price is the respect of the day one core purchasers.

Unless there is something magical at E3 I might just get rid of it for a while and re purchase at a later date once this awful transitional period is over.
I'm just tired of having the "You backed the wrong horse" thrown in my face.

I'm depressed Gaf

 

[PuppetMaster]

They should have at least packed in a $5 mic array with this new gutted sku. At least they could keep the voice stuff as standard that way.

This is literally billions of dollars down the toilet. GG Mattrick.

 

[Omnii-chan]

It's really amazing and showing of the times we live in that
a company can turn around and change a product so quickly to appease
fans and make it more successful (not that it is yet, but I imagine this will help).
I mean imagine in the 90's is fans could scream at Sega to fix their shit.

 

[Monty Mole]

Here are the games that are completely unplayable without Kinect:

• Kinect Sports Rivals
• Just Dance 2014
• Xbox Fitness
• Zumba Fitness World Party
• Fighter Within

Upcoming games that will likely be unplayable:

• Fantasia: Music Evolved
• Dance Central

And here are some of the games that make use of Kinect, but you can still play with a standard controller:

• Angry Birds Star Wars
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
• Battlefield 4
• Call of Duty: Ghosts
• Crimson Dragon
• Dead Rising 3
• Fable Legends
• FIFA 14
• Forza Motorsport 5
• Killer Instinct
• Madden NFL 25
• NBA 2K14
• Need for Speed: Rivals
• Peggle 2
• Plants vs. Zombie: Garden Warfare
• Ryse: Son of Rome
• Thief
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
• Zoo Tycoon

Kinect wasn't standard on Xbox 360, and yet it still had Kinect games. Kinect for XBO isn't being discontinued.

I'm sure all publishers would rather than XBO is a success with or without Kinect, rather than a failure.

 

[PrivateRyan]

They should have at least packed in a $5 mic array with this new gutted sku. At least they could keep the voice stuff as standard that way.

Agree with this.

Really impressed with the voice recognition on Kinect and it has already become second nature. The motion controls… can't think of anything I've used more than once on XONE.

 

[Ray Wonder]

Admitting the mistake of hugely investing on a product that no one wanted to have.

Hopefully Oculus and Sony will learn this important price/value lesson before throwing VR to final consumers.

Huh? I love my Kinect. If I didn't buy one before, I would buy the Kinect version still.

 

[Authority]

They are desperate and they are backtracking. They repeatedly said Kinect was a fundamental part of the experience. They said they had "Absolutely no plans to remove Kinect from the package".

"We think Kinect is an integral part of our platform." - Phil Harrison
"Kinect is part of the Xbox One." - Albert Penello
"Xbox One is Kinect." - Phil Harrison
"We *do* consider it to be integral to the system." - Albert Penello, here on NeoGAF
"We're in it for the long haul. Kinect is absolutely integral to Xbox One." - Harvey Eagle

That, is backtracking.

Nice work. Added as well and credited.

 

[Haunted]

I just don't want to read anything anymore Gaf.

My brain just hurts, My day one purchase feels like a real crappy choice right now.

I've had fun with it and Titanfall is good, but I don't have anything else positive to say.

I just feel like I should have just bought a PS4, but in my mind I was like man Halo will be awesome and hell a more powerful 360 hell yes I'm on board. So bought both.

I have no issues with my PS4 purchase it's been an absolute joy.

Then you come to the realisation of Microsoft didn't have a clue what they were doing.
I'm pretty sure the launch should have been march. but they forced it for christmas, so the playstation didn't get to far ahead.

By doing so now all I have seen this gen from Microsoft is them literally whoring themselves, They'll be whatever you want for a price, that price is the respect of the day one core purchasers.

Unless there is something magical at E3 I might just get rid of it for a while and re purchase at a later date once this awful transitional period is over.
I'm just tired of having the "You backed the wrong horse" thrown in my face.

I'm depressed Gaf

Sorry to hear that friend. Buyer's remorse for a game is bad, but having buyer's remorse for a console (and such an expensive one, to boot) is a fucking terrible feeling. The only guy I know who bought an XB1 on day one has since sold it and is much happier with his PS4 + PC combo.

Getting rid of it now and either saving up that money for the future or investing it in games for other hardware you do possess sounds like a good plan to overcome that depression for now.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

I'll admit you almost had me until here. Good joke.

Whats with the timing then?
They tank their sales for this month entirely now. Nobodies going to buy a console they know will be having a cheaper revision and potential firesales on until June now.

 

[Terbinator]

I just feel like I should have just bought a PS4, but in my mind I was like man Halo will be awesome and hell a more powerful 360 hell yes I'm on board. So bought both

....

Unless there is something magical at E3 I might just get rid of it for a while and re purchase at a later date once this awful transitional period is over.
I'm just tired of having the "You backed the wrong horse" thrown in my face.

I'm depressed Gaf

I don't know what else to say. You dropped in tates deep at the beginning knowing the game you wanted wouldn't be out for a while. It's the early-adapoter tax.

 

[pixlexic]

You have to respect a company who are willing to change for the better so quickly.

 

[Shahed]

Ome thing about this I wonder is how much standalone Kinect will retail for, and how much the drop off will be for Kinect attach rate.

It's possible a lot of Kinect sales will actually be from existing Xbox One owners wanting to offload their Kinect since there are now people who may want to buy one

 

[The_Inquisitor]

A little of both. Either way, they're going to get slammed over this. May as well take the middle road.

 

[Nozem]

This is pretty interesting:

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

It's a mistake. How could it not be when it's been obvious for a few years that Microsoft had no idea how to further Kinect on consoles? Microsoft wanted you to pay for a 100 dollar albatross that they only had token uses for.

 

[thekiddfran]

With the omission of kinect they have admitted full failure.

 

[Ryuuga]

This is pretty interesting:

It seems more obvious than it is interesting. To anyone outside whomever was making the decisions at MS anyway.

 

[Hoo-doo]

I think it's a weird move when they are apparently going to blow off the doors in terms of games at E3, or so everyone expects.

The console obviously wasn't selling bad. It wasn't selling as good as they'd like.
But I find it strange they announce such a knee-jerk "panic-button" move ahead of the biggest game show of the year.

I mean, if you're going to show off worthwhile game after game after game at E3, that could on it's own change the momentum of sales entirely. Even at $499.

It makes me curious to see if they really have that much to offer come E3. Because if they have this unmissable, stellar line-up of titles in the works, then surely this pricedrop wouldn't have been necessary.
They are basically discarding a decade of R&D on Kinect 2.0 in the trash here. It's not done just to offer consumer "choice" or whatever way they try to spin this.

To me this shows that they are having doubts on whether the fact that the games they'll offer this year, will turn the tide.
I won't be suprised if Microsoft's E3 is going to be a tepid affair, in terms of new blockbuster games.

 

[ExFalsoQuodlibet]

Then you come to the realisation of Microsoft didn't have a clue what they were doing.

I'm glad you realized that. Microsoft, the company as a whole and not only in the videogames department, is the pinnacle of sloppy practices, awkward design, lack of a consistent vision and the good ol' "throw whatever it's available in the mix, someone will eventually bait".

 

[thekiddfran]

I just don't want to read anything anymore Gaf.

My brain just hurts, My day one purchase feels like a real crappy choice right now.

I've had fun with it and Titanfall is good, but I don't have anything else positive to say.

I just feel like I should have just bought a PS4, but in my mind I was like man Halo will be awesome and hell a more powerful 360 hell yes I'm on board. So bought both.

I have no issues with my PS4 purchase it's been an absolute joy.

Then you come to the realisation of Microsoft didn't have a clue what they were doing.
I'm pretty sure the launch should have been march. but they forced it for christmas, so the playstation didn't get to far ahead.

By doing so now all I have seen this gen from Microsoft is them literally whoring themselves, They'll be whatever you want for a price, that price is the respect of the day one core purchasers.

Unless there is something magical at E3 I might just get rid of it for a while and re purchase at a later date once this awful transitional period is over.
I'm just tired of having the "You backed the wrong horse" thrown in my face.

I'm depressed Gaf

You should have, simple as that. How anyone after all the 180's and last years PR disasters would want an Xbox One over aPS4 is beyond me.

 

[mynameismyname]

To quote the amazing Nancy Botwin:
“The spirit of compromise. Everyone's a little happy, everyone's a little miserable."

 

[Klarax]

I kinda feel sorry for people who bought early and now this kinect-less console. Especially after being lied to (yet again) when they said they will never remove it.

OK they got a Kinect as early adopters, but most didn't want one tbh.

Why MS lie so much?

 

[Fallout-NL]

Premium experience. Lol. I wonder how the support for Kinect in games will be in 2015 and beyond.

As non existent as it has always been, and this is the final nail in its coffin. Traditional input methods are due for an update, especially with the advent of VR. But it absolutely needs to be better than what we already have for it to stand a chance.

 

[Winter John]

It's a good thing that they've reacted so quickly. They had to do something. They still need to drop the price lower for the U.K because just reducing it to the same price as the PS4 won't work. I hope they also do something for the early adopters. I know many will use the buyer beware mantra as a reason they shouldn't, but this is quite a significant change, and a goodwill gesture to those who bought at launch would be the decent thing to do.

 

[StuBurns]

I think it's an excellent change. It's a great sign that MS isn't forcing the Xbox group to include it to further the living room PC effort. I still don't trust them at all though, it just adds to the idea that they actually have no long term stance and are willing to flip and flop any time they think it's helpful. Even if they had first party games I cared about, I couldn't trust them to keep making them because they could just instantly go to making Kinect crap again.

 

[Discusguy]

I just don't want to read anything anymore Gaf.

My brain just hurts, My day one purchase feels like a real crappy choice right now.

I've had fun with it and Titanfall is good, but I don't have anything else positive to say.

I just feel like I should have just bought a PS4, but in my mind I was like man Halo will be awesome and hell a more powerful 360 hell yes I'm on board. So bought both.

I have no issues with my PS4 purchase it's been an absolute joy.

Then you come to the realisation of Microsoft didn't have a clue what they were doing.
I'm pretty sure the launch should have been march. but they forced it for christmas, so the playstation didn't get to far ahead.

By doing so now all I have seen this gen from Microsoft is them literally whoring themselves, They'll be whatever you want for a price, that price is the respect of the day one core purchasers.

Unless there is something magical at E3 I might just get rid of it for a while and re purchase at a later date once this awful transitional period is over.
I'm just tired of having the "You backed the wrong horse" thrown in my face.

I'm depressed Gaf

Its not that serious. Are you new being an early adopter?

I've owned a Saturn and a Dreamcast as my only systems during that time period. Just enjoy the games you bought the systems to play.

 

[wapplew]

They should have at least packed in a $5 mic array with this new gutted sku. At least they could keep the voice stuff as standard that way.

This is literally billions of dollars down the toilet. GG Mattrick.

But that makes the whole Kinect "revolution" tech look stupid.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

I think it's a weird move when they are apparently going to blow off the doors in terms of games at E3, or so everyone expects.

The console obviously wasn't selling bad. It wasn't selling as good as they'd like.
But I find it strange they announce such a knee-jerk "panic-button" move ahead of the biggest game show of the year.

I mean, if you're going to show off worthwhile game after game after game at E3, that could on it's own change the momentum of sales entirely. Even at $499.

It makes me curious to see if they really have that much to offer come E3. Because if they have this unmissable, stellar line-up of titles in the works, then surely this pricedrop wouldn't have been necessary.
They are basically discarding a decade of R&D on Kinect 2.0 in the trash here. It's not done just to offer consumer "choice" or whatever way they try to spin this.

To me this shows that they are having doubts on whether the fact that the games they'll offer this year, will turn the tide.
I won't be suprised if Microsoft's E3 is going to be a tepid affair, in terms of new blockbuster games.

Microsoft was losing the value war to Sony. With a cursory look at both consoles The XBONE is:

More expensive
Inferior graphically

All because of Kinect, which isn't making up the slack with its worth.

That's why MS was hanging their hopes on Titanfall - a MS exclusive shooter that could separate them from Sony. Unfortunately for them shooters are rather abundant these days.

 

[Ol No Bones]

It doesn't really matter. They saw that they needed price parity and had to make a compromise from the original vision. Its that simple. I would recommend that people buy the XB1 with the Kinect bundled in because of is just so damn useful. The constant Kinect 2.0 snark, I'm convinced is coming primarily from people who don't have it and use it and believe other internet snark.

 

[MrS]

With the omission of kinect they have admitted full failure.

This, however Microsoft will spin it as "we're giving consumers more options" for the sake of those who haven't purchased a next-gen console.

 

[Hoo-doo]

Mistakes leads to changes
The biggest mistake they made wasn't the mandatory kinect... was to think that in their financial situation Sony couldn't afford to release a console as powerful as the Xbox One... and in the end Sony released a better console, and now a kinect less Xbox One bundle at the same prize doesn't fill that specs gap... a gap only one thing can fill

Spoiler

EXCLUSIVE GAMES

I feel, that if they had dozens of exclusive blockbusters in the works, this entire pricedrop wouldn't have happened.

 

[Respawn]

Panic move correcting a mistake that was resulting in catastrophe and still has badly damaged the brand.

The sprinter may have shirked the anvil, but he tripped out of the gate, he's behind, and he's still hobbled by lesser hardware.

Love this post.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Gotta stay competitive. It was necessary.

 

[Neuromancer]

MS never admits a mistake. The market reality was they were getting killed and it it was the price and Kinect's fault. Just business at the end of the day.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

You have to respect a company who are willing to change for the better so quickly.

They were desperate to make a change. I don't think designing a system around a peripheral that compromises you on price and power while spending over a billion on research only to have to throw it in the trash gives you respect on any level.

 

[ExFalsoQuodlibet]

Why MS lie so much?

It's not that they lie: their problem is that they have no idea about what they're doing, they have no values and no vision, they just throw money around to see what seems to be hot in the market that could attract customers, and their basically unlimited supply of money from the windows+office+server combo licenses (for business users and companies, not consumers) allows them to treat customers like that. Incredible that after all these years people still somehow believe that Microsoft could do something of real value in a consistent way: the Xbox 360 was a good console (and still is), but it was more like the exception than the rule.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I just don't want to read anything anymore Gaf.

My brain just hurts, My day one purchase feels like a real crappy choice right now.

I've had fun with it and Titanfall is good, but I don't have anything else positive to say.

I just feel like I should have just bought a PS4, but in my mind I was like man Halo will be awesome and hell a more powerful 360 hell yes I'm on board. So bought both.

I have no issues with my PS4 purchase it's been an absolute joy.

Then you come to the realisation of Microsoft didn't have a clue what they were doing.
I'm pretty sure the launch should have been march. but they forced it for christmas, so the playstation didn't get to far ahead.

By doing so now all I have seen this gen from Microsoft is them literally whoring themselves, They'll be whatever you want for a price, that price is the respect of the day one core purchasers.

Unless there is something magical at E3 I might just get rid of it for a while and re purchase at a later date once this awful transitional period is over.
I'm just tired of having the "You backed the wrong horse" thrown in my face.

I'm depressed Gaf

This is why you never go full Stan.

 

[MarkMclovin]

You have to respect a company who are willing to change for the better so quickly.

Exactly. It's a good business decision. They got good sales from the moment it was released for the 360, to the last 6 months on the XBONE, by the suckers that couldn't wait and by also telling you that it HAD to be part of it. Kinect only games in development seem to have taken a sharp decline and so maybe they have made a decision based on that. It'll boost more console sales, no doubt.

I would say what has failed though, is the vision that they had at the very early stage of Kinect. Add ontop the tech that just isn't up to scratch and you have a device that is pointless to make mandatory going forward.

 

[LAA]

Seems a bit of both to me.
I feel they felt more pressured to make a kinect-less bundle because of sales compared to PS4, and the feedback I suppose.
Them getting rid of kinect shows they felt they made a mistake evidently.

Them saying "Kinect is still a part of their vision", is just they want people to buy it to make up the R&D costs. If it was really a part of their vision, they would have kept it bundled. I don't see any evidence of why Kinect is so important for us and why we should all buy it. The voice command stuff is the only useful thing about it for the most part and a microphone isnt very expensive...

The 80% of people using Kinect is just...twisting the numbers. Of course most people are gonna try something they bought at least once. I bet you 80% of X1 owners wouldnt have even bought a Kinect if it was optional from the start.

 

[Hoo-doo]

Exactly. It's a good business decision. They got good sales from the moment it was released for the 360, to the last 6 months on the XBONE, by the suckers that couldn't wait and by also telling you that it HAD to be part of it. Kinect only games in development seem to have taken a sharp decline and so maybe they have made a decision based on that. It'll boost more console sales, no doubt.

I would say what has failed though, is the vision that they had at the very early stage of Kinect. Add ontop the tech that just isn't up to scratch and you have a device that is pointless to make mandatory going forward.

And this earns your respect?

 

[Nymphae]

I just think it's kind of funny OP included Polygon's comments on the matter. Of course they jumped in on the spinning of this one. Guys, they were just trying to do too much really hard stuff for us. Applause for their efforts, and consumer choice!

 

[spookyfish]

In less than six months, Microsoft has completely reversed its "Kinect is integral to the experience" and "the UI was built entirely around the Kinect. You can't just drop it" statements.

Kinect was/is a mistake.

 

[Withnail]

Premium experience. Lol. I wonder how the support for Kinect in games will be in 2015 and beyond.

Third party Kinect games will be about as common as third party Move games. LOL.

 

[2San]

The 80% of people using Kinect is just...twisting the numbers. Of course most people are gonna try something they bought at least once. I bet you 80% of X1 owners wouldnt have even bought a Kinect if it was optional from the start.

The 80% using the kinect figure shows me, that it's a joke to begin with. I bet you that 100% used the controller.

The fact that the kinect needs to be supplemented by a controller already shows it was a flawed concept.

 

[Skeleton]

Sorry to hear that friend. Buyer's remorse for a game is bad, but having buyer's remorse for a console (and such an expensive one, to boot) is a fucking terrible feeling. The only guy I know who bought an XB1 on day one has since sold it and is much happier with his PS4 + PC combo.

Getting rid of it now and either saving up that money for the future or investing it in games for other hardware you do possess sounds like a good plan to overcome that depression for now.

I'm waiting till E3, If nothing is announced or happens then I will just sell it and put the money into buying a huge TV to play destiny with.

the early-adapoter tax.

I'm sick of reading "early adopters tax" rubbish, this is well and truly beyond that now I think, I wouldn't mind just a price cut, but they've changed the whole mantra to what the identity of the xbox one is.

I'm glad you realized that. Microsoft, the company as a whole and not only in the videogames department, is the pinnacle of sloppy practices, awkward design, lack of a consistent vision and the good ol' "throw whatever it's available in the mix, someone will eventually bait".

I work within a large organization within the IT sector, I had to test both Windows 8 and Server 2012 and deal with their backwards licencing and agreement t&c's daily.

That's part the reason I feel pretty stupid for falling for their silver tongue.

*sigh*

You should have, simple as that. How anyone after all the 180's and last years PR disasters would want an Xbox One over aPS4 is beyond me.

I know but I wanted to believe in them

Its not that serious. Are you new being an early adopter?

I've owned a Saturn and a Dreamcast as my only systems during that time period. Just enjoy the games you bought the systems to play.

Nah I had a day one dreamcast and still love it dearly to this day,

I just feel worse about this purchase as all the warning signs were there with the sketchy PR upto launch and I still though it'd be okay, just angry with myself for wanting it all now instead of maybe waiting a couple months.

 

[Zombine]

At the very least I am happy that it seems like the shit show that Don Mattrick left Microsoft with is finally over and they can move forward from this point. They clearly know the steps they need to take to be competitive and that's all the better. I expect the Xbox One to become a formidable console and I commend those guys for biting the bullet and trying to fix the problem.

My guess is that by the first revision of the console this horrible time for the Xbox brand will be over.

 

[wapplew]

And this earns your respect?

Nah, it was never about respect or integrity, is about business and profit.
MS staying huge in the business over the years not because they have great vision or creativity for their product, it's because they are flexible and know how to use the dominating power.

Look what it bring to Nintendo when they stick to their vision?

 

[Ol No Bones]

I just don't want to read anything anymore Gaf.

My brain just hurts, My day one purchase feels like a real crappy choice right now.

I've had fun with it and Titanfall is good, but I don't have anything else positive to say.

I just feel like I should have just bought a PS4, but in my mind I was like man Halo will be awesome and hell a more powerful 360 hell yes I'm on board. So bought both.

I have no issues with my PS4 purchase it's been an absolute joy.

Then you come to the realisation of Microsoft didn't have a clue what they were doing.
I'm pretty sure the launch should have been march. but they forced it for christmas, so the playstation didn't get to far ahead.

By doing so now all I have seen this gen from Microsoft is them literally whoring themselves, They'll be whatever you want for a price, that price is the respect of the day one core purchasers.

Unless there is something magical at E3 I might just get rid of it for a while and re purchase at a later date once this awful transitional period is over.
I'm just tired of having the "You backed the wrong horse" thrown in my face.

I'm depressed Gaf

Umm you could just sell it.

 

[stump sock]

Admitting they misjudged consumer preferences.

 

[MarkMclovin]

And this earns your respect?

Business is business.

I couldn't care less about respect to any large company out to make money. I'm just thinking of myself here. They made a decision and a price drop that suits most consumers. What's not to respect about that?

Not sure if Kinect was a financial mistake though. Is that $1bn spend that gets thrown around true? I wouldn't mind knowing if MS made money since it's initial launch.