Microsoft will be bringing the standalone Kinect sensor of the Xbox One to market on October 7th. Priced at $149, a copy of Dance Central Spotlight will be included.
The pricing of the device has already garnered some negative attention. The Xbox One bundle which includes the Kinect is only $100 more expensive than the base model, meaning those who purchase the device after the fact are out $50. Also, Sony has priced its PlayStation Camera at $60. While it’s dwarfed in terms of technology when compared to the Kinect, it serves its purpose, and is nearly $100 less expensive.
The Kinect is integrated into the Xbox One’s operating system, allowing users to manipulate the system with voice commands. While starting games and opening apps aren’t necessarily ground-breaking features, being able to start Twitch broadcasts, record game footage, and call friends on Skype with a simple voice command is both technologically impressive and time-saving.
Related: Sans Kinect, Xbox One Could Boost Its Power
Currently, few games support the Kinect. Although Microsoft pushed hard to mandate the inclusion of the device so developers were confident that 100% of the system’s install base could use the features, it would be made optional just months after release following a ferocious pricing war with Sony. The Xbox One has been selling more successfully since the transition.
Dance Central was a peripheral seller for the Xbox 360’s Kinect, and until October the Xbox One won’t have a game in the series to speak of. Although reception of the device has been ice cold to this point, that can soon change.
