It has been a busy week for the Xbox One, following the announcement of plans to sever the requisite Xbox Kinection, drop the price, add Xbox One to their Games with Gold programme and remove the obscure paywalls inhibiting video-streaming apps.
When Microsoft first unveiled the Xbox One, the console needed Kinect in order to work. So having every console boxed with Kinect made perfect sense – could you imagine if the Nintendo Wii didn’t come with the sensor bar? There would’ve been riots in the streets.
But it looks like the required Kinect connection has gone the way of Microsoft’s required internet connection. Starting June 9th, Australian gamers will be able to buy the Xbox One sans-Kinect.
The good news is that this will mean there is going to be a lower-priced version of the console on the market. The bad news is that this is a marked departure from Microsoft’s focus on ‘alternative’ methods of controlling games, as opposed to straight controller-in-hand. Video game retail giants EB Games and JB Hi-Fi have both listed the new iteration on their websites with a price tag of $498 – $50 less than the PlayStation 4.
Neither retailer currently has listed the Xbox One Kinect-as-an-accessory, coming later this year, which was revealed alongside the announcement. But it’s pretty safe to assume those who decide to get the basic pack and then add on Kinect at a later date will end up paying roughly the same as if they had got the full pack to begin with.
Microsoft will also be adding Xbox One games into the Games with Gold line-up from June, starting with Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood and Halo: Spartan Assault – the latter of which has me quivering with anticipation.
The Games with Gold line-up was added to Xbox Live Gold memberships last year to encourage players to use the Gold service. The concept is awesome, one which resembles the Instant Game Collection feature of PlayStation Plus – a feature that was part of PS+ since the beginning and kind of the only reason PlayStation Plus was worth subscribing to for a while.
Interestingly, it seems the timing of Xbox One’s inclusion may not be entirely without meaning, with June marking the one-year anniversary of the program.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Games with Gold for Xbox 360 and as a thank you for helping shape this program, members will receive an additional free Xbox 360 game in June.
The last big bit of news to come out on the Xbox Wire was the removal of certain paywalls inhibiting the use of video streaming apps, such as Netflix and Twitch, by anyone who doesn’t also have an Xbox Live Gold membership.
Under the new system, these apps will be able to be used by anyone, regardless of whether their membership is Gold or Silver. This is especially handy for things like Netflix, which charge their own subscription fees already. These paywalls will be removed on both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
With E3 kicking off the day after Kinect-free Xbox consoles hit the shelves, and Microsoft going full throttle with making the Xbox One appeal to a wider audience, it looks like June is going to be pretty big.
If you already have your Xbox One, what games do you hope become free as part of Games with Gold? And if you don’t have yours yet, will this new, cheaper edition be the sparkle that makes you take the leap? Let us know in the comments section below!
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