Microsoft defends pack-in Kinect for Xbox One

Senior Xbox director Albert Penello says "when people get to use it, I think it will be really obvious" why motion tech is included with every system.

 

Microsoft has defended its decision to include Kinect with every Xbox One. Senior director of product management and planning Albert Penello told GameSpot at PAX Prime today that once gamers experience what the new technology brings to the table, they will be won over.

Penello said, "It's easy to pick it apart when you haven't experienced it," adding that when gamers finally do try out the new motion-control technology, it will be "really obvious" why Microsoft chose to include it in every box. He said he has an Xbox One at home right now and explained that interacting with Kinect is one of the most impressive components of the entire Xbox One package.

Penello also spoke to the advantage Microsoft will have over competitor Sony, which will instead sell its PlayStation Eye separately for $60.

"Obviously I can't speak to what Sony's doing. I don't know what their plans are with their camera. But I think they had this with Move; we had it with Kinect versus Nintendo with the Wii. When you bundle it, you get more innovation, you get better and more interesting types of experiences," Penello said. "So I do think that bundling it in every console, and the fact that technology is so much more advanced than what anybody else is doing; yeah, I do think it is an advantage."

Penello also recalled the launch of the original Kinect, which he said failed to reach its full potential.

"When we launched the Kinect on Xbox 360, it came five years in on the platform; it was an accessory. And it did some really cool stuff. But I feel like it never reached its full potential," Penello said. "Because developers have to decide: does my customer have it? Who's going to have it? If I do this game, what percentage of users have it? And one of the things I think we've learned is that when you launch something as part of the console, it changes how it gets used."

The Xbox One launches in November for $500. Check back later for more from GameSpot's conversation with Penello.

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"Microsoft defends pack-in Kinect for Xbox One" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 13:47:03 -0700
Filed under: Video Games

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