Hi! Long time no see, probably because Sleep is really important - or so I hear. If I had some I could find out but I digress. . .

IGN recently (AUGUST 5) posted an article where its users could ask "MARC WHITTEN, CHIEF XBOX ONE PLATFORM ARCHITECT" any question they wanted.

One question that was asked was...

Since Kinect must be plugged in for the Xbox One to function, what happens if your Kinect breaks? Like if it falls off the top of your TV onto a hardwood floor or something? Will the console cease to function?

Once you get past the PR that many of us have heard before the answer gets interesting...

That said, like online, the console will still function if Kinect isn’t plugged in, although you won’t be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor.

For those somehow not in the know - it was reported multiple times that the XboxOne HAD to (as in MUST be) plugged in for the XboxOne to even power on. It seems now that this is not the case anymore.

I would like to note that Kotaku is the only reason I became aware of this at all since I don't frequent IGN much. I know there are some here who frequent neither so - FYI - Now you know.

Rebut as you will.

Rebut as you will.

And I shall.

Once again we lose out because Microsoft sucks at communication. Now developers have no guarantee that every Xbox One player has an active Kinect, pushing it back into the dark for gameplay use.

That answer was actually posted today! They are going to update that post every Monday with more answers. Personally I think this is a wise decision for one reason. This is not because of privacy (personally I'd be surprised if we have any greater privacy concerns than the webcams built into our laptops). The reason in my opinion is for the LAN/tournament gaming community. Lugging a One to your friends house would be a lot more annoying if you had to also lug over the Kinect and find a space to place it at a friend's house or tournament space.

It would still look better in white. Fix THAT, Microsoft!

Just saying. Simple math.

180 + 180 = 360

180 + 180 = 360

Or One complete rotation! Thank you! Thank you! *drops mic and walks off stage*

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Just saying. Simple math.

180 + 180 = 360

Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to *NOT* make that joke.

.

.

.

I've decided . . . just. now. that I don't like you. I was going to give you a surprise party with cake and everything.

Now my feelings are hurt because I can't possibly give you a surprise party because its no longer a surprise because I have decided I don't like you which is now doubled since you made me decide to ruin an already awesome surprise party for you. . . you . . . you monster.

Because.

Once again we lose out because Microsoft sucks at communication. Now developers have no guarantee that every Xbox One player has an active Kinect, pushing it back into the dark for gameplay use.

No, because every Xbox One is still bundled with Kinect, so developers know that everyone has one. If the consumers don't have it plugged in, that's their own fault.

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If you find yourself in need of something fresher or a bit more spicy, check these puppies out:

...and of course, my pièce de résistance:

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Once again we lose out because Microsoft sucks at communication. Now developers have no guarantee that every Xbox One player has an active Kinect, pushing it back into the dark for gameplay use.

Yes, because the Wii having mandatory motion controls worked out so well, and there were tons of great games utilizing it in cool, revolutionary, non gimicky ways.

Not.

No seriously
I have not, and will not, use a Kinect. Hopefully no game devs make it a full fledged requirement (I'm going to have to see some proposed gameplay option that is truly compelling in order for me to halfway consider the extremely limited use of the thing)

I'm terribly glad that the rumored requirement has been rescinded. The One has possibly zombie crawled back onto The List for consideration.

I'm actually kind of interested in seeing if Kinect can be used with the Twitch streaming capabilites.

Once again we lose out because Microsoft sucks at communication. Now developers have no guarantee that every Xbox One player has an active Kinect, pushing it back into the dark for gameplay use.

I'm not so disappointed for gameplay, to be honest. Kinect is a little bit of a solution without a problem in gaming.

Not to say that it might not fill a gaming niche someday, but to me the general use of the Kinect by universities and companies for trying crazy shit is much more important, and certainly a lot cooler.

I'll likely be getting one, but mostly for the cool factor.

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No seriously
I have not, and will not, use a Kinect. Hopefully no game devs make it a full fledged requirement (I'm going to have to see some proposed gameplay option that is truly compelling in order for me to halfway consider the extremely limited use of the thing)

I'm terribly glad that the rumored requirement has been rescinded. The One has possibly zombie crawled back onto The List for consideration.

The Kinect on the 360 is extremely limited. It will be interesting to see what new kinds of gameplay are enabled with the Xbox One. For example, instead of having a button dedicated to melee game developers could detect a quick thrust of the controller towards the screen. The Star Wars Kinect game on the 360 was fun as long as you weren't hoping for a game that let you actually control a lightsaber, but on the Xbox One they could perhaps realize something a bit better.

Of course it's all still just speculation based on what MS has announced, but if it's like they say it is the possibilities are exciting.

I'm currently not an owner of the 360 Kinect, and for those who are I'm curious on how often you use it. I think as long as Kinect is "optional" it's going to be percieved as a gimmick to a living room. An "add on" so to speak. Forcing the kinect WITH the Xb1 is going to bring a whole new light to the living room.

Loads of comments regarding "Well, it's dev's are going to ignore it, just look at the Wii this generation."

I don't know. I'm thinking for the AAA titles that have already established themselves being played with a controlled won't be affected by this push in the slightest. What I'm more intrigued by is indie and XBLA development. I think we're going to see many more titles include Kinect use but not exclusively. You're essentially developing for a split community, unless you're playing something like Kinect sports.

My point is, part of me wants to see a "kinectless" Xb1 SKU at launch. But the other parts wants it to be forced on every console - even after launch. It's a gamble to see whether or not developers take the bait. Now that 100% userbase will have it, what will happen when Kinect is no longer a gimmick? We'll see.

*GIF*

It's like a bat signal.

...to yell "let me grab my headset".

I do not use Kinect at the moment, but the main reason I don't is because how slow and inaccurate it currently is. If the publicity on Kinect 2 is even remotely true I think I will use it quite a bit more. And I will definitely leave it on for the controller tracking.

I do not use Kinect at the moment, but the main reason I don't is because how slow and inaccurate it currently is. If the publicity on Kinect 2 is even remotely true I think I will use it quite a bit more. And I will definitely leave it on for the c̶o̶n̶t̶r̶o̶l̶l̶e̶r̶ Biometric and Personally Identifying Data tracking.

:D
Just kidding (only halfway kidding though)

Collateral damage from system developed for killing Osama Bin Laden...

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