During GameStop’s earnings call this week, President Tony Bartel noted a marked increase in Xbox One interest from consumers following the decision to offer a cheaper, Kinect-less version of the console.
“I definitely think we’re already seeing in our stores [that] there’s a stronger demand as a result of the price drop,” said Bartel, adding, “The good news for us is… we’ll sell a lot more units.” The Kinect-less Xbox One will go on sale 9 June and will retail for $499 AUD, $50 less than a PlayStation 4 and $100 less than Xbox One with Kinect.
Microsoft’s Yusuf Medhi said of the Kinect-less Xbox One, “We remain deeply committed to the Kinect as a core component of a next-generation console,” Medhi added, despite the claim. “We think that the bio-metric sign-in, voice controls of the menu, ability to say ‘record that’ and capture a moment of gameplay are all critical to the experience.
“We have never wavered from that since the launch. The decision we’re announcing today is offering a choice to people that would allow people to buy an Xbox One and then ramp up to Kinect when they can afford to,” he said. “We have over 80 million people who have yet to buy Xbox One.”
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