The problem with Kinect’s $150 price tag

It was revealed yesterday that the Kinect for Xbox One will retail as a standalone piece for US$150 on the 7th of October, 2014. At that price, Kinect 2.0 shares a similar price point as its predecessor, Kinect for Xbox 360, when it launched in November 2010. However, while I can appreciate how Microsoft has magnanimously avoided any upward revisions on pricing for the controversial piece of hardware despite its hardware improvements, $150 feels like a huge misstep; largely because the Kinect for Xbox One is what it is—
a controversial piece of hardware.

Remember this?

The reason why Microsoft managed to sell an excess of 24 million Kinect units for the Xbox 360 was due to some top-notch marketing and advertising work. It was touted as a refreshingly innovative, almost revolutionary device that was to lend a spatial dimension to your gaming fantasies and I bought it, well let’s face it, a whole lot of us did. But when reality failed to meet expectations, the hype died, and so did the enthusiasm. Kinect 2.0 was never going to be as eagerly anticipated as its predecessor because of that, and thus when told that Kinect for Xbox One was mandatory, gamers flipped.

However since its unbundling, Kinect now finds itself in the very awkward and miserable position of being the marriage reject. It was quite obvious that Microsoft had grand and fairly elaborate plans for the new Kinect. Bundled with the Xbox One and always connected, it was to serve as an important centrepiece to their all-in-one entertainment console. However, with the unbundling of the Kinect and the side-lining of Kinect applications given Mr. Phil Spencer’s dedication to games, games, games, and more games, I fail to see how the Kinect could possibly develop into a more compelling device.

That said, if you weren’t enticed by the Kinect then you certainly won’t be now, and that’s the problem, because you are just the person Microsoft is trying to sell the idea of the Kinect too. Microsoft wants to sell the Kinect to the gamer that didn’t see the need for it, and or the gamer that couldn’t initially afford it. Either way, $150 feels like Microsoft’s way of punishing you for your “poor” life decision.

My advice, if you haven’t yet bought the Kinect for Xbox One, hold out to see what becomes of this controversial peripheral. If you’re just in it for the games the unbundled Xbox One retail configuration will do you just fine, because as we’ve all learnt, “better with Kinect” is (usually) a lie.