Xbox Boss Phil Spencer says the value of Kinect will have to be earned through experiences, and still considers the peripheral an important part of the Xbox One landscape moving forward.
Speaking with GamesRadar, Spencer says the fact that Upload Studio 2.0 was designed with a Kinect green-screen feature is just one example which shows it's still on the minds of Microsoft engineers. "We’ll continue to build functionality to make it a valuable part of the ecosystem," Spencer says.
However, he did reiterate that the unbundling of Kinect from the Xbox One was also a crucial move that had to happen.
"[P]rice point’s really important for the console – we saw that over the holidays in the UK and US, where we did well when we dropped the price, which was great. And I want to make sure consumers have choice on how much they value the functionality of Kinect when they buy a console."
Selling Xbox One without Kinect has allowed Microsoft to offer the console at a more competitive price point -- a move which continues to pay dividends. Xbox One was April's best selling home console in the US. Xbox One first dethroned the PlayStation 4 last November after the Kinect-less console had its price drop to $349 USD.
Spencer says Microsoft will continue to stay focused on the voice and camera abilities of Kinect. But at the end of the day it will be up to developers to make the Kinect a viable option.
"[Kinect’s] place will be earned through the experiences that are out there and the developers that show interest."
