Kinect-less Xbox One SKU will lead to HIGHER Kinect sales, Spencer argues

Microsoft’s decision to drop Kinect from the new 349 Xbox One SKU will actually increase the number of Kinect units sold.

That’s according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who told Polygon: "This might seem backwards, but I believe the decision we made to allow people to buy Xbox One without Kinect included, in the end, will actually lead to more Kinects in the market.

"I believe that you’ve got to sell the console before you can sell Kinect. Price point is important. I had to give people a choice when they come in to go buy a console, that we have a console that’s at a competitive price, that’s at an entry price for them.

"We’ve got to be competitive with the Xbox One console, and then we’re going to allow people to add Kinect later when they can. They can buy it standalone. If they want to buy it day one, I still think that’s the best Xbox One experience over the long run, but giving them choice will let us grow the largest install base of Xbox One customers, and those who choose to, will actually add Kinect to it as well."

Microsoft was at E3 very open about its gratitude for the substantial feedback it has received regarding Xbox One policy which, Spencer said, has helped it bring significant improvement to the console.

It seems it’s somewhat less flexible regarding the PR line regarding Kinect, however.