Xbox One sales have doubled since Microsoft unbundled Kinect

[Shawn Knight]

Microsoft started selling the Xbox One without the Kinect on June 9 at a $100 discount. Since that time, the Redmond-based company has seen sales more than double in the US according to a press release on the matter.

Sales figures are based on retail calendar and sold through numbers as opposed to shipments to retailers.

The vanilla Xbox One sells for $399, the same price the PlayStation 4 launched at late last year. Since that time, Sony has been handily winning the next generation console war in terms of systems moved primarily because it was $100 cheaper.

In addition to saving some cash by not buying the Xbox One with Kinect bundle, gamers will also realize better system performance. Microsoft pointed out last month that disconnecting the Kinect will boost GPU performance by as much as 10 percent. Considering the Xbox One is already struggling to keep up with the PlayStation 4 in terms of pure power, even a small performance boost could go a long way.

Back in April, Microsoft said they'd shipped 5 million consoles to retailers versus the 7 million PlayStation 4 consoles that Sony said they'd sold to consumers in roughly the same time span.

With Sony and Microsoft now on even playing fields in terms of price, prospective buyers will need to pick a camp based on other criteria like game lineup (or just buy both consoles).

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/57446-xbox-one-sales-have-doubled-since-microsoft-unbundled-kinect.html

 

[Jad Chaar]

This shows that being stubborn doesn't pay off... they should have done this from day one (pun intended)...

 

[Sniped_Ash]

"Double" sales sounds impressive until you see the NPD numbers for XBONE sales right before they dropped the Kinect.

 

[Guest]

Was it the Kinect or the $100 ? Cause if people just didnt like the price you could of taken off the $100 and kept it in the pack encouraging many to purchase a kinect game or two making the money back.

I mean anyone stupid enough to buy an xbone would easily be stupid enough to buy a few games for their kinect.

 

[GhostRyder]

It has nothign to do with Kinect being unbundled, it just is the 100 dollars off the price tag people like.

They should have stuck to their guns and kept kinect and instead just taken a bit off the price even if they had to eat a bit of the money since games are the way they make money. Now with it separate it just brings back the whole problem with developers wanting to develop for it.

But I guess 5 million Kinect consoles is a pretty penny to develop for.

 

[Guest]

Next step is to get them to drop the fee for online play...

 

[yukka]

I doubt they will drop the charge for xbox gold. Sony are doing the same thing for online ps4 multiplayer but they have dropped the requirement for netflix etc to match them. With the games given out each month it's worth the £3 a month in my opinion.

 

[Guest]

Well I think they should of kept the kinect and ditched the $100, but as far as the off topic monthly sub goes, Sony with the ps3 used to give a fair few games. But the PSN store is infinitely more disastrous than its first outing. Its fancier, but laggy, When trying redownload an older purchase, you have to go through every download ever as they are in 1 long list, which sucks so hard, an ultimate fail.
And the PSN+ section has been, streamlined and you now get nowhere near as much as you did for your money. PS3 games were plentiful, the odd psp or psvita, even psone classics, and a theme.
Now its just 2 per console. Well I dont want a ps4, or psvita, I am on ps3, my £40 a month is now being shared with psvita and ps4 users and funding their games. It didnt feel like that before, but it sure as hell does now. I am getting less for my money. And even ps4 people arent happy with their free games, but then they expect retail games on there when there arent exactly any retail games for the ps4. And when they do come they have to be bought in the shops a few million times or flop hard b4 sony will offer them up.
And if you bail on sony all those games you got with the psn+ label, are no longer yours. So say goodbye.

 

[treetops]

It has nothign to do with Kinect being unbundled, it just is the 100 dollars off the price tag people like.

They should have stuck to their guns and kept kinect and instead just taken a bit off the price even if they had to eat a bit of the money since games are the way they make money. Now with it separate it just brings back the whole problem with developers wanting to develop for it.

But I guess 5 million Kinect consoles is a pretty penny to develop for.

Der ???? The reason it is 100$ cheaper is because it no longer has the Kinect bundled with it.

 

[GhostRyder]

Der ???? The reason it is 100$ cheaper is because it no longer has the Kinect bundled with it.

Not what I was saying, im saying the reason people like the console more is the 100 bucks off and not the fact kinect is not there. They would be buying it just the same with kinect if it was at the same price point.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Der ???? The reason it is 100$ cheaper is because it no longer has the Kinect bundled with it.

Not what I was saying, im saying the reason people like the console more is the 100 bucks off and not the fact kinect is not there. They would be buying it just the same with kinect if it was at the same price point.

That may be true what is your point? It still tells us the same thing. Most people do not care about waving their hands in the way or screaming at the top of their lungs to get stuff done. What takes the least amount of energy and effort to tell a computer or game console what you want to do? It sure as hell isn't waving your hands in the air or screaming at the top of your lungs or doing the tango.

Kinect was a niche device that gamers cared for about as much as they would swiping their screens to play Call of Duty 77 on Windows 8. It's okay for people to TRY and innovate. It's okay to TRY and throw spaghetti at the wall and see if it sticks. But when it falls to the floor don't go over and pick it up and throw at the wall again and start crying because, "if only everyone knew how good it was they would support this".

The gamers have spoken. If consumers knew how much true power they wield from the beginning Microsoft would NEVER ignore their customers wishses. But some people put as much thought into the power of their purchasing decisions as they do which brand of toilet paper they purchase it seems.

Thankfully, not everybody is that way, though.

If Windows 8 had been sold at Windows 7 prices it would have 50% less market share than it does now.

Microsoft finally does something smart and they are reaping the rewards. It's mind-boggling.

 

[Nobina]

I never liked Kinect and if I was about to buy the Xbox One, I would buy it now because I don't need that useless piece of technology just gathering dust, it's not about $100, it's more about the Kinect, for me at least.

 

[Guest]

"Microsoft pointed out last month that disconnecting the Kinect will boost GPU performance by as much as 10 percent."

LOL

 

[Burty117]

I don't get it, am I missing something? Shouldn't it be cheaper than the PS4 without the Kinect? It's essentially the same thing just a lower spec?

 

[cliffordcooley]

I don't get it, am I missing something? Shouldn't it be cheaper than the PS4 without the Kinect? It's essentially the same thing just a lower spec?

<joke>It cost extra to have Kinect removed from the bundle. The same as paying to have standard features removed from an automobile.</joke>

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

But isn't the Kinect version recommended and endorsed by the NSA? If it is then it should also be subsidized by them making it cheaper for the consumer to buy than the non Kinect job.

 

[yukka]

"Microsoft pointed out last month that disconnecting the Kinect will boost GPU performance by as much as 10 percent."

LOL

What's funny? They updated the api so GPU cycles weren't dedicated to the kinect and put that into a recent update.

 

[Burty117]

What's funny? They updated the api so GPU cycles weren't dedicated to the kinect and put that into a recent update.

I think it's funny that the Xbone already has quite a weak GPU, so Microsoft made a bad situation worse by using it for the Kinect.

 

[yukka]

The whole snapin thing was bound to have some overhead and for it to work quickly enough to be useable they would have needed to reserve some power for it somewhere which is fine. Releasing those features in a weaker console, yeah ok that is quite funny. Releasing the 10% reserved for Kinect is a good move though and I am glad they did it and publicised it.

 

[Jad Chaar]

It has nothign to do with Kinect being unbundled, it just is the 100 dollars off the price tag people like.

They should have stuck to their guns and kept kinect and instead just taken a bit off the price even if they had to eat a bit of the money since games are the way they make money. Now with it separate it just brings back the whole problem with developers wanting to develop for it.
'
But I guess 5 million Kinect consoles is a pretty penny to develop for.

They did it to compete with PS4. This is a consumers logic: "uhhhh... $400 vs $500...that is $100 I can put to games". Yeah you can put the argument that developers see the Kinect as an opportunity to develop better games, but to MS, it is all about money. They don't really care about developers.

 

[GhostRyder]

I don't get it, am I missing something? Shouldn't it be cheaper than the PS4 without the Kinect? It's essentially the same thing just a lower spec?

It costs more to make an Xbox one because Microsoft did not skimp on the internal cooling and the general design of the console. Sony cut alot of corners with the current design of the PS4 and it already runs hotter by as much as 10 degrees standard. How will that effect things in the long run, well it will all depend on how well the hardware can take it. My PS4 when playing games is silent, but the heat coming out the back is like a flame thrower compared to the Xbox ONE when its playing games which makes me want to invest in that Nyko fan controller for the PS4.

I think it's funny that the Xbone already has quite a weak GPU, so Microsoft made a bad situation worse by using it for the Kinect.

Its in reality about like an HD 7790 vs an HD 7850 (Or a low clocked 7870 according to core counts). The major difference is only in the choice of GDDR5 ram standard versus DDR3 with the eDram boost. The speeds come out to being the same but the eDram is limited in space which harms its potential use.

They did it to compete with PS4. This is a consumers logic: "uhhhh... $400 vs $500...that is $100 I can put to games". Yeah you can put the argument that developers see the Kinect as an opportunity to develop better games, but to MS, it is all about money. They don't really care about developers.

Same people buying the PS4 had no problem paying 600+ bucks for a PS3 back in the day? Plus the whole lack of support for playstation eye is once again showing because almost nothing has come out with support for it again. Kinect at least had the potential to add some really cool games and features (Another Dance Central?) and is a cool device that actually works as intended. Biggest problem for the argument about games is where are they? Because all I keep hearing from Sony on their whole "Gaming" console is that all the games are coming soon. Basically they are pulling a "Game of Thrones" on that one...

That may be true what is your point?

Point is that people are raving how they do not like the Kinect and do not like spending a bit extra on getting it with the system. There was a bundle (still around I think) with Kinect Xbox ONE, Titanfall, and a small subscription bonus to Xbox Live awhile back for 500 at walmart. Still people ranted about the price instead of realizing how much you got for that money. People are buying up a stripped down PS4 with significantly less uses that its PREDECESSOR. Its a year of Microsoft hate and no matter what, if the tables were flipped and the PS4 was the Xbox and vice Versa, people would still be making all the complaints ivelisted about my PS4 as complaints for the Xbox ONE and clapping for the PS4. None of that would have changed much (Except maybe a few more sales to the people who wanted just to buy which ever console was cheaper).

If you want to explain why you bought a system over the other, then somewhere in your mind your upset with your purchase. You should buy a console (or computer) because its what you want for the exclusives, features, etc. People who have to justify buying one over the other (I have both and a PC) are not happy with their purchase. Making things up or hiding things is why the PS4 right now has a small game library, no features other than blu-ray player and game console, and has all the policies everyone ranted onto the Xbox ONE about (DRM...) and Sony has no trouble getting away with it because people won't bat an eye at them and continuously throw money at them. If your buying the product, they obviously think they can get away with it and should keep doing what they are doing.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

It costs more to make an Xbox one because Microsoft did not skimp on the internal cooling and the general design of the console. Sony cut alot of corners with the current design of the PS4 and it already runs hotter by as much as 10 degrees standard. How will that effect things in the long run, well it will all depend on how well the hardware can take it. My PS4 when playing games is silent, but the heat coming out the back is like a flame thrower compared to the Xbox ONE when its playing games which makes me want to invest in that Nyko fan controller for the PS4.


Its in reality about like an HD 7790 vs an HD 7850 (Or a low clocked 7870 according to core counts). The major difference is only in the choice of GDDR5 ram standard versus DDR3 with the eDram boost. The speeds come out to being the same but the eDram is limited in space which harms its potential use.

Same people buying the PS4 had no problem paying 600+ bucks for a PS3 back in the day? Plus the whole lack of support for playstation eye is once again showing because almost nothing has come out with support for it again. Kinect at least had the potential to add some really cool games and features (Another Dance Central?) and is a cool device that actually works as intended. Biggest problem for the argument about games is where are they? Because all I keep hearing from Sony on their whole "Gaming" console is that all the games are coming soon. Basically they are pulling a "Game of Thrones" on that one...

Point is that people are raving how they do not like the Kinect and do not like spending a bit extra on getting it with the system. There was a bundle (still around I think) with Kinect Xbox ONE, Titanfall, and a small subscription bonus to Xbox Live awhile back for 500 at walmart. Still people ranted about the price instead of realizing how much you got for that money. People are buying up a stripped down PS4 with significantly less uses that its PREDECESSOR. Its a year of Microsoft hate and no matter what, if the tables were flipped and the PS4 was the Xbox and vice Versa, people would still be making all the complaints ivelisted about my PS4 as complaints for the Xbox ONE and clapping for the PS4. None of that would have changed much (Except maybe a few more sales to the people who wanted just to buy which ever console was cheaper).

Why should anybody spend extra money on something they really don't want. Are you serious? If only 5% of all people who purchase an XBox care about Kinect games why should everyone else suffer? It's not about bashing Kinect for existing as much as it is that it was being forced upon people. Microsofts new marketing strategy. You would think they are a government institution doing whatever the hell they want regardless of whether its what the consumer wants. That's my biggest gripe with the whole Kinect fiasco. If waving your hands in the air helps you get your rocks off that's fine but I have no interest in it.

I guess in a general sense I see Microsoft wanting everybody to be the same instead of being unique and individual. Let the 5% who wanna buy the niche product go out and buy it. Why anger 95% of your potential consumers by forcing them to subsidize crap hardware they will never use?

Same thing with Windows 8. I think Microsoft is learning that taking 'away' choices is a bad move. We are all not clones.

 

[GhostRyder]

Why should anybody spend extra money on something they really don't want. Are you serious? If only 5% of all people who purchase an XBox care about Kinect games why should everyone else suffer? It's not about bashing Kinect for existing as much as it is that it was being forced upon people.

You seem to think that the Kinect being a seperate entity is better for everyone but it leads to failure of a peripheral. However as we have all seen in the past with ANY peripheral for a specific system (Sega CD, 32X, Jaguar CD, Playstation Eye (All versions), ROB, I could go on for an hour) if its not part of the base system it gets little support because it requires owning said console and then owning said device which when you already divide up the market to one console then you add the division of people who have/may buy the device on top of then adding if it will appeal to even a majority of those people the number gets really low.

Why have most of those inventions gotten only handfuls of games and been labeled failures? The exact reason was developers would not support them enough (Except mostly in house developers) and then people would not buy them for lack of support. Its a problem that plagues the peripherals and has caused most of them to fail just from those things. Including the Kinect guaranteed that everyone who owned the console had one which in tune gave developers the same market of system exclusives which caused a bigger margin of people to make a game for. it gives the device a chance to succeed and become a device everyone wants. "Forcing it" is a way to give developers more of a chance to actually make decent games for it and get a higher chance of returns for developing the game.

It is the only way a peripheral will succeed in the world in most cases, that is why Wii took off (On top of it being cheap).

 

[cliffordcooley]

You seem to think that the Kinect being a seperate entity is better for everyone

It is better for everyone, you are the one that thinks differently! You as well as anyone should understand that if a peripheral is required to play a game, people will buy it. Nothing is stopping game designers from programming for the Kinect, even if the Kinect is left out of some bundles.

 

[GhostRyder]

It is better for everyone, you are the one that thinks differently! You as well as anyone should understand that if a peripheral is required to play a game, people will buy it. Nothing is stopping game designers from programming for the Kinect, even if the Kinect is left out of some bundles.

Except for the fact that there is a smaller market of people that own the separate peripheral on top of owning the specific console. A company is not going to invest money into making games for something is the possible return is going to be lower than the cost. Also apparently 5 million were sold with the bundle so I am not the only one who thinks that way...