The latest Kinect was the focus of much criticism after Microsoft announced that the Xbox One-with-Kinect package — the only one offered at the console’s launch — was a $500 item, compared to Sony’s $400 (camera sensor-free) PlayStation 4. Less than a year later, shortly before E3 2014, the message changed and a Kinect-free Xbox One was released for $400. A standalone Kinect was promised, and here it is.
Related: Xbox One launch review
In our review of the Xbox One at launch, we likened the new Kinect’s voice command capabilities, and the way it’s integrated into the console’s operating system, as a new “button” of sorts in your control scheme. To this day, even after the release of the Kinect-less package, dashboard navigation can sometimes be difficult without voice commands to help you out. That’s a product of how the console was designed to begin with, as Kinect was always meant to be an integral component.
