Microsoft have said a lot of things in the past year, and maybe it’s because Sony are doing so well with their PS4, or maybe they’re genuinely listening to their current and prospective customers, but they’ve gone back on a lot of things, too. The latest sees the XBOX ONE ship without Kinect.

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Kicking off in June, the new console will be available at a cheaper price-point without the Kinect camera that lets owners control the interface with physical and voice commands. It will cost $399 USD, £349, 399 Euros and $499 AUD. The Kinect was first introduced for the Xbox 360, but never really took off as an add-on product. When it was announced that the ONE would ship with a Kinect 2 as standard, fans were upset at the lack of options. 

But options are exactly what Microsoft are pinning their change of heart on. "Since the beginning, we have focused on delivering great games and entertainment experiences for you," wrote Xbox head Phil Spencer in a blogpost announcing the decision. 

"I think giving consumers a choice is a really important part of growing the installed based of Xbox One," Spencer told the Guardian. "For me, this is about retail price and giving consumers the opportunity to buy a console that's obviously at a lower price point. They can choose to add Kinect later."

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This flies directly in the face of what Microsoft stated earlier on during their console’s run. "[A Kinect-less Xbox One] is not in our plans at all," Xbox UK marketing chief Harvey Eagle explained to Eurogamer. "As we've said from the very beginning, we believe Kinect is an absolutely integral part of the Xbox One experience."

And the decision has had the opposite effect on consumers, it would seem, with many lambasting Microsoft for changing their minds. Those who bought the console before this news was announced are angry that they were lead to believe the two pieces of hardware would never be sold separately, and have made their feelings known on forums and on social networks.