Phil Harrison: Xbox One Will Never Come Without Kinect

Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison is underlining the company's support of the new Kinect with Xbox One. According to an interview with CVG, Harrison dashes the hopes of fans holding out for a cheaper, Kinect-free Xbox One bundle.

When asked if the Xbox One will always come with a Kinect, Harrison responds, "Correct. Xbox One is Kinect. They are not separate systems. An Xbox One has chips, it has memory, it has Blu-ray, it has Kinect, it has a controller. These are all part of the platform ecosystem."

Check out the full interview on a variety of topics including Microsoft's reversal of several Xbox One policies, the possibility of a pack-in game in North America, and the lack of a firm Xbox One release date.

[Source: CVG]

Our Take:
This seems like a very definitive choice that Microsoft is making, especially since it's already confirmed that the Xbox One will work without a Kinect plugged in. Past console launches have taken advantage of separate SKUs at different price points with different features. Even though Microsoft seems to be firm on this, it has gone back on plenty of Xbox One policies already. I wouldn't give up hope on a Kinect-free bundle just yet. It may take a year or two, but I think there's a chance.