In order to increase sales, particularly against the stiff competition being offered by rival consoles from Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft will be removing the Kinect from the Xbox One package some time in 2015.
The resulting lower price will make the console, and its library of games much more appealing to those who intend to get in on some sweet next-gem gaming action.
“If Microsoft unbundles the Kinect sensor from the Xbox One console as we expect in 2015, this should lead to rough price parity with the PS4 and reset the sales dynamic at retail,” says IDC Gaming Research Director Lewis Ward.
He goes on to say that the PS4 is still expected to lead the gaming arms race, though the move should give the Xbox One a better position than it has at the moment.
Sony’s projected 51 million worldwide unit sales in two years might be a little hard to beat, but the unbundling, should give Microsoft’s console a stronger foothold in the USA and Canada by dropping the price from the USD599 the cheapest current package goes for.