Remember all the misdirection and aggravation surrounding Xbox One's always-on Kinect policy? The Xbox One, as far as we knew, was designed to be active even when switched off. The system would instead go into a low-power state where it could still download games or updates and listen for certain Kinect commands. That fact was combined with our understanding of the new Kinect, which came packaged with the system and had to be connected in order for the Xbox One to function. Microsoft eventually clarified that you can disable most Kinect functions except having it listen for "Xbox On." But the situation was both murky and irksome enough to fall into Gaming Editor Kyle Orland's "What we think we know about what Microsoft isn’t saying about the Xbox One" FAQ-style round-up.
Today, Microsoft inadvertently shed more light on this predicament. During an "Ask Microsoft anything" liveblog hosted by IGN, Chief Xbox One Platform Architect Marc Whitten fielded a question about what happens if a Kinect breaks. He first rhapsodized about the idealistic intent of the Kinect but finished the response with "That said, like online, the console will still function if Kinect isn’t plugged in, although you won’t be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor."
IGN readers apparently picked up on the theme and followed-up by asking just how "off" the Kinect can potentially be using Xbox One. Whitten did not mince words this time:
You have the ability to completely turn the sensor off in your settings. When in this mode, the sensor is not collecting any information. Any functionality that relies on voice, video, gesture or more won’t work. We still support using it for IR blasting in this mode. You can turn the sensor back on at any time through settings, and if you enter into a required Kinect experience (like Kinect Sports Rivals for instance), you’ll get a message asking if you want to turn the sensor back on in order to continue.
Kotaku connected with a Microsoft spokesperson later in the day to confirm that there are still no plans to sell a Kinect-free Xbox One bundle and that games with supplemental Kinect features will still function without the device. Next, Microsoft Senior Executive Albert Penello posted about the day's Kinect news on the NeoGAF forums. He said the company still believes in and feels strongly about Kinect, but "we wanted people to be 100 percent comfortable, so we allow the sensor to be unplugged."
Today's outlined position feels like yet another reversal from what Xbox announced back in May. Though by comparison, this is a much lower profile change. Since the console's initial announcement, Microsoft infamously retreated from its controversial game licensing policy and its impact on used games.
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