The XBOX One Just Lost Its ID Card ~ But is that a Bad Thing?

Microsoft has been doing 180s with the XBOX One practically from before the system was even released; so seeing their latest “reverse-maneuver” isn’t exactly surprising. While not a huge surprise – I have to give MS credit for doing this rather swiftly. It’s only been a little over 6 months from since the XBOX One first hit market. Therefore, this change can be considered a rather quick one.

Regardless, while it’s a quick change – it’s a good one, sort of...

This really can be considered to be a two-sided coin. There’s the heads and tails, to this new situation. Let’s discuss the “heads” first.

On the good side of things; this makes the XBOX One a much more flexible system. It brings the price down, right into the same ballpark as its most direct competitor – the PS4, thus putting more pressure on Sony (and Nintendo’s) camp. This will now give more people (like myself) – more of a reason to buy the One, considering that the annoying Kinect is now no longer necessary to operate the system. While the original Kinect for 360, flew off of shelves and into the households of millions, it left a sour taste in the mouths of many. While the IDEA behind it was a good one – its execution wasn’t exactly the best. It had its shortcomings, which quickly became prevalent. It was laggy, and it was tacky. It simply didn’t work as well in reality, as it did on a nice promo ad. The thing really didn’t get very popular, outside of the plethora of “Kinect-exclusive” titles that followed; most of which were just down-right sub-par at best.

With the XBOX One’s new Kinect – Microsoft seemed more confident. This was supposed to be the REAL deal. This was to be the device that not only changed the playing field, but made the XBOX One an amazing system; because it was the only one that had such a companion. It’s a shame that the exact opposite happened.

The fans reacted: “THIS ISN’T WHAT WE WANTED!!!” “WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!” – Simply so; Microsoft had already left a sour taste from the original Kinect. One of the worst moves they made with the XBOX One was now trying to force it down, as a core-component. The fact that they didn’t think about this prior, is astounding. But who knows? Maybe they did. Even so, at the same time, they probably just came to the conclusion that, if they show the “improvements” they made; people would react in a more positive manner towards it. Unfortunately, that didn’t work, so, that’s why this is a good thing. It shows that Microsoft, has admitted to their mistake, and is now trying to re-write their wrong. While they SHOULD have done this in the FIRST PLACE; like the old saying goes – its better late than never, right?

With that now established; what could possibly be WRONG with this decision? I mean, come on – they LISTENED to their fans, and are giving people OPTIONS, this time. How is any of that BAD? Now, listen – I’m not trying to put a negative spin on good news. I hate it when “journalists” do this – so, I myself, will be no hypocrite. Nevertheless – as I said before – this is a two-sided coin. There is the heads and the tails. We just covered the heads, so now for the tails.

So, how can this be wrong? Well, while it does put the system in better alignment with the PS4 – now being priced the same – it ends up putting pressure on both (well, all 3) camps. How so? Well, now that Microsoft gave up the XBOX One’s “ID Card” – they have to find some way to get people to actually recognize the system. What am I talking about? Well, think of it like this. Everyone who lives in modern society has some form of an ID Card. It could be something like your passport, your driver’s license or your birth certificate. You get the point. That ID Card identifies you as a person. It differentiates you from the 7+billion other people that live on this planet.

So, how does this apply to the XBOX One?

The Kinect, is what set the XBOX One apart from the 2 other consoles, especially the PS4. Neither other systems had something like the Kinect. That belonged to the XBOX One, and that’s what changed the playing field. Microsoft had some heavy confidence in it, this time around. This was the new way to control your system, as well as its games. This was going to be the kingpin of your entertainment hub. That’s the premise that the Kinect had. Now with it gone, the XBOX One has to mainly rely on the most important thing; games.

Unlike Nintendo and Sony (especially, Nintendo) ~ Microsoft doesn’t have a plethora of first-party exclusives under their belt. The XBOX brand has been carried on the backs, (on the majority side of things), by third-party multiplats for eons now. Yes, it has franchises like HALO, Gears of War and Forza – but the sheer amount lacks when put up against the likes of Sony or (especially) Nintendo. With that being the case – with Kinect gone, MS now has to try 2x harder to push the One into more households. It may be the same price as the PS4; but with the PS4 continuously getting more praise, and arguably, better versions of multiplats, not to mention some great first-party offerings; it automatically makes the PS4 the better bang-for-your-buck. Even Nintendo is getting more aggressive with their Wii U campaign, with a lot of neat stuff planned. But just going by what we know about, that Mario Kart 8 bundle alone is an amazing idea.

Microsoft needs something like that; a killer-bundle that will make buyers go “Whoa! I need that now!” They need to grab some more exclusive titles from third-party studios, like what they did with Titanfall and Sunset Overdrive. They need to create more first-party studios, if they have too. In the end - they just need to beef up their campaign, and make sure that they have a plethora of options in the games department, that will attract new buyers, and sway them away from Nintendo and Sony’s offerings. The XBOX One hasn’t been doing too hot sales-wise, part of which is due to the Kinect. That $100 drop in price, will work more wonders than one might think. But dropping the price will do little-to-nothing much, without a good swing of great games to accompany it. I’m pretty sure that MS knows this, and their plans have may very well have already been put into motion. With that being the case, this year’s E3 is looking incredibly interesting. What will MS do now with the XBOX One going Kinect-less? Will it be enough to spark the sales, or is this just a minor change in this “console-war”? Only time will tell. Regardless; this is still a good idea, bar-none.