Having already u-turned over always on web connections and blocking the use of pre-owned games, Microsoft has finally abandoned its twin decision to force the Kinect motion controller onto Xbox One users and charge them a whopping premium for doing so.
The firm has today announced that a new, Kinect-free version of the console will go on sale next month and be price matched to Sony’s Playstation 4 at $399 / £349.
The folly of the original decision cannot be overstated – at a time when families around the globe are still putting their finances back in order, Microsoft deliberately decided to make its product a full £80 more expensive then its competition.
As I wrote in January, that price difference was enough for me to switch from Xbox to Playstation for my next-gen console gaming.
Given I couldn’t play my existing games on the Xbox One, why pay £80 for am arm-wavy gadget I didn’t want?
In the end I used the saving to buy two games for my PS4 and it seems millions of others have done the same.
While this latest backtracking will save future buyers some money, its lateness has cost Microsoft a pile of sales and the loyalty of many gamers who are now propping up Sony’s bottom line.
