Ever since their launches, Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s Playstation 4 have been at each other’s necks in sales competition. However, the PS4 started to pull ahead which caused Microsoft to take a step back and analyze why their Xbox One wasn’t selling. Originally, the Xbox One would not function without the Kinect being plugged into the console. This had caused a massive amount of controversy among those concerned with the Kinect’s sensor and potential privacy concerns.
After going this criticism about the privacy issues of the mandatory Kinect on the Xbox One, Microsoft finally decided to remove it back in May of this year. To do this, Microsoft announced that it would launch a Kinect-less Xbox One for $399, a $100 discount from the previous cost, which would also match the PS4’s price of $399 as well.
Since Microsoft removed the mandatory Kinect requirement, and because of the large price cut on the new Xbox One without the Kinect, the Xbox One sales have significantly increased. So much so, that their sales since last month have doubled after the requirement was removed. Not only has this removal affected the Xbox One, but Microsoft’s Xbox Wire team has also reported “solid” growth in Xbox 360 sales as well.
You can read more at Xbox Wire’s official statement here.
