I think just about everyone can recognize that while the PS4 may be busting records left and right, the One is doing surprisingly great in its own right.

Still, the steep $500 price tag considering the expensive pack in camera that seemingly no one wanted and a surprisingly severe power disadvantage has unquestionably put a damper on things. Never mind the fact it's the larger system on top of it all.

So what do you think? Will these rumours of a $400 kinectless One be enough to keep it in range of the PS4? Or will it still not be enough considering the power and size difference? Will marketing play a key role one way or another?

No. Neither US... it will just close the gap there.

Leaving out kinect would damage the system and the brand. It's the only thing the X1 has ahead of the PS4 so even without it at the same price as the PS4 it's a worse deal. 450 with kinect would probably help more.

Power? Well, PS2 was weakest in competition (leave aside Dreamcast), still was the most successful console ever.
I think MS needs to make sure that Xbone sells well, not requiring to catch PS4. If you only want to buy the most successful console, go for PS4. Otherwise decide on which games you like more.
Xbone will still get all major 3rd parties, I guess. There is too much money to make for the big ones.

even thou if it was at 400 it would be still a inferior machine plain and simple, the problem with the xbone is its hardware and price, so if it was 400 still the PS4 would be the better choice by a big margin.

I mean just look what some developers are saying, developers are putting raw code into the PS4 dev kit and it already reaching full HD and 60 frames, I think War thunder developer said this and Tomb Raider dev too, is just freaking insane!, meanwhile the xbone they need to squezze whatever they can into the xbone to just achieve a barely 30 frames or a sub hd ?,  and this freaking thing cost 500 bucks ? flooded with microtransactions on Forza, Ryse, etc ?

Seriously people theres absolutely nothing intelligent on investing on a xbone :/

I went with the third option. The US is going to be close as it is, so a $100 price drop should secure it for the X1. Europe and Japan will remain Sony land, though, so the PS4 would likely have enough of an advantage everywhere outside of NA to maintain a healthy lead.

Personally, I'd rather they keep the Kinect and just provide some damn must-have software for it.

PS2 had over a year of head start... so the base was already created... same happened with 360 and because that PS3 had trouble to reach it sales just with the power of the brand.

Xbox brand is not powerful enough to make what PS3 did... with launch aligned it will stay behind forever.

It would certainly help, but wouldn't make it outsell the PS4 still.

Xbox still gained a good deal of sales that generation from the reputation as the strongest console that it otherwise wouldn't have gotten. It was the software, design, and western reputation and game slant (even in the west at the time) that really hurt the Xbox.

Power sells... Just not as much as price and games. PS4 now has a power advantage, price advantage, and most expect to even have a software advantage long term going off the PS2 and PS3 vs the Xbox and 360 libraries.

Xbox people are waiting for X1 to get cheaper much as Sony people waited on the PS3. Every 360 owner I know is getting a 1, every PS3 owner a 4. As the price drops the balance will move closer to what this gen has been.