No matter what your opinion of MS, you have to give some credit for taking a risk. If we have all been talking about a sku without a Kinect for months, chances are they have been talking about it since the start. I'm sure some people at MS probably thought a Xbox One that was $100-$200 cheaper at launch would give the system more of a boost than a bundled Kinect.
While I am a supporter of the Kinect, I tend to agree that a launch Xbox One that was priced at $399, or, even better, $350, would give the system more of a boost than any potential value added by the Kinect. I don't see TV services being something that will draw people to the console either.
While Kinect 1 sold well, it never really had that killer title that everyone had to play. MS is laying the groundwork for either themselves, or a third party to come in and actually invest in Kinect 2 with at least the confidence that an install base will exist for it considering that every Xbox One owner will also be a Kinect 2 owner.
Not a risk I would take, but MS is taking a chance I'll give them that.
Penello and others seem to believe that Kinect 2 should win out over a price cut for the system.
