The problem with Kinect is its price tag, which stems from the problem that it's not a simple webcam.
What people like Kinect for most are two simple sensors found in every simple webcam: Microphone(s) and digital camera. Those two sensors are perfectly sufficient for things like voice control, Skype/videochat, face recognition etc.
Those two sensors/technologies are cheap, Microsoft could easily manufacture a tiny yet high-quality webcam for Xbox One for like 20-30$ that would allow for Kinect's most beloved features.
But unfortunately Kinect includes expensive depth-sensing technology as well, which makes Kinect clumsy and is responsible for probably 80% of the manufacturing costs.
On the one hand, that technology is what makes Kinect special, but at the same time, it has become the least-used feature since the initial "your body is the controller"-hype.
So Microsoft should offer a simple and cheap webcam for Xbox One, as a cheap alternative to Kinect for all those users who don't need the expensive yet hardly used depth-sensing technology.
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