The problem with Kinect is that it did become a huge hit... 4 years ago. Like most fads, it sold a bunch and then quickly died off. I'm just not sure why MS is trying to revive a fad, it'd be like trying to get people to sign up for a MySpace account again. 

I think because the tech behind Kinect has far broader and greater uses than in video games. It's a stepping stone to greater tech and MS wants to be at the front of it.

Where? I haven't seen it. I don't see how waving your arms in from of a tv screen is going to enhance gaming in any way. 

Microsoft has some options here.

1. Stick with what they have and find ways to make Kinect more appealing to people.
2. Remove Kinect and lower the price, likely annoying early adopters but attracting new buyers.
3. Keep Kinect and drop the price taking a loss in order to keep market share.

My guess is for 2014 that number 1 is the most likely option. They invested so much into this, way too early to disown it. However come 2015 if things are worse then I could see them dropping it and going $349-399 in big push to stay competitive.

Microsoft have done well with the X1. The sales are respectable for the time being. They've done okay.

It seems they were trying to do something similar to the Nintendo Wii; yet the Wii was very cheap when it first came out. The X1 is much more expensive. Even then the Wii motion controls were a phase; that phase has died down now.

For Kinect to really launch the X1 into the stratosphere (which is what Microsoft wanted) they need to find some form of innovative use for it, which they don't seem to have found. Its seen more of a gimmick. Here in Europe we're not interested. In Japan its unlikely the X1 will find any success, especially since most houses in Japan and many houses in Europe are small in comparison to American homes.

Thats pretty much the problem though...theres no Kinect games at the moment.

MS should have had Kinect Sports Rivals at launch.

But yeah i too would wait to see how Kinect specific software does and if it moves hardware or not.

On the other hand MS is losing a lot of ground to Sony in their home market...and lets be honest here its probably not just PS3 owners upgrading. I mean its almost double the sales...price is also a factor but probably not the only one. PS4 seems to have the momentum and backing of most gamers across the world, so MS cant afford to wait for too long. I'd give it a few months and make a decision before the end of year holiday shopping season.

yea The only thing stopping them from excluding Kinect is there silly egos and pride. Its blatently obvious that if they offered Xbone without kinect for $399 that it would be comparing much better than what it is now

I think its pretty obvious what is actually meant by "forced" in the context of the article. People are not forced to buy the X1 but people who do want to buy an X1 are forced to buy the Kinect as well...

Also i highly doubt MS will drop the price to $400 and keep Kinect bundled. Thats a massive loss on each unit sold...

Just because MS can afford it doesnt mean they will do it.

This is much like what I intended to write.

Microsoft's crucial mistake with the Kinect was launching it on the 360.  Yes, short-term it was a huge boost to a lagging console, but long-term is a different matter.

People went crazy over the Kinect on the 360.  The hype was through the roof.  People saw those concept videos and announced that the future had arrived.  Gaming was going to be altered for the better.  And, indeed, sales of Kinect were massive.

And then reality hit, gaming did not change, and Kinect sales went over a cliff.  Support dried up and the hype train lost most of its steam.

Now, imagine if all those concept videos had been for the XO.  Imagine if the XO was the first version of Kinect.  The hype would have been much, much greater for Kinect.  The casual crowd, at the very least, would have jumped.

So, yeah, Kinect on the 360 hurt the Xbox One more than anything.

Remember back when the Wii's started collecting dust?

That's when the motion gaming fad died.

It's seems Microsoft missed the memo on that one.