Becoming less integral
Kinect’s role on the Xbox One is becoming more and more diminished. Another blow comes with this week’s arrival of the New Xbox One Experience. For the first time ever, Microsoft has done away with hand-gesturing that couldn’t be turned off when the Kinect is plugged in.
According to a story on Windows Central, Kinect gestures are not supported with the new interface. Mike Ybarra, the lead on the New Xbox One Experience team, says that this is due to a “very, very low” usage rate. “For now, we’ve cut that from the New Xbox One Experience. So, when we launch on [November 12], they won’t be in the product. We’ll continue to monitor and listen to feedback to see if people want them in,” Ybarra said.
It’s likely that the decision to remove Kinect gestures was made easier by the fact that most Xbox One bundles don’t include the camera peripheral. Those who do have it probably enjoyed swiping through menus once to feel like the future is really herebefore using a controller every subsequent time.
Exclusive: Discussing backwards compatibility, NXOE and the future with Xbox’s Mike Ybarra [Windows Central]