Deal Analysis: Is the Kinect-less Xbox One for $399 a good value?

Earlier today Microsoft announced that it will begin selling the Xbox One console without a Kinect sensor for $399, which is $100 less than the price of a console bundled with Kinect.

There’s little doubt that this move is meant to stimulate slumping Xbox One sales, which have fallen nearly 1 million units behind its rival PlayStation 4. These disappointing sales numbers have prompted Microsoft to giveaway its hottest game and have motivated retailers to offer aggressive discounts. Let’s take a look at how this Kinect-less Xbox One deal stacks up against other promotions we’ve seen thus far..

 Here are the top Xbox One console deals we’ve featured since its release:

– Refurbished, like-new Xbox One $380 via eBay Daily Deals
– New, open box Xbox One $400 via 1Sale
– New Xbox One Titanfall bundle $450 via Amazon, Best Buy & Walmart

All of the deals above were for the original version of the Xbox One that includes a Kinect sensor. Microsoft plans to sell the Kinect as a standalone product later this fall, but pricing is still unknown so for right now we are going to value the Kinect sensor at $100 (based on the price drop).

The Titanfall bundle was by far the best deal we’ve seen thus far when you take into account that the game alone retails for $60. That means buyers were getting a new Xbox One console with a Kinect sensor for $10 less than Microsoft’s new package, which does not include the sensor. While these past deals don’t help anyone currently in the market for Xbox One, they are a good indicator of what we can expect from future promotions, and we can only assume the deals will get even hotter as we approach the holiday season.

Bottom line is that the new Xbox One console without Kinect for $399 is an OK deal if you are in dire need of a new system, but you should be able to get more for your money if you wait for more deals to roll around. You can save even more if you are willing to settle for a refurbished or open-box unit. As always, be sure to check out our daily games roundup to keep up with the latest deals.

The new $399 Xbox One is slated to be released on June 9th and is currently available for preorder.

Many feel Kinect shouldn’t have been bundled in with Xbox One in the first place. The motion technology improved greatly over last gen’s outting, but continues to suffer from a lack of compelling content and the precision required for hardcore gaming. Respected gaming analyst, Michael Pachter recently told GameTrailers.com that he believes Kinect has “become almost irrelevant.” In fact, the Xbox One’s biggest title, Titanfall, doesn’t utilize the Kinect in any way. Most Xbox One owners believe it excels as an advanced UI navigation tool, but the standard controller may soon be just as good at those tasks:

We do want to find ways to give you some of those shortcuts and make some of the things that we have with Kinect easier with the controller,” Mehdi said. “You can expect to see us do a bunch of things over the coming months to make the experience easier and easier, even if you don’t have a Kinect.” – Xbox marketing lead, Yusuf Mehdi via Engadget

For most people, the Kinect doesn’t enhance one’s enjoyment of the Xbox One and its absence will not diminish its usability, but it is a helpful tool and future games may make better use of it so it is nice to have.

Justin Kahn contributed to this article.

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