Microsoft Claims ‘Vast Majority’ Of Xbox One Kinect Users Regularly Use Device
Like a quarterback calling an audible at the line of scrimmage, Microsoft analyzed the situation with its Xbox One and eventually decided to sell the console without a second generation Kinect motion sensor bundled in. The Kinect was at first viewed as an integral part of the Xbox One experience, and though things have gone in a different direction, Microsoft says there's a lot of them out there and those who own a Kinect use it regularly.
Mike Nichols, chief marketing officer for Xbox, spoke with Polygon at length about the Kinect, though some details he preferred to keep close to the vest. One of those details is the number of Kinect sensors that are out there. According to Nichols, Microsoft simply doesn't know (we call hogwash), as "that's a level of granularity we don't want to get into."
"I can say that the people with Kinect still make up a very, very sizable portion and that those people do use it quite frequently. Less for games, but a lot more for biometric sign-in and user interface," Nichols said. He added that it's a "vast majority" of owners who use it regularly.
We have a hard time believing Microsoft doesn't know or even care how many Kinect sensors it sold, though Nichols is probably right that owners of the motion control sensor use it for things other than games. I own one myself, and while I rarely use it, it does get the occasional voice command to bounce around the interface.
If there are a lot of Kinect sensors out there, it presents an interesting challenge for Microsoft. It means the company has to design and plan out Xbox One updates based on two groups. That said, Microsoft has narrowed its focus with the Kinect. Things like gesture controls ,which Nichols says "so few people use," are no longer being designed for.
Mike Nichols, chief marketing officer for Xbox, spoke with Polygon at length about the Kinect, though some details he preferred to keep close to the vest. One of those details is the number of Kinect sensors that are out there. According to Nichols, Microsoft simply doesn't know (we call hogwash), as "that's a level of granularity we don't want to get into."
"I can say that the people with Kinect still make up a very, very sizable portion and that those people do use it quite frequently. Less for games, but a lot more for biometric sign-in and user interface," Nichols said. He added that it's a "vast majority" of owners who use it regularly.
We have a hard time believing Microsoft doesn't know or even care how many Kinect sensors it sold, though Nichols is probably right that owners of the motion control sensor use it for things other than games. I own one myself, and while I rarely use it, it does get the occasional voice command to bounce around the interface.
If there are a lot of Kinect sensors out there, it presents an interesting challenge for Microsoft. It means the company has to design and plan out Xbox One updates based on two groups. That said, Microsoft has narrowed its focus with the Kinect. Things like gesture controls ,which Nichols says "so few people use," are no longer being designed for.
