Microsoft announced on Tuesday that consumers will soon be able to purchase an Xbox One without the Kinect bundled with it.
In a Xbox Wire post, Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, outlined that they were listening to feedback and have decided to offer a Kinect-less Xbox One for $399, beginning on June 9. A bundle containing the Kinect will continue to be available at the current $499 price point.
He noted that this move, which is an about-face from earlier comments, does not mean Microsoft is abandoning the Kinect, which will also be sold on its own later this year, should users decide they actually want the device.
Spencer noted that the Kinect is currently used quite a lot by the average user, with about 120 voice commands issued a month by 80 percent of the Xbox One's user base.
The news isn't surprising - except that it came before E3, since the reduction in price will allow Microsoft to better compete against Sony and their Playstation 4, which is already priced at $399, and has seen strong sales. In March, Xbox notes that 5 million units of the next-gen console had been shipped, while Sony, per Joystiq, said that 7 million units had been sold worldwide.