Microsoft Xbox One to Function without Kinect Sensor

From X-bit Labs: Although Kinect sensor will continue to be a part of every Xbox One bundle, it will not be mandatory for operation of the game console. Those, who have privacy concerns regarding always-on voice and motion sensor can now calm down: new Kinect can be unplugged from the system and the latter will continue to work with games not relying on the device.

“The console will still function if Kinect is not plugged in, although you will not be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor,” said Mark Whitten, chief Xbox One platform architect, in a big interview with IGN web-site.

Previously, Microsoft required the console to always be online with Kinect always plugged in, which naturally caused privacy concern. In addition, Microsoft had rather strict policies concerning second-hand games. The company reversed its policies regarding “always online” and used games and it now turns out that the software giant no longer requires Kinect to be plugged in.

The new Xbox One comes with completely redesigned Kinect sensor that will feature 1920*1080 RGB camera, improved infrared sensor and enhanced voice controls. The sensors of the second-generation Kinect can detect a finger movement within nanoseconds, which gets the whole platform onto a brand new level of functionality.

Microsoft Xbox One is based on AMD Fusion custom-designed system-on-chip with eight x86 low-power/low-cost Jaguar cores, AMD Radeon HD graphics with GCN architecture (with 32MB ESRAM/EDRAM buffer) as well as 8GB of DDR3 system memory. The console features 500GB hard disk drive, Blu-ray disc drive, 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity, Gigabit Ethernet, output of video with up to 4K resolution (3840*2160) using HDMI 1.4 as well as 7.1-channel audio. The new Xbox One comes with completely redesigned Kinect sensor that will feature 1920*1080 RGB camera, improved infrared sensor and enhanced voice controls. The console sports a number of functions, e.g. TV-cable pass-through that will seamlessly integrate it into the living room.

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