Microsoft says Xbox One no longer needs Kinect in order to work

Microsoft has been scrambling these last couple of weeks, trying everything they can to do last minute tweaks to its next-gen Xbox One console to better compete against Sony's PlayStation 4.

Another change that has been announced today, saw Xbox chief product officer, Marc Whitten, revealing that Kinect will no longer be required in order for the Xbox One to work. He says: "Like online, the console will still function if Kinect isn't plugged in, although you won't be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor."

I have referred to the Xbox One's Kinect sensor as an NSA device, so it looks like the company is listening to people and have removed the requirement of an always-on camera pointing at for your console to work. What's more interesting is the fact that this could lead Microsoft to selling an Xbox One without the Kinect sensor, which might drop it down to the $399 price tag that the PS4 is going for.