Four months after it began selling the Xbox One without a Kinect sensor in June, Microsoft will now offer up a way for customers to purchase the motion-tracking device separately.
The company announced today that a standalone Kinect will be available starting Oct. 7 for $149.99 — that’s $50 cheaper than the Kinect for Windows. The Kinect for Xbox One will come with the new Dance Central Spotlight game.
But if you really want the Kinect, it’s probably smart to just buy the original $499 Xbox One that comes with the sensor — an Xbox One without the Kinect costs $399. However, there will be Kinect-less bundles available later this year that start at $350.
Price has been one of the biggest hurdles for the Xbox One, which originally cost $100 more than the PlayStation 4 at $499. But since the company began selling the $399 version without the Kinect sensor on June 9 — a $100 price cut from the Xbox One with Kinect — sales doubled in one month. Microsoft also noted today that “we have also seen increased demand for Xbox One with Kinect” since the $399 option became available.
Still, Microsoft continues to lag behind Sony in the console race. The PS4 has outsold the Xbox One in the U.S. for the past seven months.
