@SIDEFX1 Yes, but here we are with the basic issue of Microsoft creating solutions for problems that don't exist. As cool and high-tech as the Kinect is, it is a totally unnecessary piece of hardware on the XB1. I'd love to know how many people would actively use Kinect to either navigate the GUI or play games. I guess part of being labelled "Next Gen" is to stuff as many gizmos and features into the thing as possible, whether needed or not. Cars are pretty much the same way I suppose....

@e1337prodigy They should fire all those who responded to the backlash with comments like "#dealwithit" and "No internet? Buy a 360". Arrogance doesn't fare well when you are trying to sell a product and have consumers that have a CHOICE to just as easily purchase what the competitions is selling.

@parrot_of_adun I doubt it. I think everyone knows MS has always been tone-deaf to consumers, so there's no illusion of what happened: just as you put it, they reverted to basic survival instincts right after shooting of their foot based on the PR nightmare and backlash.

@tomservo51 1. Don't care, as long as it doesn't affect gameplay (the joys of console gaming:not giving a crap about what the console is doing behind the scenes as long as gameplay is not affected; be it using 10% memory on gaming or 100%).

2. Don't care, it can sit there and be useless.

3. Don't care, as long as it doesn't affect gameplay (same thing as #1. It could be made out of vacuum tubes for all I care; if it plays games perfectly, then whatever.)

4. Agreed: the stupid kinect should have been optional, and it would have certainly decreased the price.

@vatorus I sure as heck would rather have game discs than be forced to download everything I play and have a bloated harddrive. Takes 2 seconds to swap discs....

@el_mariarchi_01 Considering most games cost $60 plus tax, I really don't think the $100 price point is going to rock anyone's boat, or have current fans migrate to PS4. They are giving you more for the $100, the problem is some people just may not want it (spycam, I'm looking at you).

@shim0 @OldsToronado455 They're a business with a product, I'm a consumer with money. If the product does what I think it does (plays games I like, plus a little extra), sure, they can have my money. It's not a moral issue for me to "give" my money to MS (unless their consoles are made of baby seal fur and assembled by orphans in Bangladesh). The fact that they have been tone deaf to consumers does leave a bad taste in my mouth, but I'm focusing on the end product, not the journey that leads to its creation.

It's assbackwards, late and insincere... but I'm glad they reversed their ridiculous policies.

I've owned a 360 for years because of (i) controller design (ii) Halo series and (iii) XBox Live. Because of this policy change, I will not be switching over to PS4 and will stay with XBox. Microsoft: don't flatter yourself. You still SUCK because your top level executives were unapologetic, arrogant and said F-you to your ENTIRE fan-base. I will never forget that; and I'm not even a hardcore gamer!! I hope this is a lesson for the future. Kudos to Sony for sticking up for their fans and staying true to their PS roots.

I can see it's usefulness in surfing the console's multimedia features with some sort of on-screen pointer. Maybe some use for RTS games as well; sure as shit could have used something like this when I played Supreme Commander.... Anywho, it's still WAY less "gimmicky" that XB1's ridiculous and useless multitasking ability....oh, I'm in the middle of a heated multiplayer firefight, let me just minimize this screen and Google some crap on the side at the same time. Retarded. Trust MS to keep coming up with solutions for which there are no problems to begin with.

@whitetiger3521 @aovannor I was looking into the 3rd party controllers for the current PS3, and the reviews were so mixed on controller response times and dead zones, that I never ended up getting one. I just don't know why, but the fact that the left stick is positioned differently makes all the difference in the world as far as comfort and controllability go. I wonder if leftys would prefer the opposite configuration though.