Remember how Microsoft was making a big deal about the Kinect integration with the Xbox One? Well, it looks like that’s changing. In an interview with IGN, Marc Witten – the Xbox One’s chief architect – has said that you can still play your console without the need for the Kinect (it will still be bundled, apparently) and you can disable it from the settings.
“Xbox One is designed to work with Kinect plugged in. It makes gaming better in many ways… That said, 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,” Witten told IGN.
When asked about how “off” is the Kinect, Witten said:
You have the ability to completely turn the sensor off in your settings. When in this mode, the sensor is not collecting any information. Any functionality that relies on voice, video, gesture or more won’t work. We still support using it for IR blasting in this mode. You can turn the sensor back on at any time through settings, and if you enter into a required Kinect experience (like Kinect Sports Rivals for instance), you’ll get a message asking if you want to turn the sensor back on in order to continue.
You can read the full interview at IGN.