@andorski said:

Then why make it be mandatory for the system to function at all? That's my only problem with shit like this; there's no case for this stuff to be mandatory, and so it shouldn't be mandatory. That's the only thing I find offensive about this.

The only deal breaker for me is the Kinect having to be hooked up for the rest of the system to work. Not just for privacy reasons, but I have no interest in voice controls or waving my hands around. Buttons work just fine.

I just picture on the other side Bill Gates watching me without pants on while I play Halo.

My understanding was the "Kinect is mandatory" idea was an incorrect rumor in the first place. I haven't kept up with this part of the Xbox One though, so I could be wrong.

Offensive only in that I'm offended they think I want to play Kinect games.

Not even intrusive really, I just don't want it. Don't want it taking space on my desk (that's right, my DESK), drawing extra power, driving up this price of this thing, adding control gimmicks to multi-platform games à la Sixaxis, etc etc.

Sure, I'm not too keen on masturbating in the same room as this thing, but they've got to sell a new XBLA version of Uno somehow.

Creepy as hell, if you ask me. The whole set up is just ripe for misuse if given the opportunity. I mean, it's a camera that can see in the dark and a sensitive microphone that are potentially "always on" and connected to 300,000 servers. Yes, maybe nothing will come of it, but the potential still exists. I can't fathom why people are so willing to give up their right to privacy in their own homes.

I'm not camera shy or anything, but something about a camera focused on me all the time while I'm in my living room is a little creepy.

Seems a bit intrusive and it's a shame there's no option to go without it but I don't feel super bothered about it.

It's not a deal breaker, unlikely orwellian possible features aside, and if they actually improved the thing it could be alright. Just throw a towel over it if you're worried about Big Brother Microsoft watching you.

I don't find it intrusive per say. I just think it's dumb. I don't want a Kinect.

My TV and game set up is in my small living room, so unless they fixed it so that I don't 8+ ft. of space to use it, I won't care. I'm still under the impression that we can still use the controller to navigate the menu stuff, right?

Doesn't bother me at all because I'm not crazy (entirely at least).
It's not like MS has a building full of people spying on every single Xbox user.
Never mind it would be totally illegal.
As far as all rumors about it detecting how many people are watching movies and the like, well, those are just rumors right now.
Kinect in general doesn't bother me and if it can enhance some experiences than great.
Obviously it's coming packed in with the machine to guarantee the install base for developers and system features.
C'mon E3!!

I find it a little intrusive that it's on all the time, watching me while I sleep.

I also don't know if making the Kinect mandatory is a great idea. Ever since they announced it, kinect hasn't really proved itself as a system that has really had broad market appeal. Besides Kinect party and Dance Central they hasn't really been a game that used it that wasn't either poorly implemented or was a superfluous add-on that nobody used. With it in every Xbox One box, it's really on Microsoft to change people's perceptions of it.

I don't worry about the webcam in my computer, because i have full control over it. since my mac isn't a totally closed off platform i can install small programs like little snitch which tell me precisely what goes over my internet-connection. so i don't have to worry there.

the problem with the kinect 2 is twofold

1. the government-conspiracy type problem. i don't really think it's very likely that homeland security or the nsa will be able to access all kinect at will and spy on everybody, but i can't be totally sure about that. the more important part ist part number 2.

2. microsoft openly said that they'll use data collected with the kinect 2 to bring it's customers "better offers and serivces" or something to that extend. think about it: tv through the xbox > xbox knows what channel you are watching > xbox knows how many people are watching > microsoft can tell company a with pinpoint accuracy how many people smiled at a precise moment during a commercial, or how many people got up and left the room, or if only daddy was watching etc. this is an analytical precision that even google can only dream of and it is worth millions of targetet advertisement-information. and it is coming!

THAT is why they push TV so hard instead of going with the more modern on demand-services like netflix. not that it won't have netflix, but TV is still the biggest advertising market IN THE WORLD!!

sorry, but i'm out.

ps. they don't want to watch us masturbate, but the DO want to sell us lotion and tissues!! also: everybody has something to hide: their privacy!!

This is a solid YES!!!

How do we know Homeland Security will not be using the device for spying on it's own U.S. Citizens?

Causing any hindrance in the daily operation of the Xbox One Kinect unit will be considered an act of domestic terrorism.

I just hope they ask politely whenever they want information from me. A simple "hey bro, can we tell some companies that you like this kind of game you're playing? Btw, nice pants! I'll forward you some ads for even better pants" would do!

I do most of my game playing in my bedroom, where I'll never have enough room for actual motion gaming. So the whole thing is a bit frustrating, but my current plan is to just have it hooked up and pointed away from the bed. Maybe the audio stuff will end up being useful, I don't know.

I've been pretty good about not being paranoid about the existing Kinect watching me (and have ridiculed my roommate for occasionally putting things over the camera because that's what a crazy person does) but... it's my bedroom we're talking about here. And it's a device that's designed to always been listening in some sort of low-power state. I'm not sure if I'll disable it completely or not, but... yeah, once they started getting into the camera checking your pulse and knowing if you're smiling or not I started getting a lot less interested in all of this.

Nope. Don't care. I'll turn it around and cover up the mic if I start.

My feelings are pretty much the same as Kramer's when he and Newman reverse their apartment peepholes.

Yes and also i dont want to find a place to hook that big ugly kinect box on my very thin wall mounted TV that is on a swivel arm there is nothing under it so it would be on the floor or I get a small table and I would have to move crap out of the way. the xbox one is ugly enough as it is it is going to be the first console I have ever covered with a sheet because it is too ugly and i don't want people to see it.

Also I dont like the fact I could lean on a controler and have video chat pop up with somebody on accident.

if i decide to hook the thing up in my bedroom and not the home theater room one day that is another problem

I fact I like to hook up my console in the bedroom more than anywhere else most of my consoles and gamestuff are in my bedroom . I have never hooked up a game console in the living room in my life. I dont have enough room for this kinect crap with all the stuff in my way either. I got a table for drinks and stuff in the home theater room and bed stuff in the bedroom

I like to go in there and play the game alone with nobody bothering me so I never hooked them in the living rooms. I don't know anybody that ever has hooked there console up in a living room area in the house either. I wall mounted speakers and TV in the bedroom for that reason ... Nobody wants to hear my game blasting from a sound system in the living room either it cuts down the noise.

No thanks microsoft I don't want your crap anymore if you decide to stop sucking so much I might get your sucktastic console. I will play xbox 360 and the 1st xbox from you and that is it.

I also put tape over the camera on my PC and unplug the cameras on anything else I buy for the same reasons. its not so crazy of you hit a button and accidently start a video chat at a bad time and not notice.

No. I'm not a lunatic, and you can use a controller to do things the thing just has to be plugged in at worst. Oh no, another camera in my house. At least this one won't be coming into the bathroom with me or be in my pocket during spontaneous sex sessions.

I actually look forward to seeing if the Kinect really works for the dashboard. If it does, I'll be stoked. Requiring the hardware is the ONLY way to get it to be used right. Now that all devs can say "yeah, it's worth investing in because everyone has a chance to experience it," we'll have more brains working on the issues and those brains will share things at events like GDC and it'll make things improve more quickly.

The concept of the Kinect is awesome. If it lives up to that potential which it sounds like it might from early previews of the tech, that's awesome. If not, I just won't use it. Problem solved. If you're paranoid, put some electrical tape over the lens. And then go get a brain ya hippy!

Sony holds similarly fuckin' stupid patents, do not make this out to be about MS when it's just about every techy company out there pulling this. In fact, I think Sony actually has a very similar patent. I could be wrong about that but I am not wrong about them having scuzzy patents. It's just the business they operate in. And those patents are rarely an issue in the real world anyway. You're reading too much into something you don't really understand, if you ask me.

It is one of the two reason's I won't buy an X1. the other being that even if it wasn't intrusive and full of privacy issues. I'm in a wheelchair so unless its better than the original Kinect at handling that then its useless to me. No X1 at any point for me unless they make the Kinect 2 not a requirement to function and then sell a SKU without it.

I think it's a gross invasion of privacy. It's not like we do anything illegal, but I like to hang around my house naked and my husband and I like to have "fun" in places other than our room, and we're not about to let some creepy NSA agent see us doing what's supposed to be private in the first place. So, no Xbone in this house as long as that Kinect thing is mandatory.

I'm a PC guy so nothing would sell me on either of the consoles, but if I had to choose, I'd choose the one without Kinect.

It should be optional, I have no intentions in using the Kinect.

Holy tinfoil hats, Batman!

I think it is funny that people don't want an electronic device "Listening" for a command but they don't mind believing in an invisible being that watches everything you do all day and punishes you for anything it deems bad. That includes watching you go to the bathroom and having sex...quite ironic, lol!

@spongetwan: Are you talking about Santa or God?

Either way I don't think it's a very good argument or ironic.

@spongetwan: let's not bring religion into this.

I do not mind at all. Why? Call me crazy but I do not think I am interesting enough to be spied on. And no one else here is.

They can keep their spyware system away from me.

I have a question. Is anyone else tired of people getting so upset over the smallest provocation?

Because a lot of us aren't paranoid schizophrenics.

@alwaysbebombing: Paranoid schizophrenics? How do you figure?

This is a non-issue. The question should be, should the Kinect be a mandatory item in the Xbox One's packaging. Personally I won't get much use out the thing, however I do have a three year old son who loves his cousin's Kinect. I am not going to pretend that the Kinect will revolutionize but it is a nice accessory for some people (not all).

It's stupid and adds nothing to the games but they want me to shell an extra 100 for it? They just want to record biometric data for advertisers and possibly the NSA, it has shit to do with gaming.

I beleive they said you can stop it from sending data, but it has to be on for the xbone to function i think. But that was before the switched their policy so maybe you can now i'm not sure.