Like Patrick said on the last podcast those of us who live in the gaming bubble sometimes have a hard time discerning what is an issue and what isn't. The Kinect sensor seems to be an issue among the mainstream. I've listened to a number of conversations from non-core gamers talking about how that thing is spying on you and constantly listening to you. I've done my best to alleviate their worries but it seems to be a real issue. Do you think Microsoft should just make it an option instead of a requirement?

It should absolutely be sold separately. I have no interest in turning on my console by talking or navigating menus with hand gestures. I have no interest in the games that support Kinect. I shouldn't have to buy something I don't want.

To me, forced Kinect support is as much a deal breaker as no used games and 24 hour check ins.

I am in the game bubble...I do not want the kinect. My dad doesn't want the kinect and my sister who has a kinect 1 and uses kinect 1 dosnt want to be forced to buy a kinect.

My friends who are in the same gaming bubble and Giantbomb fans, they too also don't want a kinect. Even with all the enhancements having less that 1ft of space away from your console wont let it work.

If we were to get a Xbox one just like Jeff has said. Wrap it in a towel and throw it down the back.

I am a *clears throat* "hardcore gamer" and I do not want kinect within 100 miles from me. Not because of any stupid privacy issues, but because I think the device sucks.

And if casual gamers are saying that kinect is a deal breaker for them, this is a sign of trouble for Microsoft who designed this thing to be the ultimate casual family entertainment device.

At this point I think kinect should trailblaze as it's own separate platform with it's own separate games and die the sweet death of 3d.

I don't want a kinect in my room. Not because it's spying on me, but because it's duuuuuuumb. My opinion, of course, but I like my controller to be my controller.

you guys who dont think the kinect is a spying device and dont see that the XONE is a NWO conspiracy need to do some research please. it takes a bit of effort but you need to stop listening to what these rich people claim about their products. if microsoft tells you they are not spying on you, if the government tells you they are not spying on you, is that sufficient? if yes, then there is a problem. you need to find these answers out for your self. as many of you should have learned in the previous weeks. we are not in some utopia where these kinds of 'features' should be allowed, in the same way that we are not in a utopia where we should give up our ability to protect ourselves and trust the people who have control over us to use their power fairly, and not become tyrants. the path they are clearly (or not so clearly depending on where you look) already on. we need to look at who is making these decisions, and try to find out why they are making these decisions, rather than just trusting whatever BS they give us, and go back to sleep and say ahh yes its ok.

its a subonscious way that people live and theyve been conditioned like that from childhood. .

if you dont think the xbox one is going to be attached to a prism / stellar wind / echelon type monitoring system please search deeper. you are missing something important.

Paranoid bullshit. Don't like it for a sane reason; nearly all games that use it suck.

Can I sell you a tinfoil hat?

That is the reaction most average people are giving a bout the Kinect.

Based on what I've heard mainstream people say about it I think they are at the very least concerned.

when I went in to gamestop to pre-order my ps4(would have used amazon but the wife bought me a gamestop gift card for my birthday) they tried to tell me that XBO was better and that the Kinect is an AMAZING addition even though it's more expensive cause of it. I tried to say that I don't care about Kinect games and they didn't seem to get it. I simply have no interest in playing any Kinect games regardless of the fidelity. I have not seen a single compelling Kinect game and I don't use my Kinect to jump around, I go to the gym for that. On top of that I don't trust Microsoft enough to literally let them in to my home to listen and watch what's happening. On top of all that I mostly game at my desk with a triple monitor setup and the xbox and ps3 connected to the monitor on my left. No room for motion gaming in this setup and no desire to add it. I like to game while working. If I wanted an XBO Microsoft would make me buy a product I can't physically use which just doesn't make sense. luckily I have no problem at all buying a ps4 and don't feel like I'm missing out by not buying an XBO

As a fairly paranoid person, I wouldn't even want to talk politics near a Kinect. Fuck everything about that thing.

Can I sell you a tinfoil hat?

no but maybe the xbox one can after it learns my interests and what gets my heart rate going.

and you really did your research on this right? or are you just reacting from a place of fear; "i dont want it to be real, so i will speak against these people who are telling me it is real to solidify my feeling of warmth and safety in ignorance".

I just want an explanation from Microsoft on WHY it is required to be connected. That's all.

you will be happy with just any old reason?

@tarsier:

What?

I put duct tape over the camera built into my laptop several years ago. I don't trust ANY camera that is connected to the internet, and the fact that you NEED to have that thing plugged in at all times is not something that I like.

If I ever get an Xbox One (and I probably will at some point after the price drops, because of SWERY's D4 (oddly enough, a game that requires the damn thing) and maybe Quantum Break), I will ALWAYS unplug that stupid thing whenever I'm not using it. Always. Paranoia.

@excido: They must still be having trouble with XBO pre-orders.

@ollyoxenfree said:

They want to ensure that developers can use it, so it needs to be there. They think it's the future of controlling the TV. There was a great series on The Verge last year titled the "War for TV," that went into a lot of the issues in the living room now.

They have great reports on Remotes (hint: they suck), Microsoft (on the 360 and Kinect), Sony (PS3+Vita), and Apple (Apple TV + iDevices).

The average person is concerned about the Kinect watching them. Actually, it would be more precise to say the average woman is more concerned. I would recommend reading about that issue outside of video game websites. It's brought up quite a bit and I've heard that concern in places that don't generally talk about video games.

Put a towel over it.

The average person is concerned about the Kinect watching them. Actually, it would be more precise to say the average woman is more concerned. I would recommend reading about that issue outside of video game websites. It's brought up quite a bit and I've heard that concern in places that don't generally talk about video games.

Well sure let the Kinect be sold with every Xbox One but I still cannot see a valid reason on why it is required to be connected. The developers will still know that consumers have a Kinect - just not necessarily being used.

This.

The removal of the online check-in requirement killed most of my concerns that the Kinect would be used to spy on me, but I still don't want the thing because it's just a stupid waste of money, at least in the context of gaming.

@ollyoxenfree said:

So, they sold 22 million Kinects for Xbox 360, but never mention how many are still connected. Now, they know that you have it connected. And maybe, then you'll tell grandma to use it for TV, since saying "Xbox, HGTV" is less clunky than pulling out a Xbox controller and doing... anything. This is all in hope that it works and doesn't stop working, like it inevitably will. And if someone (say Harmonix) wants to make a Kinect game, they know exactly how many Kinects are up and running (all the Xbox Ones, not like the 2 in the giant bomb offices and a forgotten one in Iowa).

I can't wait for the Xbox One with Kinect. I will make a killing on my new accessory.

Just place the Kinect in the special designed box and your privacy is protected.

So the general consensus is EFF the KINCECT!

Being scared of it spying on you seems nutso. Even more so when you consider you have multiple listening/camera gadgets you use/carry around with you every day. Also I don't care if anyone wants to watch me play Titanfall in my underwear. If that's what floats your boat, I'm glad I could make your day better.

What about the fact that all discount cards track so much information.

Pretty much how I see it. Your phone, laptop, hell, even your iPad/tablet have a camera that watches your every move. Why folks are up in arms about a neat addition to the device is beyond me.

Kinect itself ain't not big thang.

mandatory inclusion and always on is though

This is the worst possible time the Kinect 2.0 could exist. It screams metadata goldmine the same year, and month, Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA using metadata provided by Microsoft(Skype), Facebook, Google and many other major corporations. If that thing has to be connected for the console to operate when it releases in November then the Xbone will be the dumbest purchasing decision a person could make this holiday season. $500 to make your living room a metadata hub that advertisers and the government can peck away at in their cold and calculated ways.

true this

Really happy we have a bunch of Tin Foil hat people.

MS said that no info will be given out unless you want to. Further more now that you do not have to be online THERE IS NO WAY FOR IT TO LEAVE.

And as soon as the system comes out the Kinect is gonna have the SHIT data mined out of it. If MS really did have secret recording stuff on it and it was found it would be the end of their entire company.

microsoft said that so its true because you trust them/not trusting a super corporation is paranoid and insane. thats your stance?

also, please discover the way this kind of 'spying' actually works. this isnt tin foil hatters sitting in their basement biting their nails about some delusion. NSA, echelon, stellar wind, prism. thank you.

They sold 24 million of the original Kinects.

That's 24 million people who didn't think that camera was spying or listening.

I don't think anyone will mind the new one.

There are easier ways for worse people to legally collect personal information.

And without people enduring Kinect now, I will never be able to tell my house, "I'm home."

@tarsier: In the days after launch, there will be a few thousand people sniffing the packets that Kinect 2 sends. PRISM was a case of people willingly--or, more likely, blindly--offering up their personal information to companies and those companies opening their servers for inspection. Nothing in the EULA (and an EULA is a legally binding contract) stated that this wasn't going to happen, and most users blithely checked boxes while signing up for Google, Microsoft, and Apple services that expressly permitted unspecified data collection.

In the case of the Kinect, Microsoft has stated that, if one so chooses, no data will be transmitted from the device. Potential buyers should read the license agreement very carefully, but assuming for the moment that their current, official statement is accurate, legal action can be taken by consumers should data be transmitted without consent.

Here in the U.S. there is no "right to privacy." The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution has been ruled to include personal privacy to an extent, but really, a license agreement that disallows information transfer at the user's request is a much firmer, more actionable statement of right to privacy.

Have you read the Terms of Use for the Kinect 1? They can do whatever they want with your data.

And it was publicly said you pic what info leaves Kinect 2.0.

I couldn't care less for the Kinect but if they make good use of it in the next-gen, then I'll be genuinely interested. As for the claims regarding the Kinect "watching you", what the hell do you think a Smart Phone does? Or any smart device for that matter. Your phone most likely has more information on it about your contacts, banking info, preferences than almost any other technological device.

I am glad that with the absence of the constant online connectivity, it kind of puts the "spying" rumours at ease since what can the Kinect do when you decide to play offline?

You know about Prism right? It's kind of a big thing in the news. Remember how people thought it was crazy that the government could be actively collecting information about everyone? Remember how companies aren't suppose to hand over your private information? Remember how that was all wrong in light of info that Snowden provided?

@the_laughing_man: said and not shown. Also you can't really trust Microsofts word at this point considering they just dramatically changed things they assured us wouldn't be changing. Show me the new Terms and Conditions for the Kinect 2.0, show me how you change these options and what they actually are, and then we might be able to actually consider how privacy will work with it. I don't think it's smart to give corporations the benefit of the doubt on this stuff anymore. They're getting carried away.

I already do.

Y'all know that you don't have to like move things around all nice and neatly to set up your new little Kinect thing? Like having a room that fits the sensors area? Just plug the fucker in and throw it behind the TV next to the wall.

Chemtrails.

@spraynardtatum: Do you own a smartphone? Cause if so. All of this is already being done.

@alwaysbebombing: And I don't like it on my smartphone. It is a problem and I do not support it. Just because it already exists doesn't mean it should continue to spiral and evolve.

I bought those devices before I knew about PRISM. You bet your ass I'm going to be refraining from purchasing any new smart tech without taking a long look at those Terms and Conditions. I have a feeling I won't be buying any for a while.

Have fun in a bubble. Do you also have a savings card? That thing tracks a shit ton of info about you.

@blastroid said:

I can't wait for the Xbox One with Kinect. I will make a killing on my new accessory.

Just place the Kinect in the special designed box and your privacy is protected.

Dude totally was going to say that.

But really, if you're that terrified of the Kinect watching you, put something over it or hide it. At this point, I'm pretty sure MS hasn't said anything about the Xbone needing to see your face or hear your voice to work. I don't want a Kinect, but I still think the technology and ideas of possible crazy things it could do is fascinating. Unless they come out with some compelling game that really makes the Kinect worth it, it will probably remain hidden behind my TV. But at the same time, the only way we really would ever see anything cool come from it, is because everyone who owns an Xbone, will have the Kinect as well.

Why are you talking to me like I'm stupid for complaining about these practices?

Also I think I can enjoy my life without using tech that requires metadata tracking. I did it for more then half of my life (I think) and don't think it'll be too hard to do honestly.