Kinect costs ‘almost as much as’ the Xbox One to make

Notes from the Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ of a supposed Xbox One developer

An Xbox One developer took to Reddit over the weekend for an AMA, ‘Ask Me Anything,’ following in the footsteps of American president Barack Obama and this one woman who had over 34 piercings. The AMA was done anonymously, but Reddit moderators had enough to go on to confirm the status of the individual opening the floor to questions (and responding candidly to DRM inquiries). 

One particularly interesting tidbit focuses on the Kinect, which is a packed in and necessary component for all Xbox Ones. “The majority of the masses care only about the console,” the developer said. “Except that the success of the Kinect carries much more weight to us. The sensor costs almost as much as the console to make.

“The goal with having a Kinect ship with every Xbox is to guarantee to game developers if they implement Kinect features into their games, everyone who has an Xbox will be able to experience it. I often see people dismiss the Kinect instantly because they haven’t seen it work like I have. It is an integral part of the Xbox One experience.”

We all seemed to have some idea that we were subsidizing the Kinect at the Xbox One’s hefty $500 price point, but I didn’t imagine the Kinect would be almost as pricey as the console itself. It’s not even gilded or anything. Also, what happens when the dog dry humps your Kinect off the entertainment center and you need a new one? How much will that run you?

Kinect costs “almost as much” as Xbox One to make, says dev [GamesIndustry International]