A $50 price cut for Xbox consoles without Kinect

Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi says prices of the Xbox One without Kinect motion detection will drop to $349 for the festive season in a bid too boost sales as Sony's PS4 to gain market share from gamers. Image: ExtremeTech

From November until the end of the year, the Xbox One consoles will be cut to $349 according to Microsoft but will not have Kinect motion detection system.

It is the second price cut since the new-generation consoles were launched a year ago.

"We're offering our best price yet," Microsoft Corporate Vice President Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post. "We're gearing up for one of our biggest holiday sales ever," he claimed.

The move comes with Microsoft locked in a tough battle with Sony, which has been leading the game console market with PlayStation 4, its newest device.

PS4 hit the market at a price lower than Xbox One, but the holiday-season reduction makes the Microsoft console a more affordable option for buyers.

The lower price eats into Microsoft's profits on the hardware but could help bolster the number of users who buy the company's games of use Microsoft's Xbox Live online service to play games or download digital content.

Microsoft in June began selling a $399 version of its Xbox One console without the Kinect motion detection system and this unit's price has dropped to $349.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge