The upcoming New Xbox One Experience update completely removes support for gesture-based dashboard navigation through Kinect. Microsoft’s Mike Ybarra says in a new interview that the company decided to cut the feature because people barely used it at all.
“Gesture controls for navigating the dashboard were removed to focus on fan-requested features resulting in a faster and more social Xbox One experience,” Xbox representative said. “Kinect motion detection continues to be available for Kinect-enabled games, biometric sing-in, and video calls with Skype for Xbox One.”
“On gestures, when we looked at the New Xbox One Experience, we wanted to prioritize features that customers were asking for, plus areas of improvement from the existing Xbox One UI,” Ybarra told WindowsCentral. “Then, we wanted to look at the use-case model of features that take a lot of investment and say, ‘Is it worth continuing to invest in that area?'”
Gesture support through Kinect could return through a future update if enough fans call for it, but Ybarra made no promises.
“With gestures, the reality was the usage was very, very low,” he said. “So for now, we’ve cut that from the New Xbox One Experience. So when we launch, they won’t be in the product. We’ll continue to monitor and listen to feedback to see if people want them in.”
Gesture controls on Xbox One via Kinect have been present since the console’s launch in November 2013. They allow users to perform a variety of functions, such as making selections, opening the system menu, and scrolling through screens, by way of using your hands. For example, you could make a selection by raising your hand with an open palm facing the Kinect and the move your hand over the item or tile you wanted to choose. Then you would push forward in the air and pull back to complete the selection.
When the Xbox One launched in November 2013, Kinect was included in every bundle. In fact, Microsoft said Kinect and Xbox One were one in the same. However, Microsoft later offered a less expensive Xbox One bundle without Kinect, selling the camera separately for $150, a price that has now fallen to $100.
