Xbox One's Kinect Can Actually Be Turned Off

[Lightknight]

Breaking news: "The Xbox kinect can be turned off by repeatedly smashing it against the wall and then burning it. Smashing or burning it alone may not suffice but the combination of the two have proven very successful. Also, burning it in a pool of water via Greek fire may result in it returning as a super villain with a stereotypical half burned face. Microsoft is also planning to create a software way to toggle the kinect features on/off but is planning to launch it as a broken feature and then promise to fix it as soon as possible without really trying."

 

[Sansha]

I'd actually patented a tiny plastic cover that would clip onto and fit over the lenses of the Kinect that I was going to sell once the Xbone was released for like three bucks.

Oh well

 

[Narcogen]

I, for one, implicitly trust A Microsoft Spokesperson. Why wouldn't I?

I also have no clear reason to believe that such a device which provides such clear value to social networks and advertisers, passively observing all our interactions with gaming and visual media, will obviously be voluntarily made useless by a simple off switch. I am not sure how I will actually be able to tell that Kinect is off when the console is on, but I want to believe this is true, so I do!

Okay, joke's over. The bottom line is this: Kinect provides far more value to Microsoft than it does to anyone who owns it. That alone should be enough to give consumers pause, even without considering all the absolutely chilling potential for abuse.

 

[bluegate]

This kind of infuriates me, they know what we the concerned gamers want to hear yet they decide to beat around the bush... reminds me of those no-good politicians always talking in circles when answering a question...

 

[DTWolfwood]

The Kinect will be required to play games on the Xbox One

Well yet another reason to stay away from the xbone. A system that requires a camera to play videogames is asinine.

 

[tardcore]

So its only always watching when you have your machine on. If you want to get rid of Big Brother you have to NOT be using your Xbone? Because that's what I got out of that statement. That really seems like someone telling you "No of course we aren't spying on you twenty-four hours a day, only when you make a phone call."

 

[Yopaz]

I'm not sure what to say. What has come of the world when an off button is worthy of an announcement? Good news, but still not interested.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

I don't think we have the same definition of the kinect can actually be turned off

Yeah, we can rip the plug out of the wall but assuming Microsoft haven't found someway to harness the power of Greyskull that was always an option, as far as I can see you still need the Kinect on as long as the X-box is on.

Which is actually the problem.

That we actually all have.

Not the fact we thought the plug would permanently graft itself to the mains and the Kinect would always be going (although thank god Microsoft told us that wasn't a problem)

 

[redknightalex]

More than anything else I'm sick of hearing all these clarifications made with one caveat: we'll explain the details later.

No, not later, I'd like the details now, when you make claims that seem contrary to what you had been saying a week ago. Why is it so hard to make a statement, clarify how things are going to work, and give us specifics on how it will. The only thing I can think of is that they don't know how they'll do it and Microsoft is trying really hard to get some of the bad PR away from them.

Guess what, it isn't working. Maybe they'd be better off not saying anything until E3 as all these releases do is make us speculate even harder.

 

[Irridium]

"It is not always watching or always listening," the spokesperson explains. "You can turn the system completely off. This would use no power and turn everything off. We'll share more details about how it all works later."

What details could they possibly need to share? It's turning something off. There should be no need for details or a freaking explanation.

 

[Reyalsfeihc]

Kind of missed the point there, didn't he? I think we knew would could turn the entire thing off, but we were just kind of hoping it wouldn't be staring at us while we watched a movie because that's creepy and unsettling. I wouldn't want someone in a theater doing that and I certainly don't want my electronics doing that.

So... I don't feel better. Still passing on the XBone.

"It is not always watching or always listening," the spokesperson explains. "You can turn the system completely off. This would use no power and turn everything off. We'll share more details about how it all works later."

What details could they possibly need to share? It's turning something off. There should be no need for details or a freaking explanation.

The details that are still yet to be shared, which already had been a week before, is that while the system is on you can go into security options to turn the camera off. They want to give you complete control over the functionality of the Kinect and your privacy.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57585620-75/microsoft-talks-xbox-one-naming-privacy-and-more-q-a/

 

[Reyalsfeihc]

Back tracking like a boss, eeheee!

I only say that because theey weren't clever enough to make that clear from the beginning

But they were... this interview was literally the day of the conference posted the next morning.
It just isn't juicy enough to get all the page hits.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57585620-75/microsoft-talks-xbox-one-naming-privacy-and-more-q-a/

 

[Atmos Duality]

It's like telling someone they can turn off the radio in their car by turning off the entire car.

Actually, it's more like telling them they can turn it off by disconnecting the car battery.

 

[Reyalsfeihc]

snip

snip

You've both missed the point. Yes the system can be completely shut down or it can be removed from the mains. What people have a problem with is that if the Xbox One is on then the kinnect has to be on at the same time.

Did we really miss the point, or did you just not read the article I linked? If you did, you'd know he talks about ways to turn off parts of the Kinect while the Xbox One is being used.

So no, I think we very well do understand the point.

 

[Reyalsfeihc]

Under different circumstances I'd agree with you guys, but this can barely be classified as new information. The fact that you can turn off the Kinnect by depriving the entire system of power isn't quite what people had in mind. I don't think this particular case of delayed information is because of sensationalist journalism, it's just an entirely useless announcement that doesn't really require reporting.

It's like telling someone they can turn off the radio in their car by turning off the entire car.

Well, they were quoting Kotaku, who has been one of the most inaccurate sources of news on the Xbox One since the press reveal.

 

[Trishbot]

Why on EARTH do we have to wait for "more information is coming" when it's a topic as backwards-simple as "can we just TURN IT OFF?" Why is that so complicated and time-consuming to address?

And how sad/hilarious is it that an actual selling-point for the system is "you can turn it off! Isn't that great?!"

 

[Gatx]

I'd still be more comfortable with a blanket over the damn thing if I have to be in the same room with it.

And lets not forget this [http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/139706-microsofts-new-kinect-patent-goes-big-brother-will-spy-on-you-for-the-mpaa] little tidbit.

I think this news just invalidated a penny arcade comic and a yahtzee poem.

What if in order for you to do things with the Xbox, the Kinect had to sense you in the room so you couldn't just put blanket over it.

As for the linked article - it's funny that a lot of the pro-used arguments are "But I can let my friends borrow movies," NOPE, not on Xbone you're not. Can't even invite more than a limited number of people to watch before they have to pay for a license.

 

[MrWunderful]

Back tracking like a boss, eeheee!

I only say that because theey weren't clever enough to make that clear from the beginning

But they were... this interview was literally the day of the conference posted the next morning.
It just isn't juicy enough to get all the page hits.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57585620-75/microsoft-talks-xbox-one-naming-privacy-and-more-q-a/

I guess people were too busy screaming at the top of their lungs about conspiracy theories to read this link. Thank you for that I must have missed it.

 

[Lightknight]

Why on EARTH do we have to wait for "more information is coming" when it's a topic as backwards-simple as "can we just TURN IT OFF?" Why is that so complicated and time-consuming to address?

And how sad/hilarious is it that an actual selling-point for the system is "you can turn it off! Isn't that great?!"

Because they need to pass the intended statement through their Marketing, PR and Legal departments.

You can turn it off by turning off the system but there's no software method to turn it off so it has to be on while you're using the console. This combined with the porn streaming service is bound to delight consumers everywhere now that they know they're being monitored and Microsoft is collecting that data.

 

[Quellist]

I'd still be more comfortable with a blanket over the damn thing if I have to be in the same room with it.

And lets not forget this [http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/139706-microsofts-new-kinect-patent-goes-big-brother-will-spy-on-you-for-the-mpaa] little tidbit.

I think this news just invalidated a penny arcade comic and a yahtzee poem.

That article makes me feel very uncomfortable. Kinda like the Morning Exercise scene in 1984...