Back when Microsoft announced the Xbox One, the company also announced several new policies that did not sit too well with gamers. For starters they stated that gamers would need to connect to the internet at least once every 24 hours in order to keep playing the console, and also how the Kinect was required in order for the Xbox One to function, leading many to worry about how Microsoft could technically spy on them. The always-on requirement was later rescinded and now it seems that Microsoft has decided to backtrack on the Kinect requirement as well.
According to Microsoft, they have announced that the Xbox One will no longer require the Kinect device to be plugged in at all, and will continue to function even if the device is not plugged in. However we guess it’s obvious that if you don’t plug it in an turn it on, there are games and features that require the Kinect and without it, well, it won’t work as intended, but for those who aren’t planning on getting many games that rely on the Kinect and were worried about privacy, we guess this should assuage your fears.
The Xbox One will still come with the Kinect bundled, so if you were hoping that this could mean cheaper Xbox One bundles sans Kinect, you might be out of luck.