Microsoft chief product officer Marc Whitten has confirmed that though every Xbox One will ship with a new version of Kinect, the camera will not need to be plugged in for the next-generation console to function.
“Like online, the console will still function if Kinect isn’t plugged in, although you won’t be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor,” Whitten told IGN.
He added that users will have the ability to “completely” turn off the Kinect through system settings. When toggled “off,” the Kinect is not collecting any information at all, Whitten said.
“You can turn the sensor back on at any time through settings, and if you enter into a required Kinect experience (like Kinect Sports Rivals for instance), you’ll get a message asking if you want to turn the sensor back on in order to continue,” he said
Whitten also confirmed that there will be no cross-platform voice chat between Xbox 360 and Xbox One, though players will be able to send text messages between the consoles. He also revealed that an Xbox One user will be able to see what their Xbox 360 friends are playing and vice versa.
