Microsoft: "Xbox One is Kinect"

Microsoft has no plans to ever release an Xbox One without the Kinect, according to corporate vice president Phil Harrison. Speaking with CVG, Harrison said the next-generation platform has been designed from the ground up to include the Kinect as one of its main pillars.

"Xbox One is Kinect," Harrison said. "They are not separate systems. An Xbox One has chips, it has memory, it has Blu-ray, it has Kinect, it has a controller. These are all part of the platform ecosystem."

Harrison said he has an Xbox One at home right now and explained that being able to say "Xbox on" and have the system boot up and load his profile is a "very magical experience." It's this kind of functionality, as well as the numerous games that leverage the technology, that Harrison said he envisions consumers gravitating towards.

"It makes you think about your relationship with technology in a slightly different way," Harrison said. "It's personal. It makes you think, 'I wish more devices would do this.'"

Microsoft confirmed this month that though every Xbox One system will come bundled with the Kinect, the system will function even if the motion- and voice-control technology is not plugged in.

The Xbox One launches in November for $500. Competitor Sony will debut the PlayStation 4 on November 15 for $400. Notably, the PS4 does not include a PlayStation Eye camera, which will be sold for $60 separately.