If all things go according to plan, Microsoft's Cortana could be the publisher's answer to Apple's Siri. It's supposedly the next wave in personal A.I., a system that can do more than its competition could ever hope to do. Of course, fans will have to wait a bit longer before Cortana makes its official debut - the system is set to hit Windows 10 and Xbox One later this year.
However, Xbox One users hoping to get in on Cortana's release may want to buy all of the required accessories ahead of time, but what accessories could a digital A.I. assistant possibly need? Why, only the most expensive Xbox One accessory out there!
That's right: in order to use Cortana on an Xbox One, users must have a Kinect plugged in and calibrated before the A.I. will work. What's even worse is that this news was right in front of everyone's face the whole time: in fact, it was a part of Microsoft's big E3 presentation last week.
Need proof? Here's the video in question:
Missed it? Well, that's not all that surprising - most people did. Of course, if you happen to pause the video near the end, it's pretty easy to see:
Looks like you win again, fine print.
While it might not seem like much at first, the major issue here is that Microsoft doesn't seem to be supporting the Kinect all that much these days. It's been absent from many of the publisher's major press conferences as of late, and wasn't mentioned at all during Microsoft's E3 press conference. On top of that, most Xbox One consoles are being bought without the Kinect sensor - so, why is the camera required to use Cortana?
The obvious reason is that Cortana needs a microphone in order to respond to commands, same as Siri. However, Microsoft includes a basic plug-in headset with each console, and the latest Xbox One controller even comes with a more standardized headset - if Cortana needs a microphone, then there are plenty of alternatives.
Granted, this could change in the months before the event - Microsoft has been willing to back down on less-than-popular decisions in the past - but as it stands, it looks like a lot of Xbox One owners simply won't be able to use Cortana.
The personal A.I. assistant is scheduled to launch on Windows 10 and Xbox One later this year.
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