Xbox One doesn't need Kinect to function, Microsoft reveals, but it's still part of the package
“We aren’t interested in splitting the development base.”.
Kinect does not, in fact, have to plugged into the Xbox One for the console to function, Microsoft’s Marc Whitten has revealed as part of an IGN AMA. That said, the console is “designed” to work with Kinect plugged in, and PR boss Albert Penello says that Microsoft “isn’t interested in splitting the development base” – implying that there’s still no chance Xbox One will ship without a Kinect sensor included.