This weeks questions were a bit better than last weeks on IGN. It has been confirmed that the Kinect does not have to be plugged in in order for the Xbox One to function. You'll just be missing out on the features or experiences that uses the sensor. This clears up a lot of questions if the Kinect will have the camera on 24/7 for government and NSA purposes, but no longer will we have to worry about that! You can check out a few other questions and answers presented in this Q&A from Microsoft. Some more questions are clarified, some were answered a few days ago, while some questions were answered today.
Can you organize your now-expanded Friends List into categories? i.e. “College buddies,” “Friends from work,” etc.?
- More will be added in the future, but yes, you have the ability to mark favorites, and most likely categories.
Is there cross-console Party Chat? i.e. since it’s all “Xbox Live,” can people on Xbox 360s Party Chat with their friends on Xbox One?
- No (darn) because of technical reasons. You can still send and receive text messages on both systems.
OK, so we can't chat across systems. But can I at least see what my friends are doing on either console?
- Yes.
Since Kinect must be plugged in for the Xbox One to function, what happens if your Kinect breaks? Like if it falls off the top of your TV onto a hardwood floor or something? Will the console cease to function?
- A bit is mentioned above, but Kinect is designed for the Xbox One. Voice activated, Smartglass, get to your homescreen, pick up and play depending on which controller you're using, and a lot more.
How “off” can Kinect be when the system is in use?
- You have the choice to turn the censor on and off in the settings.
Is there a chat headset included in the Xbox One box or not?
- As shown in the unboxing video, yes.
...and here's where everything came from! IGN
Can you organize your now-expanded Friends List into categories? i.e. “College buddies,” “Friends from work,” etc.?
- More will be added in the future, but yes, you have the ability to mark favorites, and most likely categories.
Is there cross-console Party Chat? i.e. since it’s all “Xbox Live,” can people on Xbox 360s Party Chat with their friends on Xbox One?
- No (darn) because of technical reasons. You can still send and receive text messages on both systems.
OK, so we can't chat across systems. But can I at least see what my friends are doing on either console?
- Yes.
Since Kinect must be plugged in for the Xbox One to function, what happens if your Kinect breaks? Like if it falls off the top of your TV onto a hardwood floor or something? Will the console cease to function?
- A bit is mentioned above, but Kinect is designed for the Xbox One. Voice activated, Smartglass, get to your homescreen, pick up and play depending on which controller you're using, and a lot more.
How “off” can Kinect be when the system is in use?
- You have the choice to turn the censor on and off in the settings.
Is there a chat headset included in the Xbox One box or not?
- As shown in the unboxing video, yes.
...and here's where everything came from! IGN