Back in March, Microsoft Xbox Group Program Manager David Dennis told Ars that Kinect was the kind of thing that "once you take out, lots of people will go, 'Gosh, I really liked that, I got used to it, and I'm going to miss it." Dennis appears to be mistaken, as Microsoft has announced that Xbox One sales in the US more than doubled in June compared to May, following the availability of a $400 Kinect-free version of the system.

Microsoft didn't go into specific sales numbers in its announcement, and the company failed to publicly reveal US sales for May, so that doubling could mean that Xbox One sales have gone from "very low" to "larger but still low." Microsoft had sold 5 million Xbox One units to consumers worldwide as of early April, a number that far outpaced the Xbox 360 at this point in its lifecycle, though it still trails the 7 million sales of the PS4 at about the same time.

Microsoft also didn't break down what proportion of the increased sales came from the lower-priced Kinect-free bundles, meaning it's technically possible that many more people suddenly decided to buy $500 Kinect bundles last month for some reason (maybe they're just really excited for the upcoming Dance Central game?) Microsoft still hasn't announced the availability of a standalone version of Kinect 2.0 for Xbox One, either, so those going the $400 route would have to buy the peripheral secondhand if they decide they really want to play Kinect Sports Rivals right now.

The simplest explanation, of course, is that many consumers were waiting for an Xbox One system that is truly price competitive with the PlayStation 4 and weren't that eager to pay extra for the "revolutionary" features of Microsoft's camera and microphone array. It may have taken Microsoft a while to figure this out, but the immediate sales jump shows that the company is reaping the benefits of that newfound knowledge.