No more Kinect means Xbox One devs get 10% GPU boost in June SDK

In its June developer kit update for the Xbox One, Microsoft is giving developers more access to GPU bandwidth thanks to the removal of the Kinect from the package, the company has announced. The news first broke when Xbox head Phil Spencer Tweeted about it, saying the change brings developers "more performance, new tools, and flexibility to make games better." A Microsoft spokesperson later clarified that the removal of Kinect from the Xbox One was at least in part what made this possible. "In June we're releasing a new SDK making it possible for developers to access additional GPU resources previously reserved for Kinect and system functions," the spokesperson told Eurogamer, also confirming that "the additional resources allow access to up to 10 per cent additional GPU performance." The Kinect-free Xbox One package will be released next week, which shaves $100 off of the price, bringing its price in line with -- or, in some territories, cheaper than -- Sony's PlayStation 4. Developers have in some cases struggled to get games running on the Xbox One with the same performance they see on the PlayStation 4, which has no such requirement for its optional camera.