Despite a new Kinect being packed-in with every launch Xbox One, there will be no Kinect launch title from Microsoft itself. The device can, of course, be used to navigate the console with voice commands, but that won’t exactly justify its inclusion in launch boxes to many gamers. And, sure, Ubisoft will be there to pick up the slack with Fighter Within and Just Dance, but it does seem odd that Microsoft is so bent on making Kinect a mandatory part of its next-generation plan without a launch title for the peripheral.
Today Microsoft announced a stop-game measure for this oversight, revealing that a preview of what’s to come with Kinect will be available on launch day. A special free trial of Kinect Sports Rivals will be available for download on November 22. The “Preseason” download features the wake racing mode from the full game.
Xbox One owners will be able to enjoy the Kinect Sports Rivals Preseason from launch day until sometime in March 2014 – presumably around the time the full game will be released. The free trial will have monthly challenges and opportunities to earn and unlock in-game items such as jerseys or wake racers. The in-game items will carry over to the full game, and Xbox One owners who download the trial sometime between launch day and November 30 will receive a “Founder” title and exclusive in-game items.