I was unaware voice commands on my future XBONiX would require a $50 adapter. I say they are useful, but this really puts a value test on that.

To Microsoft's credit, they did give you one for free for a little while.

You can use Cortana through a headset. But if you're like me and don't want to say "hey Cortana" Everytime I want to pause my show, you still have to use Kinect.

I am really glad the IR blaster got implanted into the actual S and X box.

I never knew that the subsequent updated hardwares included an IR receiver in the system. That is a pretty cool and a very understandable plus understated addition. I'm totally ok with that feature even though it is something I will never take advantage of utilizing.
Reminds me about how I also did not know about the removal of the Optical out on the Slim[PS4-added link], which I learned about here on DBO from SpeedRacer or Kermit or somebody.
It is cool to learn these little 'under the radar' details.

On the other hand, in this age of in your face overly intrusive technology, I'm terribly glad that all the Kinect hardware was not integrated inside the Xbox system and that it was a completely optional, independent, & separate peripheral that was not required for basic system/software operation. I fear we will not be so lucky in the near future with whatever their next great idea might be, and instead it may be forced upon consumers with no alternative option.

I think one of the problems is that there was very little games or the lack of distinguished games. I really wanted (several times) to look in the games stores for Kinect only games. There was no way to do that! That alone spoke bounds as to how much emphasis that put into the Kinect. None.>

Agreed. I have numerous nephews needing non-controller native inputs. The only options are Fruit Ninja, a comic book game, and Just Dance.

In a game, you have a party, and you can set it to invite only or closed. In the Xbox One you can't do this, even if the game is the same as the one on the 360, which has the feature.

I gather it's a limitation of the new Xbox Live they use on the Xbox One.

It has nothing to do with the Xbox UI. It's the in game party control, a removed feature from the 360.

I could have sworn it was there during the Beta. Yeah, it was stupid in Destiny 1, and I have no idea why they made that a mandatory thing on Xbox. Seemed like a significant downgrade over the Open/Clan/Friends/Invite/Closed setting on PS4 (and now PC).

But yeah, I remember being happy about it being fixed in the Beta...

I gather it's a limitation of the new Xbox Live they use on the Xbox One.

It has nothing to do with the Xbox UI. It's the in game party control, a removed feature from the 360.

In game parties, like a destiny fireteam, don't seem to have the ability to invite only. I noticed this in Destiny and 2 Halos and one Borderlands. I might be an idiot on the Halos, but I know for a fact it's a removed feature from the Xbone Destiny, and almost positive it's gone from Borderlands.

I think some games had those options "in game", but I'm not sure I ever knew this was a thing in the XB1 UI.

I dunno. Hopefully things turn out better for Hololens and Windows VR (though things don't look that great from the get-go).

That's a bit disingenuous an example to use regarding Windows VR. The platform is the important bit, not anything made for it by 1st party devs. I was a bit skeptical about the MR headsets, but I heard a lot of good things about them at PAX. Games like SuperHot VR and Space Pirate Trainer were on display, for example. I think that's a very good sign for the Microsoft Mixed Reality vision.

Disclaimer: MS employee, opinions are own, etc.

I am really glad the IR blaster got implanted into the actual S and X box.

I haven’t owned an Xbox One in over a year now, so I haven’t kept up, but I thought they separated voice command functionality from Kinect a while ago. Maybe I’m misremembering.

I believe you are correct, but I’m not positive,

Curiously the hardware and software behind Kinect is still in demand; if I have it quite right, Apple licensed the tech to miniaturise it and put it into the iPhone X's "slot".

That's not really accurate. This is pretty much all that is known publicly about it, but there is no reason to think Kinect tech went to Apple. A third party company that did many computer vision things including that they helped with the Kinect was later bought by Apple. That's all.