Microsoft Kinect, the much-criticised motion-sensor peripheral for the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One, is officially no more.
Microsoft has revealed that it has stopped manufacture of the device ahead of its next earnings report; any Kinect units out there in the wild will be the last ones available.
Kinect creator Alex Kipman and Xbox Devices Marketing GM Matthew Lapsen broke the news in an interview with Fast Company. Support will continue despite manufacture stopping, so if you currently own a Kinect you need not worry.
It’s hardly surprising news. Though it had a fairly good start, launching about half way through the 360’s life-cycle, it was Microsoft’s decision at the launch of the Xbox One that signalled trouble.
The console required Kinect to operate, and so it increased the system price significantly; though it would later be made an optional peripheral, the damage was done.
The Xbox One S was also a bit of a warning shot: it didn’t have the necessary port, meaning you’d need an adapter to operate it. That certainly made Microsoft’s intentions pretty clear. There also isn’t a port on the upcoming Xbox One X.
It’s interesting that Kinect’s application outside of games is what will likely survive it: the learning technology behind it is in use in Microsoft’s HoloLens AR device.
