Microsoft Has Killed Off the Kinect
But the tech lives on.
Microsoft is ceasing manufacturing on the Kinect accessory effective immediately. According to Fast Co Design, the depth camera and microphone peripheral for the Xbox 360 has sold around 35 million units since its debut in November 2010; becoming the fastest selling consumer device a year later according to Guinness World Records.
Microsoft tried to carry over the accessory to the Xbox One, but the pricing and features didn’t live up to expectations. The company was then forced to unbundle Kinect from Xbox One and manufacture an ugly accessory to attach the Kinect to the Xbox One S. Microsoft is using the Kinect technology for other endeavors, such as laptops shipping with Windows Hello cameras for facial recognition, and the latest Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
