The Microsoft Kinect Is Now Really Dead

Actually, the Microsoft Kinect accessory "technically" died October 2017 when Microsoft declared that it would no longer be producing any new units. Of course, there were still some stocks on store shelves or floating around the Internet, but, once they ran out, it would be the end. Now, however, even if you could still buy a Kinect, you might no longer be able to use it, as Microsoft has also discontinued the production of the Kinect Adapter which is essential in making the Kinect work on modern Xbox One consoles.

Here's why an adapter has become critical in being able to use the Kinect. The 3D sensor uses a proprietary connector that Microsoft removed from the Xbox One S in order to save space on the smaller version of the console. However, the port didn't make a return even on the Xbox One X, ensuring the Kinect's eventual obsolescence.

Thus, the only way to use a Kinect on the only Xbox One consoles available in the market would be to use it with an adapter, which also meant sacrificing one USB port. That is also true for using the Kinect on Windows PCs. But the adapter has been out of stock from the Microsoft Store and is extremely hard to find these days, even from usual retailers.

Third-party sellers and resellers are naturally exploiting the situation and have slapped on outrageously overpriced figures. This means only the most ardent fan or most desperate will be able to get their hands on one. Thus, the Kinect's death is, once and for all, final.

It's still a shame that Microsoft chose to discontinue the Kinect. It was, after all, more popular than the Nintendo Wiimote and definitely more than the PlayStation Move. It was also more accessible to developers, producing interesting experiments in the realm of human-computer interaction (HCI). It was, however, inevitable, as Microsoft only license the technology from PrimeSense, the company that Apple recently acquired to put that same technology on the iPhone X TrueDepth sensor.

VIA: Polygon