Microsoft has been promising gamers that their upcoming Xbox Series X console will be backward compatibility with all Xbox One games along with a software library spanning the remainder of the brand's existence. However, new details have surfaced regarding the feature that reveals Kinect games won't be making the list.

Those details were part of a list of features found in a blog post written by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer. "It’s our intent for all Xbox One games that do not require Kinect to play on Xbox Series X at the launch of the console," wrote Spencer.

The fall of Kinect

Although the circumstances with the Kinect games seemed dubious given they appeared to have been hidden in plain sight, it's actually quite elementary given the state of the Kinect. The peripheral was a motion-sensing camera originally conceived for the Xbox 360 as a move to cash in on motion controls that were heavily popularized by the Nintendo Wii during the seventh console generation.

The peripheral sold quite well during that generation, prompting Microsoft to develop a successor for the Xbox One. However, things didn't fare well for the Kinect v2 during the eighth generation. Gamers had already moved on from the fad that was motion controls at the time. Also, its mandatory inclusion with every console unit made for quite the expensive SKU.

But the final nail in the coffin was the revelation of the Kinect possessing spyware-like capabilities that invaded its users' privacy. Shortly afterward, Microsoft would find itself in legal hot water when it was discovered that the NSA was spying on Xbox One user data, though the company claimed it was done without its consent.

Eventually, the production of the peripheral and its games was aborted by Microsoft in 2017 due to low sales and the stigma it brought upon the company. In related news, Microsoft has also ended the production of the Xbox One X and Xbox One S All Digital Edition to focus on its upcoming new console and cloud service.

No Kinect games, no problem

The exclusion of Kinect games from the Xbox Series X's library isn't a serious loss many people think. In fact, the development shouldn't stand out much to gamers. Due to the overwhelming challenges posed by motion controls, most of these games were barely serviceable in terms of gameplay. Some true stinkers included 'Kinect Sports,' 'Kung- Fu For Kinect,' 'Kinect Star Wars' just to name a few.

There's also the lingering controversy surrounding Kinect's very existence to consider. It's not hard to imagine Microsoft having to spend a tonne of money on just the P.R. for its Xbox Series X console going into this generation if they want to add a new Kinect to the equation.
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