Microsoft has halted the production of its Kinect sensors and confirmed they were being phased out. The sensors will be joining other phased out Microsoft products such as the Windows Phone. On Wednesday, October 25, the Redmond-based company confirmed to publication Fast Co Design that it would be officially shutting down the sensor’s production.
The Kinect sensors were first introduced to the market in 2010. According to Microsoft, since the launch of the device, the company sold 35 million units of Kinect over the last seven years. Nevertheless, Microsoft announced that it would continue to support devices already in the market.
However, the device software will not be updated in the future. The sensor was created for the Xbox 360. It came with a voice recognition microphone and depth camera.
Here’s why Microsoft closed Kinect sensor’s production
In the years following the launch of Kinect, along with the Xbox 360, the sensor got itself a dedicated community which mostly comprised hackers. These geeks were constantly trying to create experiences using the Microsoft Kinect, which could sense depth in the environment and also track body movements. To give the device a more mainstream approach, Microsoft even tried to pair Kinect with the Xbox One. However, post launch, the pricing, and features did not meet consumer expectations.
Following the dampened welcome of Kinect along with Xbox One, Microsoft tried to separate the device from the console and paired it with the Xbox One S. However; this attempt also failed as the pairing received negative reviews and Kinect got a bad name.
Following two disastrous pairing, it’s been a while since Microsoft stopped the active promotion of the Kinect for Xbox.
However, the firm slowly started wrapping up it's Kinect division after it stopped the production of the device for Windows Sensors in 2015. For the unfamiliar, the Windows Sensor was re-launched to the market in 2012.
Kinect technology to live on in other devices
While the production of the Kinect sensor will be stopped, the technology will not vanish from the market.
Microsoft states that the main sensor will live on as it is used in the HoloLens. Apart from that, it appears that Apple’s iPhone X may also be an unlikely candidate for keeping the Kinect technology alive. Israel-based PrimeSense was responsible for creating 3D tech housed inside the original Kinect, which was produced in 2013. With Apple acquiring the company, the technology may be deployed in the making of iPhone X’s Face ID system, which can sense the depth of a user’s surroundings.
