What Killed The Kinect?

Innovation doesn’t always stand the test of time. It’s been over seven years since Microsoft’s Kinect landed, but a dwindling user base and dimished interest from developers forced Microsoft to pull the plug last year.

Putting the final nail in the coffin, a Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed with Polygon that Kinect adapter production would be officially discontinued. While Kinect was once bundled together with Xbox One, both Xbox One S and Xbox One X will be kinectless from here on, with Microsoft claiming its magnifying lens will refocus on “new, higher fan-requested gaming accessories across Xbox One and Windows 10.”

When the Kinect first launched, it was bolstered by one hell of an advertising campaign. To date, the motion sensor system has sold approximately 35 million units. It had a hell of an advertsing campaign when it was first launched, and packed in a layer of novelty gamers of the day had only seen in Nintendo Wii. But as Falcon explains, a lack of software integration, generally unenjoyable games and less than exceptional functionality left it skating on thin ice.