The Microsoft Kinect, once touted as the most important new peripheral in decades, is taking another major hit. Last year, Microsoft announced a version of the Xbox One sans the creepy camera/microphone/sensor device, and they’re now killing off the technology on the PC side of things:
There will be no more Kinect sensors manufactured specifically for the PC, Microsoft has said, with the company instead focusing on the console version of the hardware.
Announced in a post on the Kinect for Windows blog, Microsoft claims ‘unprecedented demand’ for the dev version of the hardware means it has been unable to manufacture enough of the motion-voice-skin-blood-sending cameras.
While Microsoft did announce it was discontinuing sales of the original Kinect for Windows last year, it was understood the company would continue pushing the PC-specific peripheral in its v2 guise. Not so.
The Kinect may go down in history as one of the worst-timed devices ever. Hot on the heels of security and spying becoming a major hot button issue, Microsoft turned a huge portion of the gaming crowd off by insisting the supercamera device be connected and running to use their new Xbox One console.
It was dogged with references to 1984‘s telescreen, and not a week went by without a new story about how the black box could see through certain types of clothing or track blood flow through your skin. In the end, the company’s bullheaded attitude towards trying to force the Kinect on people undoubtedly lost to the less bossy and intrusive PlayStation 4.
Hobbyists and programmers wishing to mess around with the Kinect on their PC can still do so with a special adapter. Lucky for them, the second hand market is full of Xbox One Kinects people didn’t feel safe leaving plugged in.