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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Microsoft kills off Kinect, stops manufacturing it [theverge.com]

Microsoft is finally admitting Kinect is truly dead. After years of debate [theverge.com] over whether Kinect is truly dead or not [theverge.com], the software giant has now stopped manufacturing the accessory. Fast Co Design reports [fastcodesign.com] that the depth camera and microphone accessory has sold around 35 million units since its debut in November, 2010. Microsoft's Kinect for Xbox 360 even became the fastest-selling consumer device back in 2011, winning recognition from Guinness World Records at the time.

In the years since its debut on Xbox 360, a community built up around Microsoft's Kinect. It was popular among hackers [theverge.com] looking to create experiences that tracked body movement and sensed depth. Microsoft even tried to bring Kinect even more mainstream with the Xbox One, but the pricing and features failed to live up to expectations. Microsoft was then forced to unbundle Kinect [theverge.com] from Xbox One, and produced an unsightly accessory [theverge.com] to attach the Kinect to the Xbox One S. After early promise, Kinect picked up a bad name for itself.

Kinect technology lives on in products such as HoloLens [soylentnews.org], Windows Hello cameras, and "Mixed Reality" headsets [soylentnews.org].

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