According to a report from Co.Design, Microsoft has officially ended manufacturing for the Kinect. The device that was introduced for the Xbox 360, then iterated and part of the launch package for the Xbox One, appears to no longer be a part of Microsoft’s plan.
Controversy has followed the Kinect since day one. From difficulty recognizing non-white skin to wonky motion tracking and lackluster software, many gamers saw the Kinect as a burden, sapping power from the console and giving little in return. On the other hand, as the technology evolved it gained its fans, particularly using voice recognition to navigate the console. The device also saw interest from medical researchers, although its proprietary format made those pursuits complicated.
Despite the device ostensibly going away, Microsoft is not abandoning the idea in a genetic sense. Cortana has taken over as Microsoft’s Siri-like voice recognition and navigation software, and the company is also exploring the use of Holograms, with the Microsoft Hololens project taking the concept and expanding its scope big time.
Source: Co.Design