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Kinect Is Really Dead Now, Basically (gamespot.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the end-of-an-era dept.

Microsoft has confirmed that it is no longer producing the Kinect adapter that is needed to connect the Kinect to an Xbox One S, Xbox One X, or other Windows device. This comes after Microsoft announced in October 2017 that it was killing off the Xbox One's Kinect camera. GameSpot reports: "After careful consideration, we decided to stop manufacturing the Xbox Kinect Adapter to focus attention on launching new, higher fan-requested gaming accessories across Xbox One and Windows 10," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to Polygon. The representative declined to say if Microsoft would ever bring Kinect back. However, the company confirmed that the adapter "will no longer be available" to purchase.

19 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. A shame, really by IRGlover · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A bit of a shame really. While it was a useless gaming product, it was actually an interesting and useful device for creating body tracking or depth mapping software as these capabilities were wrapped in a pretty straightforward API.

    1. Re: A shame, really by lord_mike · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The Kinect was probably the most innovative thing Microsoft has ever done. It was amazing that it worked as well as it did. I will never understand why its mere existence was so hated by so many people. Microsoft, of course, also shares the blame for mishandling the Xbox One version, and then running away from this amazing tech due to a few vocal complaints.

    2. Re: A shame, really by ArtemaOne · · Score: 2

      It's because they weren't creative enough. They implemented it in only the most gimicky ways, and it was aftermarket use (that made Microsoft no additional money) that really made it shine on the PC. Someone will create a product almost as good or better as this source has gone away from a corporation that could not use it effectively.

    3. Re:A shame, really by phorm · · Score: 2

      It wasn't useless, but it was definitely under-used (and hard to make use of). In the face of emerging modern VR, it looks like it's something that MS doesn't really want to sink a lot of money in anymore.

      This is sad though, because even though the current VR stuff is great, I've often caught myself thinking that something like Kinect could augment it better. For example, most VR kits involve holding some sort of controller and/or vests, sensors etc to determine body motion. This is something Kinect did pretty good, and would pair nicely in a defined space. My understanding is that the more modern Kinect was also a lot better at seeing finer movements.

      So instead of a controller, how about a headset combined with an external sensor like Kinect. The headset maps your in-game motion to what you see, and the Kinect maps motion of your limbs to the in-game character. That means you would have free arm/leg movement, possibly even some hand operations etc. The big problem would be that it likely would degrade when not facing the device, but if there were kinect-like devices built into the perimeter sensors (e.g. with Vive) that would hopefully be good enough to capture the majority of motion in various orientations.

    4. Re: A shame, really by UnknowingFool · · Score: 2

      I wonder how much of the decision was due to Apple. For those that don't know, MS didn't come up with the technology originally; the licensed it from a company called PrimeSense. Apple bought out that company in 2013. While the purchase would not have affected the MS license of the current technology it might have limited -any technology upgrades that MS might have negotiated later. Apple as a company doesn't license out their technology very often. Now this wasn't just a move by Apple to harm MS; Apple's new iPhone X uses a heavily miniaturized and advanced version of the same tech in the new face scanning sensors.

      --
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  2. Such a shame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...Kinect Party is one of the most accessible games ever made for young kids, even my 2 year old could join in enthusiastically - "Daddy - Birds on the Sofa!", "Watch out Daddy Lava on the floor!!!"...ah well...

    1. Re:Such a shame... by _merlin · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yeah, I don't get the Kinect hate. My brother went down the Xbox path because of the Kinect and the superior dancing games it supports. My kids had plenty of fun playing them at Christmas. It's not something I'm into, but my brother and my kids sure have fun with it.

    2. Re:Such a shame... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The hate was mostly from more hardcore gamers. Motion controls are suboptimal compared to a traditional controller since they provide less fine control, and they kept producing games that forced you to use a control scheme that required the motion controller. Dancing games would be one of the few exceptions because there the body motion is the whole point.

    3. Re:Such a shame... by GNious · · Score: 2

      Odd, I've seen PS Move players absolutely own regular players in PS3 shooters due to the added precision and flexible control.

    4. Re:Such a shame... by Joce640k · · Score: 2

      Yeah, I don't get the Kinect hate. My brother went down the Xbox path because of the Kinect and the superior dancing games it supports.

      Those dancing games are totally fabulous, how could people hate that?

      --
      No sig today...
  3. Mine is sitting on a robot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And it never saw a PC or an XBox. Too bad, very good product.

  4. Unfortunately... by mikael · · Score: 5, Informative

    ... while it was a great method for user input and getting players to move around rather than remain sitting, advertisers were starting to use to the device to collect marketing data about users:

    "Xbox One can essentially work like TV that watches you, bringing marketers a huge new trove of data,"

    https://kotaku.com/xbox-ones-t...

    --
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    1. Re:Unfortunately... by decipher_saint · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Pretty much. I know a couple of devs who found creative uses for it on PC.

      For the most part I was ambivalent toward it until it became an inseparable part of the already disastrous XBox One launch platform. They practically handed Sony market share. I think the hate for it mushroomed after that point (to be fair the seeds were already planted between gamers who enjoy sitting motionless versus any kind of motion control.)

      Microsoft is a frustrating company to follow around, they sometimes come up with brilliant ideas and then utterly demolish them through incompetence.

      --
      crazy dynamite monkey
  5. Re: A shame, really (weaboo have no shame really) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    > creating body tracking

    Body tracking for a hologram is pretty weird though...

    (Reportedly a major Kinect market is Japan where the otaku use it with a Win PC freeware called MMD, to create 3D models and dance videos of the eternally 16 year old virtual j-pop starlet called Hatsune Miku. She is a piece of music synthesis software who has no tangible body and performs as an advanced projection in "live" concerts but the fans want their own doujin.)

  6. Re: The camera in Rocksmith... by Whooty+McWhooface · · Score: 2

    Being able to see myself snap a G-string while fingering a minor was helpful

    Huh? There's a joke in there somewhere, I just know it....

    What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

  7. UI killed it, IMO Re:Such a shame... by ET3D · · Score: 2

    A major problem IMO was that the Kinect is terrible at UI navigation, and Microsoft forced that, instead of allowing (and even forcing) controller use for UI segments. Kinect Party and Avengers: Battle for Earth are great partly because they allow navigating menus with the controllers, instead of struggling with the Kinect for that. Disneyland Adventures is terrible because most of the game is spent using the Kinect for avatar creation and navigation, so the actual fun minigames (and they are fun) become a small part of a generally frustrating experience.

    But yes, the hate from hardcores is just because they're small minded.

  8. China is still making adapters by Megane · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Not having used a Kinect before, I wanted to see just how special this adapter was. Apparently Kinect uses a special plug that combines USB and 12V power. Microsoft's adapter for the Xbone version presents this as a USB 3.0 B jack.

    There seem to be a lot of third-party adapters out there for the 360 version. They have a wall wart, an orange-tongue "USB" jack for the Kinect, and a USB A plug. It is also possible to hack off the end of the connector, which seems to only use USB 2.0, and splice in a 12V 1.5A power supply and USB connector.

    So basically this is just another special proprietary variation of a standard plug, simply because they didn't want to have a second plug in the Kinect for power. Not that it's anything new, Microsoft has been pulling this bullshit ever since the original Xbox used plain USB with a two special connectors for its controllers. (To be fair, it probably had better durability for insertions/removals.)

    At least with USB 3 for the Xbone version, why couldn't they have used the official extended power management support? Then at least it could use some kind of standard power inserter or powered hub. Or was that from USB C?

    As long as China can find a supply of connectors for the Xbone version, I'm sure you will see replacements out there soon.

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  9. Re: Always On Killed It by lord_mike · · Score: 2

    Always on and listening doesn't seem to bother Amazon Echo users. That was Amazon's best selling product this Xmas.

  10. The rest of the story... by zarmanto · · Score: 2

    There's a component which I believe is missing from this story: Apple purchased PrimeSense back in 2013, which is the company which used to license the Kinect sensor array technology to Microsoft. Apple is now using the same patented tech in their FaceID system on the iPhone X.

    Those are the facts; now on to the speculation: I would expect the licenses which previously covered the Kinect have since expired, and the two companies have been unable to negotiate mutually beneficial license terms, going forward. (Or to put it more bluntly: Apple probably just told Microsoft to kindly shove it.) Further, Microsoft no doubt knew this was coming well before now, so Microsoft has probably spent the past several years investigating whether or not it could forge a way ahead for the Kinect which does not rely upon the PrimeSense patents... and this new information seems to imply that they never found one.