Microsoft will be selling only the remaining stocks of the original Kinect for Windows sensor and has no plans to manufacture new units. The company announced that it is retiring the sensor sometime in 2015. A spokesperson said that Microsoft will announce a more specific date of the sensor's phase-out schedule.
From the day the Kinect sensor was first released, Microsoft revealed that it had sold a total of 24 million units by February 2013. In October, the Kinect for Windows 2 was released and sold in stores under the price tag of $199. The new Kinect version allowed users to do a whole lot more with their device compared to the original sensor.
"The new sensor provides a host of new and improved features, including enhanced body tracking, greater depth fidelity, full 1080p high-definition video, new active infrared capabilities, and an expanded field of view," said Microsoft.
Since the new version is far more advanced than its older sibling, Microsoft intends to focus on Kinect for Windows 2 while the company figures out how the unit can help make human computing more natural.
The original Kinect was first introduced by Microsoft as a way to increase sales of the Xbox 360 console. While it became a controversial product among gamers, the technology was somehow welcomed and embraced by the DIY hacking community and several groups of companies. For them, the unit makes a good facial and motion tracking device.
It is believed that a number of users still count on the original Kinect, prompting Microsoft to advise them in buying as many as they need and to do it soon.
Microsoft referred to the original Kinect as the company's "milestone achievement" when it comes to the realm of "natural" human computing.
"It allowed developers to create solutions that broke through the old barriers of mouse and keyboard interactions," said Microsoft.
Initially, the next-gen Kinect sensor was a non-optional part of the Xbox One console. However, several gamers didn't use it and didn't seem to be willing to pay for it. Microsoft responded by offering a cheaper Xbox One model that comes without the Kinect. It was a good decision for the company as the move eventually boosted sales.
Apart from the $199 price of the new Kinect for Windows mentioned earlier, Microsoft is also offering a $50 adapter, which allows the user to use the Xbox One Kinect on a PC.
