The Original Kinect Reaches End Of Life For Windows In 2015


The original Kinect which debuted with the Xbox 360 a scant four years ago, will reach its end of life in 2015. The v2 sensor which ships with the new Xbox One is receiving the full attention of Microsoft MSDN developers leaving the aging (in computer years) original Kinect behind for Windows developers.

According to the official Kinect for Windows Blog, a post states that the sale of the original Kinect for Windows sensor will end in 2015.

“In October, we shipped the public release of the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor and its software development kit (SDK 2.0). The availability of the v2 sensor and SDK 2.0 means that we will be phasing out the sale of the original Kinect for Windows sensor in 2015.”

The Kinect, originally code named “Project Natal,” was an answer to the unprecedented success of the Nintendo Wii’s motion controller. Despite a decidedly underpowered console that one developer infamously called “two GameCubes duct taped together,” the Wii system sold over a hundred million units and Microsoft and Sony were keen to capitalize on the market with their own variations. Sony opted for a more refined and accurate motion control system with physical wants, while Microsoft designed around the human body being the controller.

The original Kinect was not just for gaming however, as Microsoft sought ways to leverage the technology with their large business clients who already run on a Windows infrastructure. In 2012, Microsoft gave eleven teams of entrepreneurs 13 weeks and $20,000 to develop their creations based around the Kinect sensor. Mashable listed some of the ideas such as automatic animation interfaces, and MRI scan manipulation within the ER room without tactile interaction which preserve sterility in the operating room.

The new v2 sensor features more capabilities than the original Kinect such as a more detailed infrared camera, depth sensing and a 1080p color camera.

“The response of the developer community to Kinect v2 has been tremendous: every day, we see amazing apps built on the capabilities of the new sensor and SDK, and since we released the public beta of SDK 2.0 in July, the community has been telling us that porting their original solutions over to v2 is smoother and faster than expected.”

The Inquisitr has reported elsewhere that Microsoft is not done with Kinect on the Xbox One, but Microsoft recognizes that many businesses are not quite ready to move to the next version. Business customers who have commitments to the original sensor and SDK are encouraged to contact the MSDN department as soon as possible. After the current stock of original Kinects sell through it will be the end of life for the device as no more manufacturing is planned.

[Image Source | Microsoft]

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