Microsoft Stops Kinect for Windows Production

Microsoft has announced that it has ceased the production of the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor through a post on the Windows Blow by Michael Fry.

Microsoft stated through the post that the company has stopped production in order “to consolidate the Kinect for Windows experience around a single sensor.”

Put simply, Microsoft will only be selling the Xbox One Kinect sensor. But fear not! They will allow you to connect one of said sensors to your PC via a handy adapter available for $50, meaning if you were looking into picking up a Kinect v2 for your PC, you’ll be looking at around $200 now for everything you’d need to get it set up and working.

Fry was quick to note however that Microsoft remain committed to Kinect as a development platform on both the Xbox and Windows and that developers can expect no change in Microsoft’s support for the Kinect on Windows.

This decision follows on from the announcement made last year by Microsoft, stating that the Xbox One would be available to be purchased without Kinect, after saying they had no plans to release the Xbox One without it.

This business move could therefore be considered another step towards trying to reduce excess stock of the Kinects produced for the Xbox One following last year’s kinect-less Xbox One’s. After all, it is highly likely that Microsoft are sitting on a fair few of the sensor’s considering the lacklustre reception of the device amongst Xbox fans.

What do you think about this move? Are you interested in picking up a Kinect v2 to use on your Windows platform? Let us know in the comments below.