Microsoft has finally confirmed that they have ceased production of their Kinect Adapter and that none will be made available in the future.
“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,” the company’s statement given to Polygon earlier today reads.
The Kinect Adapter is an accessory needed to connect the Xbox One’s Kinect sensor to the newer Xbox One S and Xbox One X video game consoles. Some were given away for free to a select group of early Xbox One S buyers but most latter customers, and all who bought the new Xbox One X, were forced to order their own online or find one in store. During the 2017 holiday season with the uptick in Xbox One S sales and the launch of the Xbox One X, stock completely ran out pretty much everywhere in all regions and the Kinect Adapter is now being resold on Amazon and eBay for up to US$399.
Many Xbox One users who had reached out to Xbox Support had been receiving mixed messages about Kinect ranging from plans for new stock of the Kinect Adapter to be made and even a possible alternative to the accessory being planned for the future so some clarification from Microsoft was definitely needed. This just isn’t the confirmation that most were expecting.
The Kinect sensor allows gamers to play motion games like Just Dance, Dance Central, and Fruit Ninja, and can also be used for video calls via Skype and for webcam footage when streaming on Twitch or Mixer. The most-used Kinect function though is likely its voice commands which can be used to turn the console (and/or the TV) on and off, change the volume, pause and play video, record in-game footage or take a screenshot, and more. Right now, anyone looking to upgrade to an Xbox One S or Xbox One X will have to sacrifice all of this added functionality and for many angry consumers on Twitter, Reddit, and Microsoft’s own UserVoice, this is something that they just don’t want to do.
Are you a Kinect user that’s been affected by this decision? Let us know about your experience in the comments below and then head on over to this UserVoice Kinect suggestion to make your voice heard.
