Despite making a splash when it launched for the Xbox 360 in 2010, the Kinect never seemed to find a foothold in the market. There simply weren’t ever enough games that utilized the hardware to make it a compulsory purchase for an Xbox owner, especially when the second version of the Kinect launched on the Xbox One in 2013.
But if there was ever a sign that the Kinect was truly dead, it was this week when Microsoft confirmed to Polygon that it has ceased production of the Kinect Adapter. This USB accessory was the only way for Xbox One S, Xbox One X and Windows users to hook the Kinect up to their devices, and now it’s gone for good.
“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 spokesperson from Microsoft told Polygon this week. When asked if the adapter might return some day, the spokesperson said that the company’s roadmap wasn’t up for discussion, but confirmed that the adapter “will no longer be available.”
The saga of the Kinect Adapter began a year and a half ago when Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One S would not feature a Kinect port like the original Xbox One. Therefore, anyone who owned a Kinect could contact Microsoft to get a Kinect Adapter for free for a limited time. The promotion ended in April 2017, at which point anyone who wanted an adapter would have to pay full price ($39.99) in order to get their hands on one.
But as Polygon notes, the adapter has been sold out at virtually every online retailer for months. Sellers are now charging upwards of $200 on eBay for the adapter, which all but guarantees that anyone who didn’t already own one will opt to let their Kinect gather dust rather than shell out for a ludicrously-priced accessory.
It’s worth noting that the Xbox One Kinect itself was discontinued last October, so it’s not like you’re going to be missing out on any exclusive content if you don’t have a way to connect your Kinect. The device is still supported by all current Xbox One devices (providing you have the adapter), but the chances of an upcoming game having Kinect features is slim to none. We’ve said it before, but it seems to be more true than ever now: the Kinect is dead.
