Microsoft to Discontinue Original Kinect for Windows to Make Way for Windows V2
Microsoft has announced that this year it will no longer produce the original Microsoft Kinect for Windows sensor and will instead start pushing for the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor instead.
The announcement was made via a post on Dec. 30 by the Kinect for Windows team on Microsoft's official blog. After shipping out the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor and its accompanying software development kit, the SDK 2.0, in October, the company has decided to phase out the production of the original Kinect come 2015 and will instead sell out all its remaining units
"The original Kinect for Windows sensor was a milestone achievement in the world of natural human computing," the post read. It shared all of the sensor's moves in the fields of mouse and keyboard interaction, retail, healthcare, education manufacturing and more. However, they explained the perks of the new v2.
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"The move to v2 marks the next stage in our journey toward more natural human computing," the post also stated, and pointed out the new infrared capabilities, enhanced body tracking, full 1080p HD video, greater depth fidelity and expanded field of view.
While it is phasing out the original Kinect though, Microsoft has noted that there are businesses still reliant on the original Kinect. They will no doubt found it difficult to operate once the unit is no longer available for sale.
"If you're one of them and need a significant number of original Kinect for Windows sensor, please contact us as soon as possible," the post from the Kinect team stated. "We will do our best to fill your orders, but no more original sensors will be manufactured after the current stock sells out."
The Kinect for Windows v2 sensor is available via Microsoft's online store for $200 and is intended for use with the Windows SDK 2.0, which is separately licensed and used by developers to build applications.
