The adapter connected the sensor to newer Xbox One models. When Microsoft’s 8th generation console launched in 2013, it arrived with the Kinect in the box. That was an error from so many angles and Microsoft acted to remove the sensor from the bundle. Kinect’s popularity waned enough that by time the Xbox One S launched in 2016, an adapter was needed to even make the sensor work. The same is true of the Xbox One X, which launched in November. Microsoft’s latest decision means it is impossible for Xbox One S and Xbox One X owners to use Kinect if they don’t already have the adapter. Of course, it makes sense that Microsoft will discontinue the adapter for the product it already no longer makes. However, there are certainly people out there still upgrading from the original Xbox One to newer models. From now on, it will impossible for them to bring Kinect along for the ride if they don’t have and adapter already. It is also worth noting the adapter is also needed to connect Kinect to Windows 10 PCs. So, again, new PC owners will be out of luck in the future. We could make some joke about no-one using Kinect, so the importance of this decision being moot. However, there are probably those who embraced the usefulness of the motion sensor and still want to use it.
Goodbye Kinect
You may think you can just pick up an adapter that has already shipped to a retailer. Well, it seems Microsoft has been winding down inventory for some time as the peripheral is out of stock in most places. There is still a second hand market, but people are charging up to $300 for the adapter. No thanks. Kinect was launched in 2010 for the Xbox 360 as an optional extra. When Microsoft introduced the Xbox One, the company bundled the Kinect in with the console and tried to completely integrate it into the experience. As well as adding $100 to the price, gamers did not like being tied to sensors and rejected it. The decision was one of many that irked gamers during the Xbox One launch, which ended in disaster. Microsoft solved all of those problems and got back on track, including removing Kinect as part of the package.
