Back in October Microsoft released the new Kinect sensor for Windows with its software development kit so it was only a matter of time before the fact of its predecessor was sealed. The company has announced today that it is going to cease the sales of original Kinect for Windows sensor in 2015, sales will be phased out over the year, which means its safe to say these units are no longer in production.
Now that the new version of Kinect for Windows is out there’s no need for the old hardware anyway. The new version brings improved features, better body tracking, improved depth fidelity and to top it all off, full 1080p video.
Microsoft says that the response of the developer community to the new Kinect for Windows sensor has been “tremendous,” with apps leveraging the new sensor being built frequently. As it phases out the old sensor in 2015 Microsoft remembers it with words of praise, calling the original Kinect sensor for Windows “a milestone achievement in the world of natural human computing.”
Only the current stock is being sold out and no new units will be manufactured. Some of Microsoft’s business customers who still have commitments to the original sensor and SDK are now advised by the company to get their orders in because they won’t be able to get one once the stock runs out.