The Kinect is Deader Than Ever Before
Remember when the Xbox One was announced and the console was going to be the centre of your living room? And the Kinect was the centre of the Xbox One, becoming the centre of the centre of your living room?
And remember when Microsoft failed to release any games for the Kinect? And then Microsoft unbundled the Kinect from the Xbox One, because it wasn’t the centre of any centre?
And then remember when they released the Xbox One S, advertised it as 40% smaller than the original console with the small caveat that it lacks a Kinect port, because your centre doesn’t need that centre? But if you’re upgrading to a One S, you were able to register and get the adapter for free?
Well, those who upgrade are now unable to get the free adapter, further removing the Kinect from the centre of the centre of your living room.
Microsoft quietly ended the deal approximately two weeks ago, with the Kinect support site advising that it ended in March. While the company previously hinted that the adapter would be included with the Kinect, this is yet to occur.
While Silent Protagonist is usually at the forefront of breaking news, it took two weeks for anybody to notice that Microsoft has stopped providing free adapters. While one might assume that this is due to a lack of interest in the Kinect, Microsoft disagrees:
The Kinect for Xbox One is more successful than ever. It is most definitely the centre of the centre of your living room, and we will continue support it, because it’s the easiest way to flirt with Cortana.
While we have stopped providing free adapters to people who have upgraded to the Xbox One S, audiences remain more engaged with their Xboxes than ever, to the point that a number of people have tried to get engaged with Cortana.
With a retail price of $39.99 US, we stand to make a motza by making people who have already paid to upgrade their Xbox pay to keep using their Kinect. We will not be making any further use of the Kinect, but are relying on free money to keep the Xbox family afloat after Project Scorpio fails.
Stay tuned to Silent Protagonist, so we can keep you informed when Microsoft stops producing the Kinect. At this rate, probably in about a week.
