Not too long ago Microsoft phased out the original Kinect for Windows sensor. It may not have worried developers too much because the company had already introduced Kinect for Windows v2. However today Microsoft has announced that it has even stopped producing the new sensor, but that doesn’t mean developers who want to build Windows apps that use Kinect won’t be able to do so.
It actually makes sense for Microsoft to stop building Kinect for Windows v2. That’s because in November last year the company released the standalone Kinect for Xbox One sensor for $150. Kinect SDK 2.0 soon followed and then Microsoft started accepting Kinect apps in the Windows Store.
The $50 Kinect Adapter for Windows was then released that allowed the standalone Xbox One sensor to be used with Windows. This is what developers will now use if they want to create Windows apps that use Kinect. The $150 sensor and the $50 adapter.
With the adapter the Kinect for Xbox One sensor can be used with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 computers through a USB 3.0 port. It won’t cost developers more, and it’s not cheaper, the adapter and sensor combined cost $200 and that’s precisely what Microsoft sold the Kinect for Windows v2 for.
The company says that it has taken this step “to simplify and create consistency for developers.”
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