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Microsoft Has Finally Killed the Kinect Xbox Sensor

Microsoft has decided to stop producing the Xbox Kinect sensor, ending an era of visual gaming for its console.

While Sony got a one-week head start and sold 1 million PlayStation 4s in 24 hours at launch, the next-generation battle is clearly just beginning. <a href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=MSFT&amp;source=story_quote_link" title="">Microsoft</a> and <a href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=SNE&amp;source=story_quote_link" title="">Sony</a> are both expected to sell 3 million consoles by the end of the year, according to Wedbush Securities video game analyst Michael Pachter. The real clash will occur next year when there's more supply, and Microsoft serves up exclusive tentpole games like 343 Industries' <em>Halo 5,</em> Respawn Entertainment's <em>Titanfall</em> and Lionhead Studios' <em>Fable Legends.</em> 

Microsoft's Xbox One costs $500 (compared to $400 for the PS4), but that includes a second-generation Kinect device that has been integrated into both entertainment and gaming experiences. Having the Kinect installed in every box will give developers more incentive to take advantage of the voice and motion control capabilities of the device, which can now recognize individual family members through facial and voice recognition and deliver custom content to each user. There are some cool next-gen Minority Report functions that Xbox One opens up. Microsoft is clearly marketing a full entertainment experience to consumers, delivering a one-stop console that can connect to your cable or satellite box for a unique cross-platform offering. 

Microsoft designed the Xbox One for games, first and foremost, and here are 10 great titles to jump into the next generation of gaming.

After years of limited interest from game developers, Microsoft has decided to kill its Xbox Kinect video game sensor.

Microsoft (MSFT) has discontinued Kinect, but it will allow retailers to continue selling the game sensor until their stock runs out, the company confirmed to Fast Co. Design in an interview published on Wednesday. Microsoft told Fast Co. Design that it had sold 35 million Kinect units since its initial release in November 2010.

Kinect was pitched in 2010 as the next revolution in gaming. The technology would track a player’s movements, allowing for more interactive gameplay on the Xbox 360. Games that integrated fitness or dancing were especially popular with Kinect users.

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While Kinect was viewed by many in the “hardcore” segment of the gaming population as a gimmick, Microsoft trudged on and tried to improve the sensor in the Xbox One. But again, Kinect, which could also be used to send voice commands to the console in addition to controlling on-screen games, fell flat among most Xbox users.

As a gaming platform, Kinect couldn’t live up to the hype, but as tech news site The Verge said, Kinect’s technology was certainly important. The sensors, initially used to analyze the distance of users to the television, was ultimately improved and became a core component in Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset. Kinect technology is also integrated in Windows Hello, a security feature that gives users access to computers after the front-facing camera scans their faces and verifies their identity.

Still, over the years, Kinect’s importance in Microsoft’s broader gaming ambitions has declined, leading to the rather decision to kill it.