{{Short description|Motion-sensing input device for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One}} {{Redirect|Skeletal tracking|other skeletal tracking systems|Gesture recognition|and|Motion capture}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2013}} {{Infobox information appliance | name = Kinect | aka = | logo = Kinect logo.svg | image = Xbox-One-Kinect.jpg | caption = Kinect for [[Xbox One]] | developer = [[Microsoft]] | manufacturer = | family = | type = [[Motion controller]] | generation = [[Seventh generation of video game consoles|Seventh]] and [[Eighth generation of video game consoles|eighth]] | release_date = '''Xbox 360''' {{vgrelease|NA|November 4, 2010<ref name="releasedate"/>|EU|November 10, 2010<ref name="EU launch date"/>|COL|November 14, 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caracoltv.com/noticias/cienciaytecnologia/video-197113-ya-llegaron-a-colombia-los-videojuegos-no-necesitan-controles?|title=Ya llegaron a Colombia los videojuegos que no necesitan controles|language=es|trans-title=They've arrived in Colombia: controller-free video games|access-date=November 14, 2010|date=November 14, 2010|publisher=[[Caracol TV]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727121751/http://www.caracoltv.com/noticias/cienciaytecnologia/video-197113-ya-llegaron-a-colombia-los-videojuegos-no-necesitan-controles|archive-date=July 27, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>|AUS|November 18, 2010<ref name="Xbox Kinect Australian launch date"/>|JP|November 20, 2010<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-08-16/news/27569063_1_gaming-market-ps2-gaming-consoles|title=Microsoft to launch Kinect in Japan in November|date=September 8, 2010|access-date=October 20, 2010|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|archive-date=January 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114125044/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-08-16/news/27569063_1_gaming-market-ps2-gaming-consoles|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}'''Windows''' {{vgrelease|WW|February 1, 2012<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2012/01/09/kinect-for-windows-commercial-program-announced.aspx |title=Starting February 1, 2012: Use the Power of Kinect for Windows to Change the World - Kinect for Windows Blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs |publisher=Blogs.msdn.com |date=January 9, 2012 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=March 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311200255/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2012/01/09/kinect-for-windows-commercial-program-announced.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>}}'''Xbox One''' {{vgrelease|WW|November 22, 2013{{cn|date=November 2021}}}} | lifespan = 2010–2017 | discontinued = '''Windows'''<br/>{{vgrelease|WW|April 2, 2015<ref name="Windowsdiscontinuation">{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2015/04/02/rip-kinect-for-windows/|title=Microsoft isn't selling Kinect for Windows anymore|work=Engadget|date=April 3, 2015 |access-date=December 1, 2017|archive-date=December 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202053133/https://www.engadget.com/2015/04/02/rip-kinect-for-windows/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}'''Xbox 360'''<br/>{{vgrelease|WW|April 20, 2016<ref name="360discontinuation">{{cite web|url=http://news.xbox.com/2016/04/20/xbox-360-celebrating-10-years/|title=Achievement Unlocked: 10 Years – Thank You, Xbox 360|work=Xbox Wire|date=April 20, 2016|access-date=July 4, 2016|archive-date=February 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216042527/http://news.xbox.com/2016/04/20/xbox-360-celebrating-10-years/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}'''Xbox One'''<br/>{{vgrelease|WW|October 25, 2017<ref name="eg kinect eol"/>}} | units_sold = 35 million (as of October 25, 2017)<ref name="35million">{{cite magazine |url=http://fortune.com/2017/10/25/microsoft-kinect-xbox-sensor/ |title=Microsoft Has Finally Killed the Kinect Xbox Sensor |first=Don |last=Reisinger |magazine=Fortune |date=October 25, 2017 |access-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-date=December 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202053130/http://fortune.com/2017/10/25/microsoft-kinect-xbox-sensor/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | connectivity = [[Universal Serial Bus|USB 2.0]] <small>([[Universal Serial Bus#USB-A|type-A]] for original model; proprietary for Xbox 360 S)</small> | platform = [[Xbox 360]] <br> [[Xbox One]] <br> [[Windows]] ([[Windows 7]] onwards) | camera = 640×480 [[pixels]] @ 30 Hz <small>(RGB camera)</small><br/>640×480 [[pixels]] @ 30 Hz <small>(IR depth-finding camera)</small><ref>{{cite web |author=Microsoft |url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.kinect.depthimageformat.aspx |title=Kinect for Windows SDK 1.6 Programming Guide |publisher=Microsoft |year=2012 |access-date=February 16, 2013 |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313055600/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.kinect.depthimageformat.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> | predecessor = [[Xbox Live Vision]] | successor = [[Azure Kinect]] | top_game = ''[[Kinect Adventures]]'' }}
'''Kinect''' is a discontinued line of [[motion sensing]] [[input device]]s produced by [[Microsoft]] and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain [[RGB color model|RGB]] cameras, and [[Thermographic camera|infrared]] projectors and detectors that map depth through either [[structured light]] or [[time of flight]] calculations, which can in turn be used to perform real-time [[gesture recognition]] and body skeletal detection, among other capabilities. They also contain microphones that can be used for [[speech recognition]] and [[voice control]].
Kinect was originally developed as a [[motion controller]] peripheral for [[Xbox]] [[Video game console|video game consoles]], distinguished from competitors (such as Nintendo's [[Wii Remote]] and Sony's [[PlayStation Move]]) by not requiring physical controllers. The first-generation Kinect was based on technology from Israeli company [[PrimeSense]], and unveiled at [[E3]] 2009 as a peripheral for [[Xbox 360]] codenamed "'''Project Natal'''". It was first released on November 4, 2010, and would go on to sell eight million units in its first 60 days of availability. The majority of the games developed for Kinect were [[Casual game|casual]], family-oriented titles, which helped to attract new audiences to Xbox 360, but did not result in wide adoption by the console's existing, overall userbase.
As part of the 2013 unveiling of Xbox 360's successor, [[Xbox One]], Microsoft unveiled a second-generation version of Kinect with improved tracking capabilities. Microsoft also announced that Kinect would be a required component of the console, and that it would not function unless the peripheral is connected. The requirement proved controversial among users and critics due to privacy concerns, prompting Microsoft to backtrack on the decision. However, Microsoft still bundled the new Kinect with Xbox One consoles upon their launch in November 2013. A market for Kinect-based games still did not emerge after the Xbox One's launch; Microsoft would later offer Xbox One hardware bundles without Kinect included, and later revisions of the console removed the dedicated ports used to connect it (requiring a powered USB adapter instead). Microsoft ended production of Kinect for Xbox One in October 2017.
Kinect has also been used as part of non-game applications in academic and commercial environments, as it was cheaper and more robust than other depth-sensing technologies at the time. While Microsoft initially objected to such applications, it later released [[Software development kit|software development kits]] (SDKs) for the development of [[Microsoft Windows]] applications that use Kinect. In 2020, Microsoft released [[Azure Kinect]] as a continuation of the technology integrated with the [[Microsoft Azure]] cloud computing platform. Part of the Kinect technology was also used within Microsoft's [[HoloLens]] project. Microsoft discontinued the Azure Kinect developer kits in October 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Microsoft's Azure Kinect Developer Kit Technology Transfers to Partner Ecosystem |url=https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mixed-reality-blog/microsoft-s-azure-kinect-developer-kit-technology-transfers-to/ba-p/3899122 |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=2023-08-21 |title=Microsoft kills Kinect again |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/21/23840327/microsoft-azure-kinect-developer-kit-discontinued |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=The Verge |language=en}}</ref>
== History == {{video game timeline | range1 = 2006 – |2006 = PrimeSense technology shown at GDC |2009 = "Project Natal" announced |2010 = '''Kinect for Xbox 360''' released |2011a = Non-commercial SDK released |2011b = Commercial SDK released |2012 = '''Kinect for Windows''' released |2013 = '''Kinect for Xbox One''' released with console |2014 = '''Kinect 2 for Windows''' released |2017 = Discontinuation of Kinect for Xbox hardware |2020 = '''Azure Kinect''' released |2023 = Discontinuation of Azure Kinect }}
===Development=== The origins of the Kinect started around 2005, at a point where technology vendors were starting to develop [[Range imaging|depth-sensing cameras]]. Microsoft had been interested in a 3D camera for the Xbox line earlier but because the technology had not been refined, had placed it in the "Boneyard", a collection of possible technology they could not immediately work on.<ref name="poly rise fall">{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/14/21064608/microsoft-kinect-history-rise-and-fall | title = All the money in the world couldn't make Kinect happen | first = Blake | last = Hester | date = January 14, 2020 | access-date = January 16, 2020 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = January 15, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200115234540/https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/14/21064608/microsoft-kinect-history-rise-and-fall | url-status = live }}</ref>
In 2005, Israeli company [[PrimeSense]] was founded by mathematicians and engineers to develop the "next big thing" for video games, incorporating cameras that were capable of mapping a human body in front of them and sensing hand motions. They showed off their system at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]], where Microsoft's [[Alex Kipman]], the general manager of hardware incubation, saw the potential in PrimeSense's technology for the Xbox system. Microsoft began discussions with PrimeSense about what would need to be done to make their product more consumer-friendly: not only improvements in the capabilities of depth-sensing cameras, but a reduction in size and cost, and a means to manufacture the units at scale was required. PrimeSense spent the next few years working at these improvements.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
[[Nintendo]] released the [[Wii]] in November 2006. The Wii's central feature was the [[Wii Remote]], a handheld device that was detected by the Wii through a motion sensor bar mounted onto a television screen to enable [[motion control|motion controlled games]]. Microsoft felt pressure from the Wii, and began looking into depth-sensing in more detail with PrimeSense's hardware, but could not get to the level of motion tracking they desired. While they could determine hand gestures, and sense the general shape of a body, they could not do skeletal tracking. A separate path within Microsoft looked to create an equivalent of the Wii Remote, considering that this type of unit may become standardized similar to how two-thumbstick controllers became a standard feature.<ref name="poly rise fall"/> However, it was still ultimately Microsoft's goal to remove any device between the player and the Xbox.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
Kudo Tsunoda and Darren Bennett joined Microsoft in 2008, and began working with Kipman on a new approach to depth-sensing aided by [[machine learning]] to improve skeletal tracking. They internally demonstrated this and established where they believed the technology could be in a few years, which led to the strong interest to fund further development of the technology; this has also occurred at a time that Microsoft executives wanted to abandon the Wii-like motion tracking approach, and favored the depth-sensing solution to present a product that went beyond the Wii's capabilities. The project was greenlit by late 2008 with work started in 2009.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
The project was codenamed "'''Project Natal'''" after the Brazilian city [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]], Kipman's birthplace. Additionally, Kipman recognized the [[Latin]] origins of the word "natal" to mean "to be born", reflecting the new types of audiences they hoped to draw with the technology.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://kotaku.com/why-xbox-360-new-controller-is-called-natal-5274544 | title = Why Xbox 360 New Controller Is Called 'Natal' | first = Stephan | last = Tolito | date = June 1, 2009 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Kotaku]] | archive-date = August 2, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200802235728/https://kotaku.com/why-xbox-360-new-controller-is-called-natal-5274544 | url-status = live }}</ref> Much of the initial work was related to [[ethnographic]] research to see how video game players' home environments were laid out, lit, and how those with Wiis used the system to plan how Kinect units would be used. The Microsoft team discovered from this research that the up-and-down angle of the depth-sensing camera would either need to be adjusted manually, or would require an expensive motor to move automatically. Upper management at Microsoft opted to include the motor despite the increased cost to avoid breaking game immersion. Kinect project work also involved packaging the system for mass production and optimizing its performance. Hardware development took around 22 months.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
During hardware development, Microsoft engaged with software developers to use Kinect. Microsoft wanted to make games that would be playable by families since Kinect could sense multiple bodies in front of it. One of the first internal titles developed for the device was the pack-in game ''[[Kinect Adventures]]'' developed by Good Science Studio that was part of [[Microsoft Studios]]. One of the game modes of ''Kinect Adventures'' was "Reflex Ridge", based on the Japanese [[Brain Wall]] game where players attempt to contort their bodies in a short time to match cutouts of a wall moving at them. This type of game was a key example of the type of interactivity they wanted with Kinect, and its development helped feed into the hardware improvements.<ref name="poly rise fall"/> Another development was [[Project Milo]], a prototype game developed by [[Lionhead Studios]] led by [[Peter Molyneux]] where the player could interact with a virtual avatar through motion controls and voice recognition. Lionhead had developed the project based on original capabilities of the Kinect, but according to Molyneux, Microsoft had found that a consumer-grade version of the Kinect would cost thousands of dollars, so they scaled back the device and refocused the role of games for the Kinect to be more casual games as seen on the Wii. As a result, Project Milo no longer fit Microsoft's portfolio and was cancelled.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesindustry.biz/peter-molyneux-recalls-how-project-milo-the-kinect-game-with-revolutionary-promise-died-a-death | title = Peter Molyneux recalls how Project Milo, the Kinect game with revolutionary promise, died a death | first = Samuel | last = Roberts | date = May 22, 2025 | accessdate = May 22, 2025 | work = [[GamesIndustry.biz]] }}</ref>
Nearing the planned release, there was a problem of widespread testing of Kinect in various room types and different bodies accounting for age, gender, and race among other factors, while keeping the details of the unit confidential. Microsoft engaged in a company-wide program offering employees to take home Kinect units to test them. Microsoft also brought other non-gaming divisions, including its [[Microsoft Research]], [[Microsoft Windows]], and [[Bing (search engine)|Bing]] teams to help complete the system. Microsoft established its own large-scale manufacturing facility to bulk product Kinect units and test them.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
===Introduction=== [[File:Steven Spielberg - E3 2009 (3587914362).jpg|thumb|right|[[Steven Spielberg]] (right) joining [[Don Mattrick]] to present "Project Natal" at E3 2009]] Kinect was first announced to the public as "Project Natal" on June 1, 2009, during Microsoft's press conference at [[E3 2009]]; film director [[Steven Spielberg]] joined Microsoft's [[Don Mattrick]] to introduce the technology and its potential.<ref name="poly rise fall"/><ref name="Kinect confirmed">{{cite web |url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/109/1096876p1.html |title=E3 2010: Project Natal is "Kinect" |date=June 13, 2010 |website=IGN |access-date=March 18, 2011 |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204052719/http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/109/1096876p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Three demos were presented during the conference—Microsoft's ''Ricochet'' and ''Paint Party'', and [[Lionhead Studios]]' ''[[Milo and Kate|Milo & Kate]]'' created by [[Peter Molyneux]]—while a Project Natal-enabled version of [[Criterion Games]]' ''[[Burnout Paradise]]'' was shown during the E3 exhibition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988356p1.html|title=E3 2009: Microsoft Press Conference Live Blog|date=June 1, 2009|website=IGN|access-date=June 1, 2009|archive-date=January 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120144953/http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988356p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/989/989269p1.html |title=E3 2009: I've Played Natal and it Works |first=Jeremy |last=Dunham |website=IGN |date=June 2, 2009 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |archive-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203061706/http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/989/989269p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By E3 2009, the skeletal mapping technology was capable of simultaneously tracking four people,<ref name="Totilo">{{cite web |first=Stephen |last=Totilo |title=Microsoft: Project Natal Can Support Multiple Players, See Fingers |url=http://kotaku.com/5279531/ |work=Kotaku |publisher=Gawker Media |date=June 5, 2009 |access-date=June 6, 2009 |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016151718/http://kotaku.com/5279531/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Shane Kim VB" /><ref name="Phil Spencer ST" /><ref name="Kipman Eurogamer">{{cite web |first=Ellie |last=Gibson |title=E3: Post-Natal Discussion |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/e3-post-natal-discussion-interview |work=Eurogamer |publisher=Eurogamer Network |pages=1–2 |date=June 5, 2009 |access-date=June 9, 2009 |quote=Essentially we do a 3D body scan of you. We graph 48 joints in your body and then those 48 joints are tracked in real-time, at 30 frames per second. So several for your head, shoulders, elbows, hands, feet... |archive-date=June 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608073949/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/e3-post-natal-discussion-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> with a feature extraction of 48 [[skeletal animation|skeletal]] points on a human body at 30 Hz.<ref name="Kipman Eurogamer" /><ref name="Gizmodo E3 2009">{{cite web |first1=Mark |last1=Wilson |first2=Matt |last2=Buchanan |title=Testing Project Natal: We Touched the Intangible |url=https://gizmodo.com/5277954/testing-project-natal-we-touched-the-intangible |work=Gizmodo |publisher=Gawker Media |date=June 3, 2009 |access-date=June 6, 2009 |archive-date=January 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126023835/http://gizmodo.com/5277954/testing-project-natal-we-touched-the-intangible |url-status=live }}</ref> Microsoft had not committed to a release date for Project Natal at E3 2009, but affirmed it would be after 2009, and likely in 2010 to stay competitive with the Wii and the [[PlayStation Move]] ([[Sony Interactive Entertainment]]'s own motion-sensing system using hand-held devices).<ref name="vb natal e3 2009"/>
[[Image:Kinect Holiday 2010.jpg|thumb|A January 2010 promotional banner indicating the expected release of Kinect (then "Project Natal") by [[Christmas and holiday season|holiday]] 2010|alt=|left]] In the months following E3 2009, rumors that a new Xbox 360 console associated with Project Natal emerged, either a [[Xbox 360 Retail configurations|retail configuration]] that incorporated the peripheral,<ref name="MCV rumor">{{cite web |url=http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36466/Natal-launch-details-leak-from-secret-Microsoft-tour |title=Natal launch details leak from secret Microsoft tour |first=Michael |last=French |work=MCV |publisher=Intent Media |date=November 11, 2009 |access-date=November 11, 2009 |quote=November 2010 release, 5m units global ship, 14 games, and super-low sub-£50 price [...] Microsoft is planning to manufacture 5m units for day one release, with a mix of console and camera plus solus SKUs expected. [...] The device should cost under £100,00 when sold solo. The somewhat confirmed price is stated to be at 150$ (USD)when sold alone this is 50$ higher than the original 99$ projected price. [...] Another even says the camera could even retail for just £30. |archive-date=November 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091112230650/http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36466/Natal-launch-details-leak-from-secret-Microsoft-tour |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Mark Rein OXM">{{cite web |first=Mike |last=Channell |title=Mark Rein Interview |url=https://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=14296 |work=Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine |publisher=Future Publishing |date=October 3, 2009 |access-date=October 11, 2009 |quote=And you know, I think they said they were going to ship Natal with every Xbox when they actually launch the thing, so everybody will have one. |archive-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114141656/https://www.gamesradar.com/xbox/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or as a hardware revision or upgrade to support the peripheral.<ref name="analysts slim">{{cite web|first=James |last=Brightman |title=Xbox 360 Slim? Analysts Weigh In |url=http://www.industrygamers.com/news/xbox-360-slim-analysts-weigh-in/ |work=IndustryGamers |pages=1–2 |date=August 21, 2009 |access-date=September 2, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224191552/http://www.industrygamers.com/news/xbox-360-slim-analysts-weigh-in/ |archive-date=December 24, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="new Xbox 1UP">{{cite web |first=Sam |last=Kennedy |title=Rumor: Xbox Natal is Actually Microsoft's Next Console |url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174762 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001184845/http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174762 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 1, 2009 |work=1UP.com |publisher=UGO Entertainment |date=June 12, 2009 |access-date=June 19, 2009 }}</ref> Microsoft dismissed the reports in public and repeatedly emphasized that Project Natal would be fully compatible with all Xbox 360 consoles. Microsoft indicated that the company considered Project Natal to be a significant initiative, as fundamental to Xbox brand as [[Xbox Live]],<ref name="vb natal e3 2009">{{cite web|last=Takahashi|first=Dean|date=June 2, 2009|title=Microsoft games exec details how Project Natal was born|url=https://venturebeat.com/2009/06/02/microsoft-games-executive-describes-origins-of-project-natal-game-controls/|access-date=June 6, 2009|work=VentureBeat|archive-date=June 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606054228/http://venturebeat.com/2009/06/02/microsoft-games-executive-describes-origins-of-project-natal-game-controls/|url-status=live}}</ref> and with a planned launch akin to that of a new Xbox console platform.<ref name="Shane Kim GS">{{cite web |first1=Kris |last1=Graft |first2=Brandon |last2=Sheffield |title=Microsoft's Future Begins Now: Shane Kim Speaks |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4053/microsofts_future_begins_now_.php |work=Gamasutra |publisher=Think Services |page=3 |date=June 16, 2009 |access-date=June 20, 2009 |archive-date=June 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619204029/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4053/microsofts_future_begins_now_.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> Microsoft's vice president Shane Kim said the company did not expect Project Natal would extend the anticipated lifetime of the Xbox 360, which had been planned to last ten years through 2015, nor delay the launch of the successor to the Xbox 360.<ref name="Shane Kim VB" /><ref name="long tail">{{cite web|title=Generation When? |url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/generation-when |work=Edge Online |publisher=Future plc |page=2 |date=June 18, 2009 |quote=Since the NES, every five years or so a distinct new wave of technology has washed across the industry, bringing with it new power and functions to a market galvanised by the promise of faster, better, more. |access-date=June 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105104338/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/generation-when |archive-date=January 5, 2011 }}</ref>
Following the E3 2009 show and through 2010, the Project Natal team members experimentally adapted numerous games to Kinect-based control schemes to help evaluate usability. Among these games were ''[[Beautiful Katamari]]'' and ''[[Space Invaders Extreme]]'', which were demonstrated at [[Tokyo Game Show]] in September 2009.<ref name="TGS demos">{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Crecente |title=Playing Space Invaders, Katamari Damacy on Natal |url=https://kotaku.com/playing-space-invaders-katamari-damacy-on-natal-5367460 |work=Kotaku |publisher=Gawker Media |date=September 25, 2009 |access-date=September 26, 2009 |archive-date=September 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926173747/http://kotaku.com/5367460/playing-space-invaders-katamari-damacy-on-natal |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Tsunoda, adding Project Natal-based control to pre-existing games involved significant code alterations, and made it unlikely that existing games could be patched through software updates to support the unit.<ref name="Tsunoda patching">{{cite web |first=Nick |last=Chester |title=TGS 09: Patching older 360 games to work with natal not possible |url=http://www.destructoid.com/tgs-09-patching-older-360-games-to-work-with-natal-not-possible-149867.phtml |work=Destructoid |date=September 25, 2009 |access-date=September 26, 2009 |archive-date=September 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926182324/http://www.destructoid.com/tgs-09-patching-older-360-games-to-work-with-natal-not-possible-149867.phtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Microsoft also expanded its draw to third-party developers to encourage them to develop Project Natal games. Companies like [[Harmonix]] and [[Double Fine]] quickly took to Project Natal and saw the potential in it, and committed to developing games for the unit, such as the launch title ''[[Dance Central]]'' from Harmonix.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
Although its sensor unit was originally planned to contain a microprocessor that would perform operations such as the system's skeletal mapping, Microsoft reported in January 2010 that the sensor would no longer feature a dedicated processor. Instead, processing would be handled by one of the [[multi-core processor|processor cores]] of Xbox 360's [[Xenon (processor)|Xenon]] CPU.<ref name="gamesindustry.biz">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/microsoft-drops-internal-natal-chip_1 |title=Microsoft drops internal Natal chip |publisher=GamesIndustry.biz |first=Phil |last=Elliott |date=January 7, 2010 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |archive-date=December 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231124111/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/microsoft-drops-internal-natal-chip_1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Around this time, Kipmen estimated that the Kinect would only take about 10 to 15% of the Xbox 360's processing power.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527426.800-microsofts-bodysensing-buttonbusting-controller.html |title=Microsoft's body-sensing, button-busting controller |magazine=New Scientist |first=Colin |last=Barras |date=January 7, 2010 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114014544/http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527426.800-microsofts-bodysensing-buttonbusting-controller.html |archive-date=January 14, 2012 }}</ref> While this was a small fraction of the Xbox 360's capabilities, industry observers believed this further pointed to difficulties in adapting pre-existing games to use Kinect, as the motion-tracking would add to a game's high computational load and exceed the Xbox 360's capabilities. These observers believed that instead the industry would develop games specific to the Kinect features.<ref name="gamesindustry.biz" />
=== Kinect for Xbox 360 marketing and launch === [[File:DSC0311 (4704866551).jpg|left|thumb|Promotion at [[Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010|E3 2010]]]] During Microsoft's [[E3 2010]] press conference, it was announced that Project Natal would be officially branded as Kinect, and be released in North America on November 4, 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Snider|first=Mike|date=June 16, 2010|title=Microsoft Kinect gets into motion as E3 confab kicks off|work=[[USA Today]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010-06-14-vidgame14_ST_N.htm|access-date=June 15, 2010|archive-date=March 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316140618/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010-06-14-vidgame14_ST_N.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Xbox Live director [[Stephen Toulouse]] stated that the name was a [[portmanteau]] of the words "kinetic" and "connection", key aspects of the Kinect initiative.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|date=June 13, 2010|title=Project Natal Officially Renamed "Kinect", More Games Revealed|url=https://kotaku.com/project-natal-officially-renamed-kinect-more-games-r-5562418|access-date=January 17, 2020|work=[[Kotaku]]|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114105658/https://kotaku.com/project-natal-officially-renamed-kinect-more-games-r-5562418|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Bramwell|first=Tom|date=June 14, 2010|title=MS man: Kinect "perfect name" for Natal|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ms-man-kinect-perfect-name-for-natal|access-date=January 17, 2020|work=[[Eurogamer]]|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803085016/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ms-man-kinect-perfect-name-for-natal|url-status=live}}</ref> Microsoft and third-party studios exhibited Kinect-compatible games during the E3 exhibition.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stuart|first=Keith|date=June 18, 2010|title=E3 2010: hands off with Kinect|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/jun/18/e3-2010-kinect|access-date=January 17, 2020|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803025016/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/jun/18/e3-2010-kinect|url-status=live}}</ref> A new [[List of Xbox 360 retail configurations#Xbox 360 S|slim revision of the Xbox 360]] was also unveiled to coincide with Kinect's launch, which added a dedicated port for attaching the peripheral;<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Chen|first1=Brian X.|date=June 14, 2010|title=Microsoft Releases New, Slimmer Xbox 360|url=https://www.wired.com/2010/06/microsoft-xbox-360/|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|access-date=January 17, 2020|archive-date=August 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808115757/https://www.wired.com/2010/06/microsoft-xbox-360/|url-status=live}}</ref> Kinect would be sold at launch as a standalone accessory for existing Xbox 360 owners, and as part of bundles with the new slim Xbox 360. All units included ''Kinect Adventures'' as a [[pack-in game]].<ref name="250GB bundle">{{cite web|last=Purchese|first=Robert|date=September 8, 2010|title=£300 Kinect 250GB bundle confirmed|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-08-GBP300-kinect-250gb-bundle-confirmed|access-date=September 8, 2010|website=[[Eurogamer]]|archive-date=September 11, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911072539/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-08-GBP300-kinect-250gb-bundle-confirmed|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=4GB Xbox 360 official, $300 Kinect bundle coming|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/4gb-xbox-360-official-300-kinect-bundle-coming/1100-6270112/|access-date=2021-10-10|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|archive-date=October 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010190005/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/4gb-xbox-360-official-300-kinect-bundle-coming/1100-6270112/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Microsoft continued to refine the Kinect technology in the months leading to the Kinect launch in November 2010. By launch, Kipman reported they had been able to reduce the Kinect's use of the Xbox 360's processor from 10 to 15% as reported in January 2010 to a "single-digit percentage".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2010-11-02-kipman-kinect-uses-a-single-digit-percentage-of-the-360-cpu |title=Kipman: Kinect CPU use down to single-digits | News |publisher=Gamesindustry.biz |first=Dan |last=Pearson |date=November 3, 2010 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106000802/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2010-11-02-kipman-kinect-uses-a-single-digit-percentage-of-the-360-cpu |url-status=live }}</ref>
Xbox product director Aaron Greenberg stated that Microsoft's marketing campaign for Kinect would carry a similar scale to a console launch;<ref name=":0" /> the company was reported to have budgeted $500 million on advertising for the peripheral, such as television and print ads, campaigns with [[Burger King]]<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Goldman|first=Tom|date=November 2, 2010|title=Greasy Fingers Don't Matter With Kinect|url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104937-Greasy-Fingers-Dont-Matter-With-Kinect/|magazine=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-date=November 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105125035/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104937-Greasy-Fingers-Dont-Matter-With-Kinect|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Pepsi]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Microsoft to spend $500M on Kinect marketing - Report|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-to-spend-500m-on-kinect-marketing-report/1100-6282208/|access-date=2021-10-10|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|archive-date=October 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010190003/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-to-spend-500m-on-kinect-marketing-report/1100-6282208/|url-status=live}}</ref> and a launch event in [[New York City]]'s [[Times Square]] on November 3 featuring a performance by [[Ne-Yo]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Purchese|first=Robert|date=2010-11-04|title=Did Kinect's Times Square launch go well?|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-04-did-kinects-times-square-launch-go-well|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Eurogamer|language=en|archive-date=October 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010190013/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-04-did-kinects-times-square-launch-go-well|url-status=live}}</ref> Kinect was launched in North America on November 4, 2010;<ref name="releasedate">{{cite web|title=Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect Launches November 4|url=https://gizmodo.com/5563148/microsoft-xbox-360-kinect-launches-november-4|website=[[Gizmodo]]|date=June 14, 2010|access-date=September 9, 2017|archive-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909043532/http://gizmodo.com/5563148/microsoft-xbox-360-kinect-launches-november-4|url-status=live}}</ref> in Europe on November 10, 2010;<ref name="EU launch date">{{cite web|date=August 17, 2010|title=Kinect gets UK release date|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-10996389|access-date=August 17, 2010|publisher=BBC|quote=It will hit the shelves on 10 November, five days after the US.|archive-date=August 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819202010/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/10996389|url-status=live}}</ref> in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore on November 18, 2010;<ref name="Xbox Kinect Australian launch date">{{cite web|date=September 1, 2010|title=Xbox 360′s Kinect given release date for Australia|url=http://123kinect.com/xboxkinect-release-date-australia/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903142139/http://123kinect.com/xboxkinect-release-date-australia/|archive-date=September 3, 2010|access-date=September 3, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Xbox Kinect Singapore launch date">{{cite web|last=Lian|first=Jotham|title=Kinect launches Nov 18 with StarHub tie-up|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/1085935/1/.html|publisher=ChannelNewsAsia.com|access-date=October 10, 2010|archive-date=October 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010234853/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/1085935/1/.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Xbox Kinect New Zealand launch date">{{cite web|date=September 17, 2010|title=New Zealand Kinect Launch Date confirmed!|url=http://123kinect.com/new-zealand-kinect-launch-date/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210023349/http://123kinect.com/new-zealand-kinect-launch-date/|archive-date=December 10, 2010|access-date=September 17, 2010}}</ref> and in Japan on November 20, 2010.<ref name="Xbox Kinect Japanese launch date">{{cite web|date=September 14, 2010|title=Xbox Kinect Japanese launch date|url=http://123kinect.com/kinect-launch-japan/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919022153/http://123kinect.com/kinect-launch-japan/|archive-date=September 19, 2010|access-date=September 17, 2010}}</ref>
===Kinect for Xbox One and decline=== The Kinect release for the Xbox 360 was estimated to have sold eight million units in the first sixty days of release, earning the hardware the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness World Record]] for the "Fastest-Selling Consumer Electronics Device".<ref name="poly rise fall"/> Over 10 million had been sold by March 2011.<ref name="poly rise fall"/> While seemingly successful, its launch titles were primarily family-oriented games (which could be designed around Kinect's functionality and limitations), which may have drawn new audiences, but did not have the selling power of major franchises like ''[[Battlefield (video game series)|Battlefield]]'' and ''[[Call of Duty]]''—which were primarily designed around the [[Xbox 360 controller]]. Only an estimated 20% of the 55 million Xbox 360 owners had purchased the Kinect.<ref name="poly rise fall"/> The Kinect team recognized some of the downsides with more traditional games and Kinect, and continued ongoing development of the unit to be released as a second-generation unit, such as reducing the latency of motion detection and improving speech recognition. Microsoft provided news of these changes to the third-party developers to help them anticipate how the improvements can be integrated into the games.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
Concurrent with the Kinect improvements, Microsoft's Xbox hardware team had started planning for the [[Xbox One]] around mid-2011. Part of early Xbox One specifications was that the new Kinect hardware would be automatically included with the console, so that developers would know that Kinect hardware would be available for any Xbox One, and hoping to encourage developers to take advantage of that.<ref name="poly rise fall"/> The Xbox One was first formally announced on May 23, 2013, and shown in more detail at [[E3 2013]] in June. Microsoft stated at these events that the Xbox One would include the updated Kinect hardware and it would be required to be plugged in at all times for the Xbox One to function. This raised concerns across the video game media: privacy advocates argued that Kinect sensor data could be used for [[targeted advertising]], and to perform unauthorized [[surveillance]] on users. In response to these claims, Microsoft reiterated that Kinect voice recognition and motion tracking can be disabled by users, that Kinect data cannot be used for advertising per its [[privacy policy]], and that the console would not redistribute user-generated content without permission.<ref name=polygon-xbox1privacy>{{cite web|title=Privacy concerns threaten to overshadow Microsoft's new console|url=https://www.polygon.com/2013/6/5/4398440/privacy-microsoft-xbox-one|first=Brian|last=Crecente|work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=June 5, 2013|access-date=June 10, 2013|archive-date=October 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006000213/https://www.polygon.com/2013/6/5/4398440/privacy-microsoft-xbox-one|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="verge-kinectads">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/5/27/4370676/microsoft-kinect-tv-monitoring-achievements-ads|title=Microsoft may award achievements for watching TV and ads by monitoring you with Kinect|first=T.C.|last=Sottek|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|work=[[The Verge]]|date=May 27, 2013|access-date=June 10, 2013|archive-date=June 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607084939/http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/27/4370676/microsoft-kinect-tv-monitoring-achievements-ads|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="polygon-privacyresponse">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/6/4403926/kinect-on-xbox-one-will-not-record-or-upload-your-conversations|title=Kinect on Xbox One will not record or upload your conversations, Microsoft says|first=Michael|last=McWhertor|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|date=June 6, 2013|access-date=June 10, 2013|archive-date=June 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609055453/http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/6/4403926/kinect-on-xbox-one-will-not-record-or-upload-your-conversations|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=XboxOneReceptionInternetMay2013Pcmag>{{cite news |title=Hello Xbox One, Goodbye Freedom |first=Will |last=Greenwald |work=[[PC Magazine]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2419320,00.asp |date=May 22, 2013 |access-date=May 23, 2013 |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522154107/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2419320,00.asp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="kotaku.com">{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/xbox-one-wont-actually-need-kinect-plugged-in-microso-1113142909|title=Kinect No Longer Mandatory For Xbox One (But Will Still Come With It) [UPDATE]|first=Jason|last=Schreier|work=[[Kotaku]]|publisher=[[Univision Communications]]|date=August 12, 2013|access-date=August 23, 2013|archive-date=September 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906231830/http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-wont-actually-need-kinect-plugged-in-microso-1113142909|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ext-onekinect">{{cite news|url=http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/163796-xbox-one-no-longer-requires-kinect-but-itll-still-come-in-the-box-and-youll-still-pay-500|title=Xbox One no longer requires Kinect, but it'll still come in the box, and you'll still pay $500|first=Sebastian|last=Anthony|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|work=[[ExtremeTech]]|date=August 13, 2013|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=September 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910080625/http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/163796-xbox-one-no-longer-requires-kinect-but-itll-still-come-in-the-box-and-youll-still-pay-500|url-status=live}}</ref> Several other issues with the Xbox One's original feature set had also come up, such as the requirement to be always connected to the Internet, and created a wave of consumer backlash against Microsoft.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
Microsoft announced in August 2013 that they had made several changes to the planned Xbox One release in response to the backlash. Among these was that the system would no longer require a Kinect unit to be plugged in to work, though it was still planned to package the Kinect with all Xbox One systems. However, this also required Microsoft to establish a {{USD|500}} price-point for the Xbox One/Kinect system at its November 2013 launch, {{USD|100}} more than the competing [[PlayStation 4]] launched in the same time frame, which did not include any motion-sensing hardware.<ref name="poly rise fall"/> In the months after the Xbox One release, Microsoft decided to launch a Kinect-less Xbox One system in March 2014 at the same price as the PlayStation 4, after considering that the Kinect for Xbox One had not gotten the developer support, and sales of the Xbox One were lagging due to the higher price tag of the Kinect-bundled system. Richard Irving, a program group manager that oversaw Kinect, said that Microsoft had felt that it was more important to give developers and consumers the option of developing for or purchasing the Kinect rather than forcing the unit on them.<ref name="poly rise fall"/>
The removal of Kinect from the Xbox One retail package was the start of the rapid decline and phase-out of the unit within Microsoft. Developers like Harmonix that had been originally targeting games to use the Xbox One had put these games on hold until they knew there was enough of a Kinect install base to justify release, which resulted in a lack of games for the Kinect and reducing any consumer drive to buy the separate unit.<ref name="poly rise fall"/> Microsoft became bearish on the Kinect, making no mention of the unit at [[E3 2015]] and announcing at [[E3 2016]] that the upcoming Xbox One hardware revision, the [[Xbox One S]], would not have a dedicated Kinect port; Microsoft offered a USB adapter for the Kinect, provided free during an initial promotional period after the console's launch.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/e3/2016/6/13/11927140/xbox-one-s-console-kinect-adapter | title = Xbox One S console has no Kinect port, requires USB adapter | first = Samit | last = Sarkar | date = June 13, 2016 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = January 15, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200115144744/https://www.polygon.com/e3/2016/6/13/11927140/xbox-one-s-console-kinect-adapter | url-status = live }}</ref> The more powerful [[Xbox One X]] also lacked the Kinect port and required this adapter.<ref name="kinect adapter terminated"/> Even though developers still released Kinect-enabled games for the Xbox One, Microsoft's lack of statements related to the Kinect during this period led to claims that the Kinect was a dead project at Microsoft.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/17/8796721/kinect-unannounced-games-xbox-one-microsoft-windows-10 | title = Kinect isn't dead: Microsoft has unannounced Kinect games in development | first = Chris | last = Plante | date = June 17, 2015 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[The Verge]] | archive-date = April 1, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200401073508/https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/17/8796721/kinect-unannounced-games-xbox-one-microsoft-windows-10 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/13/12173190/fru-game-review-xbox-one-kinect | title = Kinect is almost dead, but it finally has a killer app | first = Andrew | last = Webster | date = July 13, 2016 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[The Verge]] | archive-date = April 1, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200401070452/https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/13/12173190/fru-game-review-xbox-one-kinect | url-status = live }}</ref>
Microsoft formally announced it would stop manufacturing Kinect for Xbox One on October 25, 2017.<ref name="35million"/> Microsoft eventually discontinued the adapter in January 2018, stating that they were shifting to manufacture other accessories for the Xbox One and personal computers that were more in demand. This is considered by the media to be the point where Microsoft ceased work on the Kinect for the Xbox platform.<ref name="poly rise fall"/><ref name="kinect adapter terminated">{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/2/16842738/microsoft-kinect-adapter-xbox-one-x-s-discontinued | title = Microsoft has discontinued the Kinect Adapter for newer Xbox One consoles | first = Chaim | last = Gartenberg | date = January 2, 2018 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[The Verge]] | archive-date = November 14, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191114173823/https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/2/16842738/microsoft-kinect-adapter-xbox-one-x-s-discontinued | url-status = live }}</ref>
===Non-gaming applications and Kinect for Windows=== While the Kinect unit for the Xbox platform had petered out, the Kinect was being used in academia and other applications since around 2011. The functionality of the unit along with its low {{USD|150}} cost was seen to be an inexpensive means to add depth-sensing to existing applications, offsetting the high cost and unreliability of other 3D camera options at the time. In [[robotics]], Kinect's depth-sensing would enable robots to determine the shape and approximate distances to obstacles and maneuver around them.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/2011/06/mf_kinect/ | title = Kinect Hackers Are Changing the Future of Robotics | issue = 7 | first = Jason | last = Tanz | date = June 28, 2011 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | magazine = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | volume = 19 | archive-date = February 6, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200206080735/https://www.wired.com/2011/06/mf_kinect/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Within the medical field, the Kinect could be used to monitor the shape and posture of a body in a quantifiable manner to enable improved health-care decisions.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Evaluation of Kinect 3D Sensor for Healthcare Imaging | first1 = Stefanie | last1= Pöhlmann | first2 = Elaine | last2= Harkness | first3 = Christopher | last3= Taylor | first4 = Susan | last4 = Astley | journal = [[Journal of Medical and Biological Engineering]] | volume = 36 | issue = 6 | pages = 857–870 | doi = 10.1007/s40846-016-0184-2| pmid = 28111534 | pmc = 5216096 | date = December 9, 2016 }}</ref>
Around November 2010, after the Kinect's launch, scientists, engineers, and hobbyists had been able to [[Security hacker|hack]] into the Kinect to determine what hardware and internal software it had used, leading to users finding how to connect and operate the Kinect with [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[OS X]] over USB, which has unsecured data from the various camera elements that could be read. This further led to prototype demos of other possible applications, such as a gesture-based user interface for the operating system similar to that shown in the film ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]]'', as well as [[pornographic]] applications.<ref name="pcworld hacks"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19762-inside-the-race-to-hack-the-kinect/ | title = Inside the race to hack the Kinect | first = Jim | last = Giles | date = November 23, 2010 | access-date = December 4, 2020 | work = [[New Scientist]] | archive-date = December 3, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201203234340/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19762-inside-the-race-to-hack-the-kinect/ | url-status = live }}</ref> This mirrored similar work to hack the Wii Remote a few years earlier to use its low-cost hardware for more advanced applications beyond gameplay.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Hacking the Nintendo Wii Remote | first= Johnny Chung | last = Lee | journal = IEEE Pervasive Computing| volume = 7 | issue = 3 | doi = 10.1109/MPRV.2008.53 | date = 15 July 2008 | pages= 39–45 | bibcode= 2008IPCom...7c..39L | s2cid= 11121544 }}</ref>
[[Adafruit Industries]], having envisioned some of the possible applications of the Kinect outside of gaming, issued a security challenge related to the Kinect, offering prize money for the successful development of an [[open source]] [[software development kit]] (SDK) and hardware drivers for the Kinect, which came to be known as Open Kinect.<ref>{{cite magazine |url = https://www.wired.com/2010/11/adafruit-offers-1000-bounty-for-open-source-kinect-drivers/ | title = Adafruit Offers $1000 Bounty for Open-Source Kinect Drivers | first = Tom | last =Carmody | date = November 4, 2010 | magazine = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140730190339/https://www.wired.com/2010/11/adafruit-offers-1000-bounty-for-open-source-kinect-drivers/ | archive-date= July 30, 2014 }}</ref> Adafruit named the winner, [[Héctor Martín Cantero|Héctor Martín]], by November 10, 2010,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/11/10/we-have-a-winner-open-kinect-drivers-released-winner-will-use-3k-for-more-hacking-plus-an-additional-2k-goes-to-the-eff/|title=Adafruit Contest Winner Announcement|access-date=November 11, 2010|date=November 10, 2010|archive-date=November 11, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111032105/http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/11/10/we-have-a-winner-open-kinect-drivers-released-winner-will-use-3k-for-more-hacking-plus-an-additional-2k-goes-to-the-eff/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.elpais.com/articulo/tecnologia/gusta/trastear/elpeputec/20101111elpeputec_4/Tes|title=Me gusta trastear|trans-title=I like to tinker|language=es|date=November 11, 2010|access-date=November 15, 2010|newspaper=El País|archive-date=January 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114141650/https://elpais.com/tecnologia/2010/11/11/actualidad/1289469664_850215.html|url-status=live}}</ref> who had produced a [[Linux]] driver that allows the use of both the RGB camera and depth sensitivity functions of the device.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/OpenKinect/libfreenect|title=OpenKinect's libfreenect|website=[[GitHub]]|access-date=November 15, 2010|date=January 16, 2020|archive-date=November 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127161622/https://github.com/OpenKinect/libfreenect/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://hackaday.com/2010/11/11/open-source-kinect-contest-has-been-won|title=Open Source Kinect contest has been won|date=November 11, 2010|access-date=November 11, 2010|publisher=hackaday.com|archive-date=November 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113023900/http://hackaday.com/2010/11/11/open-source-kinect-contest-has-been-won/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was later discovered that [[Johnny Lee (computer scientist)|Johnny Lee]], a core member of Microsoft's Kinect development team, had secretly approached Adafruit with the idea of a driver development contest and had personally financed it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20034579-52.html |title=Kinect developer claims credit for hack bounty idea |first=Daniel |last=Terdiman |publisher=[[cNET.com]] |date=February 21, 2011 |access-date=February 23, 2011 |archive-date=February 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216075707/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20034579-52.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Lee had said of the efforts to open the Kinect that "This is showing us the future...This is happening today, and this is happening tomorrow." and had engaged Adafruit with the contest as he been frustrated with trying to convince Microsoft's executives to explore the non-gaming avenue for the Kinect.<ref name="Ars tech kinect for windows"/>
Microsoft initially took issue with users hacking into the Kinect, stating they would incorporate additional safeguards into future iterations of the unit to prevent such hacks.<ref name="pcworld hacks">{{cite web | url = https://www.pcworld.com/article/210496/kinect_hack_makes_microsoft_angry_deny_its_existence.html | title = Kinect Hack Makes Microsoft Angry, Deny its Existence | first = Matt | last = Peckham | date = November 12, 2010 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[PC World]] | archive-date = August 3, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803005528/https://www.pcworld.com/article/210496/kinect_hack_makes_microsoft_angry_deny_its_existence.html | url-status = live }}</ref> However, by the end of November 2010, Microsoft had turned on their original position and embraced the external efforts to develop the SDK.<ref name="wired kinect hack">{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/2010/11/open-kinect/ | title = How Microsoft Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Open Kinect | first = Tim | last = Carmody | date = November 22, 2011 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | magazine = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | archive-date = August 3, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803031639/https://www.wired.com/2010/11/open-kinect/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Kipman, in an interview with [[NPR]], said {{Cquote|The first thing to talk about is, Kinect was not actually hacked. Hacking would mean that someone got to our algorithms that sit inside of the Xbox and was able to actually use them, which hasn't happened. Or, it means that you put a device between the sensor and the Xbox for means of cheating, which also has not happened. That's what we call hacking, and that's what we have put a ton of work and effort to make sure doesn't actually occur. What has happened is someone wrote an open-source driver for PCs that essentially opens the USB connection, which we didn't protect, by design, and reads the inputs from the sensor. The sensor, again, as I talked earlier, has eyes and ears, and that's a whole bunch of noise that someone needs to take and turn into signal. | author = [[Alex Kipman]] | source = speaking formally on NPR's ''Science Friday''<ref name="NPR">{{cite web|url=http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2010/11/microsoft-kinect-not-hacked-left.html|title=Microsoft: Kinect wasn't hacked, USB port left open 'by design'|date=November 20, 2010|access-date=November 29, 2010|publisher=techflash.com|archive-date=November 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128192202/http://techflash.com/seattle/2010/11/microsoft-kinect-not-hacked-left.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wired kinect hack"/> }}
PrimeSense along with robotics firm [[Willow Garage]] and game developer Side-Kick launched [[OpenNI]], a not-for-profit group to develop portable drivers for the Kinect and other [[Natural user interface|natural interface]] (NI) devices, in November 2010. Its first set of drivers named NITE were released in December 2010.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/programming/kinect-3d-tech-company-primesense-releases-open-source-pc-mac-drivers | title = Kinect 3D Tech Company PrimeSense Releases Open Source PC/Mac Drivers | first = Kyle | last = Orland | date = December 10, 2010 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = August 3, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803082150/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/31977/Kinect_3D_Tech_Company_PrimeSense_Releases_Open_Source_PCMac_Drivers.php | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/10/primesense-releases-open-source-drivers-middleware-for-kinect/ |title=PrimeSense releases open source drivers, middleware for Kinect |date=December 10, 2010 |work=[[Joystiq]] |first=Richard |last=Mitchell |access-date=December 11, 2010 |archive-date=June 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621065559/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/10/primesense-releases-open-source-drivers-middleware-for-kinect/ |url-status=live }}</ref> PrimeSense had also worked with [[Asus]] to develop a motion sensing device that competes with the Kinect for personal computers. The resulting product, the Wavi Xtion, was released in China in October 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110103005276/en/PrimeSense-Teams-ASUS-Bring-Intuitive-PC-Entertainment |title=PrimeSense Teams Up with ASUS to Bring Intuitive PC Entertainment to the Living Room with WAVI Xtion |publisher=[[Business Wire]] |date=January 3, 2011 |access-date=January 3, 2011 |archive-date=January 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106141311/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110103005276/en/PrimeSense-Teams-ASUS-Bring-Intuitive-PC-Entertainment |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Matthews|first1=Lee|title=Asus Wavi Xtion motion controller goes on sale in China next month|url=http://www.geek.com/games/asus-wavi-xtion-motion-controller-goes-on-sale-in-china-next-month-1419031/|publisher=geek.com|access-date=26 February 2015|date=September 7, 2011|archive-date=February 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227021132/http://www.geek.com/games/asus-wavi-xtion-motion-controller-goes-on-sale-in-china-next-month-1419031/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Microsoft announced in February 2011 that it was planning on releasing its own SDK for the Kinect within a few months, and which was officially released on June 16, 2011, but which was limited to non-commercial uses.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pc-kinect-sdk-due-this-spring/1100-6300345/ | title = PC Kinect SDK due this spring | first = Tor | last = Thorson | date = February 22, 2011 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[GameSpot]] | archive-date = August 3, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803025051/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pc-kinect-sdk-due-this-spring/1100-6300345/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/2011/06/microsoft-kinect-hackers/ | title = Microsoft Releases Xbox Kinect SDK, Hackers Get to Work | first = Mike | last = Isaac | date = June 17, 2011 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | magazine = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | archive-date = August 13, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200813003501/https://www.wired.com/2011/06/microsoft-kinect-hackers/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The SDK enabled users to access the skeletal motion recognition system for up to two persons and the Kinect microphone array, features that had not been part of the prior Open Kinect SDK.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/kinect-pc-sdk-to-include-full-skeleton-tracking-directional-microphone-support | title = Kinect PC SDK To Include Full Skeleton Tracking, Directional Microphone Support | first = Kyle | last = Orland | date = April 13, 2011 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = August 3, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803075355/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/124416/Kinect_PC_SDK_To_Include_Full_Skeleton_Tracking_Directional_Microphone_Support.php | url-status = live }}</ref> Commercial interest in Kinect was still strong, with David Dennis, a product manager at Microsoft, stating "There are hundreds of organizations we are working with to help them determine what's possible with the tech".<ref name="fc kinect for windows">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1791947/panasonic-forecasts-record-55-billion-loss-disney-abc-renews-deals-with-amazoncom-and-netfli |title=Microsoft's Commercial Kinect Partners, Panasonic's Record $5.5 Billion Loss, Anonymous Threatens To Expose Mexican Cartel |magazine=Fast Company |date=October 31, 2011 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=January 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103141653/http://www.fastcompany.com/1791947/panasonic-forecasts-record-55-billion-loss-disney-abc-renews-deals-with-amazoncom-and-netfli |url-status=live }}</ref> Microsoft launched its Kinect for Windows program on October 31, 2011, releasing a new SDK to a small number of companies, including [[Toyota]], [[Houghton Mifflin]], and Razorfish, to explore what was possible.<ref name="fc kinect for windows"/> At the 2012 [[Consumer Electronics Show]] in January, Microsoft announced that it would release a dedicated Kinect for Windows unit along with the commercial SDK on February 1, 2012. The device included some hardware improvements, including support for "near mode" to recognize objects about {{convert|50|cm|in}} in front of the cameras. The Kinect for Windows device was listed at {{USD|250}}, {{USD|100}} more than the original Kinect since Microsoft had considered the Xbox 360 Kinect was subsidized through game purchases, Xbox Live subscriptions, and other costs.<ref name="Ars tech kinect for windows">{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/01/microsoft-bets-big-on-kinect-for-windows-but-splits-its-community/ | title = Microsoft bets big on Kinect for Windows, but splits its community | first = Tim | last = Carmody | date = January 11, 2012 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Ars Technica]] | archive-date = August 31, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190831035053/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/01/microsoft-bets-big-on-kinect-for-windows-but-splits-its-community/ | url-status = live }}</ref> At the launch, Microsoft stated that more than 300 companies from over 25 countries were working on Kinect-ready apps with the new unit.<ref>{{cite web |last=Greene |first=Jay |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57369717-75/microsoft-debuts-kinect-for-windows-commercial-sdk/ |title=Microsoft debuts Kinect for Windows, commercial SDK | Microsoft - CNET News |publisher=News.cnet.com |date=February 1, 2012 |access-date=June 15, 2013 |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703070312/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57369717-75/microsoft-debuts-kinect-for-windows-commercial-sdk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
With the original announcement of the revised Kinect for Xbox One in 2013, Microsoft also confirmed it would have a second generation of Kinect for Windows based on the updated Kinect technology by 2014.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/microsoft-next-gen-kinect-sensor-for-windows-launch-in-2014/ | title = Microsoft: next-gen Kinect sensor for Windows to launch in 2014 | first = Sarah | last = Silbert | date = May 23, 2013 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = October 30, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191030135518/https://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/microsoft-next-gen-kinect-sensor-for-windows-launch-in-2014/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The new Kinect 2 for Windows was launched on July 15, 2014, at a {{USD|200}} price.<ref name="arstech k2">{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/06/kinect-v2-comes-to-the-pc-on-july-15-for-199/?comments=1&post=26993743 | title = Kinect v2 comes to the PC on July 15 for $199 | first = Sam | last = Machkovech | date = June 3, 2014 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Ars Technica]] | archive-date = August 2, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200802205321/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/06/kinect-v2-comes-to-the-pc-on-july-15-for-199/?comments=1&post=26993743 | url-status = live }}</ref> Microsoft opted to discontinue the original Kinect for Windows by the end of 2014.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2014/12/31/oroginal-kinect-discontinued/ | title = Wave goodbye to Microsoft's original Kinect for Windows | first = Steve | last = Dent | date = December 31, 2014 | access-date = January 17, 2019 | work = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = February 14, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190214035411/https://www.engadget.com/2014/12/31/oroginal-kinect-discontinued/ | url-status = live }}</ref> However, in April 2015, Microsoft announced they were also discontinuing the Kinect 2 for Windows, and instead directing commercial users to use the Kinect for Xbox One, which Microsoft said "perform identically". Microsoft stated that the demand for the Kinect 2 for Windows demand was high and difficult to keep up while also fulfilling the Kinect for Xbox One orders, and that they had found commercial developers successfully using the Kinect for Xbox One in their applications without issue.<ref name="vb k2 done">{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2015/04/02/microsoft-stops-producing-kinect-for-windows-v2-sensor-will-focus-on-kinect-for-xbox-one-and-windows-apps/ | title = Microsoft stops producing Kinect for Windows v2 sensor, will focus on Kinect for Xbox One and Windows apps | first = Emil | last = Protalinski | date = April 2, 2015 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Venture Beat]] | archive-date = August 4, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200804101647/https://venturebeat.com/2015/04/02/microsoft-stops-producing-kinect-for-windows-v2-sensor-will-focus-on-kinect-for-xbox-one-and-windows-apps/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
With Microsoft's waning focus on Kinect, PrimeSense was bought by [[Apple, Inc.]] in 2013, which incorporated parts of the technology into its [[Face ID]] system for [[iOS]] devices.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2013-11-17-apple-primesense-2.html | title = Report: Apple buys PrimeSense, co-creators of the original Kinect | first = Sean | last = Buckley | date = November 17, 2013 | access-date = November 4, 2020 | work = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = November 12, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201112024018/https://www.engadget.com/2013-11-17-apple-primesense-2.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/kinect-10-years-retrospective-150011349.html | title = Ten years on, Kinect's legacy goes beyond Xbox | first = Daniel | last = Cooper | date = November 4, 2020 | access-date = November 4, 2020 | work = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = November 4, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201104150645/https://www.engadget.com/kinect-10-years-retrospective-150011349.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
Though Kinect had been cancelled, the ideas of it helped to spur Microsoft into looking more into [[accessibility]] for Xbox and its games. According to [[Phil Spencer (business executive)|Phil Spencer]], the head of Xbox at Microsoft, they received positive comments from parents of disabled and impaired children who were happy that Kinect allowed their children to play video games. These efforts led to the development of the [[Xbox Adaptive Controller]], released in 2018, as one of Microsoft's efforts in this area.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.axios.com/xbox-chief-phil-spencer-interview-20-years-f1a13231-b5b5-4a9f-aaa8-41580b5389b2.html | title = Xbox chief Phil Spencer reflects on 20 years of Xbox | first = Stephen | last = Tolito | date = November 16, 2021 | accessdate = November 16, 2021 | work = [[Axios (website)|Axios]] | archive-date = November 15, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211115225654/https://www.axios.com/xbox-chief-phil-spencer-interview-20-years-f1a13231-b5b5-4a9f-aaa8-41580b5389b2.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
===Integrating Kinect with Microsoft Azure=== Microsoft had abandoned the idea of Kinect for video games, but still explored the potential of Kinect beyond that. Microsoft's Director of Communications Greg Sullivan stated in 2018 that "I think one of the things that is beginning to be understood is that Kinect was never really just the gaming peripheral...It was always more."<ref name="gizmodo azure">{{Cite web | url = https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-kinect-refuses-to-die-1825847023 | title = Microsoft Kinect Refuses to Die | first = Alex | last = Cranz | date = May 10, 2018 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Gizmodo]] | archive-date = December 24, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191224063624/https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-kinect-refuses-to-die-1825847023 | url-status = live }}</ref> Part of Kinect technology was integrated into Microsoft's [[HoloLens]], first released in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mcbride|first1=Sarah|title=With HoloLens, Microsoft aims to avoid Google's mistakes|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-microsoft-hololens-idUSKCN0YE1LZ|access-date=May 23, 2016|work=Reuters|date=May 23, 2016|archive-date=May 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524145037/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-microsoft-hololens-idUSKCN0YE1LZ|url-status=live}}</ref>
Microsoft announced that it was working on a new version of a hardware Kinect model for non-game applications that would integrate with their [[Microsoft Azure|Azure]] cloud computing services in May 2018. The use of cloud computing to offload some of the computational work from Kinect, as well as more powerful features enable by Azure such as [[artificial intelligence]] would improve the accuracy of the depth-sensing and reduce the power demand and would lead to more compact units, Microsoft had envisioned.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/7/17318690/microsoft-kinect-cloud-announced-build-2018 | title = Microsoft is moving Kinect to the cloud | first = Shannon | last = Liao | date = May 7, 2018 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[The Verge]] | archive-date = January 13, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200113164022/https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/7/17318690/microsoft-kinect-cloud-announced-build-2018 | url-status = live }}</ref> The Azure Kinect device was released on June 27, 2019, at a price of {{USD|400}}, while the SDK for the unit had been released in February 2019.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-microsofts-azure-kinect-dk/ | title = What is Microsoft's Azure Kinect DK? | first = Steve | last = Ranger | date = February 27, 2019 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[ZDNet]] | archive-date = March 7, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200307144113/https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-microsofts-azure-kinect-dk/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
[[Sky UK]] announced a new line of Sky Glass television units to launch in 2022 that incorporate the Kinect technology in partnership with Microsoft. Using the Kinect features, the viewer will be able to control the television through motion controls and audio commands, and supports social features such as [[social viewing]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/7/22714117/microsoft-kinect-is-back-sky-glass-tv-smart-camera-features | title = Microsoft Kinect is back, thanks to Sky's new all-in-one TVs | first = Tom | last = Warren | date = October 7, 2021 | accessdate = October 7, 2021 | work = [[The Verge]] | archive-date = October 7, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211007110202/https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/7/22714117/microsoft-kinect-is-back-sky-glass-tv-smart-camera-features | url-status = live }}</ref>
Microsoft announced that the Azure Kinect hardware kit would be discontinued in October 2023, and would refer users to third party suppliers for spare parts.<ref name="azure end">{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/21/23840327/microsoft-azure-kinect-developer-kit-discontinued | title=Microsoft kills Kinect again | date=August 21, 2023 }}</ref>
==Technology== === Fundamentals === {{multiple images |align=right |width=250 |image1 = Kinect2-ir-image.png |image2 = Kinect2-deepmap.png |footer = An example [[infrared]] image taken by the Kinect infrared (left), and the same image revisualized into a [[depth map]] using color gradients from white (near) to blue (far) }} The depth and motion sensing technology at the core of the Kinect is enabled through its depth-sensing. The original Kinect for Xbox 360 used [[structured light]] for this: the unit used a near-[[infrared]] pattern projected across the space in front of the Kinect, while an infrared sensor captured the reflected light pattern. The light pattern is deformed by the relative depth of the objects in front it, and mathematics can be used to estimate that depth based on several factors related to the hardware layout of the Kinect. While other structure light depth-sensing technologies used multiple light patterns, Kinect used as few as one as to achieve a high rate of 30 frames per second of depth sensing. Kinect for Xbox One switched over to using [[time of flight]] measurements. The infrared projector on the Kinect sends out modulated infrared light which is then captured by the sensor. Infrared light reflecting off closer objects will have a shorter time of flight than those more distant, so the infrared sensor captures how much the modulation pattern had been deformed from the time of flight, pixel-by-pixel. Time of flight measurements of depth can be more accurate and calculated in a shorter amount of time, allowing for more frames-per-second to be detected.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Kinect Range Sensing: Structured-Light versus Time-of-Flight Kinect | first1 = Hamed | last1 = Sarbolandi | first2 = Damien | last2= Lefloch | first3= Andreas | last3= Kolb | s2cid = 4588438 | journal = Computer Vision and Image Understanding | volume = 139 | pages = 1–20 | date = May 21, 2015 | doi = 10.1016/j.cviu.2015.05.006 | arxiv = 1505.05459 | bibcode = 2015arXiv150505459S }}</ref>
Once Kinect has a pixel-by-pixel depth image, Kinect uses a type of [[edge detection]] here to delineate closer objects from the background of the shot, incorporating input from the regular visible light camera. The unit then attempts to track any moving objects from this, with the assumption that only people will be moving around in the image, and isolates the human shapes from the image. The unit's software, aided by artificial intelligence, performs segmentation of the shapes to try to identify specific body parts, like the head, arms, and hands, and track those segments individually. Those segments are used to construct a 20-point skeleton of the human body, which then can be used by game or other software to determine what actions the person has performed.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.xbox.com/en-US/Live/EngineeringBlog/122910-HowYouBecometheController | title = How You Become the Controller | publisher = [[Microsoft]] | first1 = Ron | last1 = Forbes | first2 = Arjun | last2 = Dayal | date = December 29, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110111115024/https://www.xbox.com/en-US/Live/EngineeringBlog/122910-HowYouBecometheController | archive-date = January 11, 2011 }}</ref>
=== Kinect for Xbox 360 (2010) === [[File:Xbox-360-Kinect-Standalone.png|thumb|Kinect for [[Xbox 360]]. The Xbox 360 E revision has an Xbox logo to the left of the Xbox 360 branding.|alt=]][[File:Xbox-360-E-Inputs-&-Outputs.jpg|thumb|The Xbox 360 S and E models have dedicated ports for Kinect, removing the need for an external power supply.|alt=]]
''Kinect for Xbox 360'' was a combination of [[Microsoft]] built software and hardware. The hardware included a [[range imaging|range chipset]] technology by [[Israel]]i developer [[PrimeSense]], which developed a system consisting of an [[infrared]] projector and camera and a special [[Integrated circuit|microchip]] that generates a grid from which the location of a nearby object in 3 dimensions can be ascertained.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.technologyreview.com/tr50/primesense/|title="MIT" The 50 most innovative companies 2011, MIT technological review|work=MIT Technology Review |access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=February 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226165222/http://www2.technologyreview.com/tr50/primesense/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="VentureBeat">{{citation|last=Takahashi|first=Dean|date=September 5, 2009|title=How many vendors does it take to make Microsoft's Project Natal game control system?|periodical=Venture Beat|url=https://venturebeat.com/2009/09/05/how-many-vendors-does-it-take-to-make-microsofts-project-natal-game-control-system/|access-date=January 8, 2010|archive-date=January 11, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111212542/http://venturebeat.com/2009/09/05/how-many-vendors-does-it-take-to-make-microsofts-project-natal-game-control-system/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MsPress">{{Cite news|last=Press |first=MS |date=March 31, 2010 |title=PrimeSense Supplies 3-D-Sensing Technology to Project Natal for Xbox 360 |periodical=MsPress |page=MsPress |url=http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2010/mar10/03-31PrimeSensePR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press%20Releases |access-date=March 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620012436/http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2010/mar10/03-31PrimeSensePR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press%20Releases |archive-date=June 20, 2010 }}</ref> This [[3D scanner]] system called ''Light Coding''<ref name="PrimeSense">{{cite web |url=http://www.primesense.com/?p=535 |title=© 2010 PrimeSense Ltd. | FAQ |publisher=Primesense.com |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306192321/http://www.primesense.com/?p=535 |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> employs a variant of image-based [[3D reconstruction]].<ref>{{cite web |author=mirror2image |url=http://mirror2image.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/how-kinect-works-stereo-triangulation/ |title=How Kinect depth sensor works – stereo triangulation? |publisher=Mirror2image.wordpress.com |date=November 30, 2010 |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-date=February 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212010820/http://mirror2image.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/how-kinect-works-stereo-triangulation/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Structured pattern">{{cite web |url=http://www.futurepicture.org/?p=116 |title=» Kinect Hacking 103: Looking at Kinect IR Patterns. |publisher=Futurepicture |date=November 17, 2010 |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317164621/http://www.futurepicture.org/?p=116 |archive-date=March 17, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Kinect sensor is a horizontal bar connected to a small base with a motorized pivot and is designed to be positioned lengthwise above or below the video display. The device features an "[[RGB color space|RGB]] camera, [[Structured-light 3D scanner|depth sensor]] and [[microphone array]] running proprietary software",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/natal-recognizes-31-body-parts-uses-tenth-of-xbox-360-5442775|title=Natal Recognizes 31 Body Parts, Uses Tenth of Xbox 360 "Computing Resources"|date=January 7, 2010|access-date=November 25, 2010|publisher=[[Kotaku]], [[Gawker Media]]|first=Stephen|last=Totilo|archive-date=June 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610093101/http://kotaku.com/5442775/natal-recognizes-31-body-parts-uses-tenth-of-xbox-360-computing-resources|url-status=live}}</ref> which provide full-body 3D [[motion capture]], [[three-dimensional face recognition|facial recognition]] and [[Speaker recognition|voice recognition]] capabilities. At launch, voice recognition was only made available in Japan, United Kingdom, Canada and United States. Mainland Europe received the feature later in spring 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://123kinect.com/europe-canada-kinect-voice-spring/ | title = Microsoft: Kinect doesn't listen in mainland Europe till spring | date = September 1, 2010 | access-date = September 1, 2010 | archive-date = November 8, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101108145920/http://123kinect.com/europe-canada-kinect-voice-spring/ | url-status = usurped }}</ref> Currently voice recognition is supported in [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Ireland]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Mexico]], [[New Zealand]], [[United Kingdom]] and [[United States]]. The Kinect sensor's microphone array enables Xbox 360 to conduct [[acoustic source localization]] and [[active noise control|ambient noise suppression]], allowing for things such as headset-free party chat over [[Xbox Live]].<ref name="Natal 101">{{cite web|date=June 1, 2009|title="Project Natal" 101|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/4/A/A4A457B3-DF5D-4BF2-AD4E-963454BA0BCC/ProjectNatalFactSheetMay09.zip|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121223600/http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/4/A/A4A457B3-DF5D-4BF2-AD4E-963454BA0BCC/ProjectNatalFactSheetMay09.zip|archive-date=January 21, 2012|access-date=June 2, 2009|publisher=Microsoft|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
The depth sensor consists of an [[infrared]] [[laser]] projector combined with a monochrome [[Active pixel sensor|CMOS sensor]], which captures video data in 3D under any [[Available light|ambient light]] conditions.<ref name="Natal 101"/><ref name="Totilo" /> The sensing range of the depth sensor is adjustable, and Kinect software is capable of automatically calibrating the sensor based on gameplay and the player's physical environment, accommodating for the presence of furniture or other obstacles.<ref name="Gizmodo E3 2009" />
Described by Microsoft personnel as the primary innovation of Kinect,<ref name="Shane Kim VB">{{cite web |first=Dean |last=Takahashi |title=Microsoft games exec details how Project Natal was born |url=https://venturebeat.com/2009/06/02/microsoft-games-executive-describes-origins-of-project-natal-game-controls/ |work=VentureBeat |date=June 2, 2009 |access-date=June 6, 2009 |quote=The companies are doing a lot of great work with the cameras. But the magic is in the software. It’s a combination of partners and our own software. |archive-date=June 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606054228/http://venturebeat.com/2009/06/02/microsoft-games-executive-describes-origins-of-project-natal-game-controls/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Eurogamer quotes">{{cite web |first=Tom |last=Bramwell |title=E3: MS execs: Natal not derived from 3DV |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/e3-natal-not-derived-from-3dv |work=Eurogamer |publisher=Eurogamer Network |date=June 3, 2009 |access-date=June 5, 2009 |archive-date=June 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606075425/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/e3-natal-not-derived-from-3dv |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Johnny Lee">{{cite web |first=Johnny |last=Lee |author-link=Johnny Lee (computer scientist) |title=Project Natal |url=https://procrastineering.blogspot.com/2009/06/project-natal.html |work=Procrastineering |date=June 1, 2009 |access-date=June 6, 2009 |archive-date=June 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611193727/http://procrastineering.blogspot.com/2009/06/project-natal.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the software technology enables advanced [[gesture recognition]], facial recognition and voice recognition.<ref name="Phil Spencer ST">{{cite news |first=Brier |last=Dudley |title=E3: New info on Microsoft's Natal -- how it works, multiplayer and PC versions |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/technologybrierdudleysblog/2009296568_e3_new_info_on_microsofts_nata.html |work=Brier Dudley's Blog |publisher=The Seattle Times |date=June 3, 2009 |access-date=June 3, 2009 |quote=We actually built a software platform that was what we wanted to have as content creators. And then [asked], 'OK, are there hardware solutions out there that plug in?' But the amount of software and the quality of software are really the innovation in Natal. |archive-date=June 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611150210/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/technologybrierdudleysblog/2009296568_e3_new_info_on_microsofts_nata.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to information supplied to retailers, Kinect is capable of simultaneously tracking up to six people, including two active players for [[motion analysis]] with a [[feature extraction]] of 20 joints per player.<ref name="Play.com page" /> However, PrimeSense has stated that the number of people the device can "see" (but not process as players) is only limited by how many will fit in the field-of-view of the camera.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/19/kinect-how-it-works-from-the-company-behind-the-tech/|title=Kinect: The company behind the tech explains how it works|date=June 19, 2010|access-date=March 21, 2011|publisher=Joystiq|archive-date=February 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226021119/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/19/kinect-how-it-works-from-the-company-behind-the-tech/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Reverse engineering<ref name="OpenKinect">{{cite web |url=http://openkinect.org/wiki/Protocol_Documentation#Control_Commands;a=summary |title=OpenKinect Protocol Documentation |access-date=January 10, 2013 |archive-date=March 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315144958/http://openkinect.org/wiki/Protocol_Documentation#Control_Commands;a=summary |url-status=live }}</ref> has determined that the Kinect's various sensors output video at a [[frame rate]] of ≈9 [[hertz|Hz]] to 30 [[hertz|Hz]] depending on resolution. The default RGB video stream uses 8-bit VGA resolution (640 × 480 [[pixel]]s) with a [[Bayer filter|Bayer color filter]], but the hardware is capable of resolutions up to 1280x1024 (at a lower frame rate) and other colour formats such as [[YUV|UYVY]]. The monochrome depth sensing video stream is in VGA resolution (640 × 480 pixels) with [[color depth|11-bit depth]], which provides 2,048 levels of sensitivity. The Kinect can also stream the view from its IR camera directly (i.e.: before it has been converted into a depth map) as 640x480 video, or 1280x1024 at a lower frame rate. The Kinect sensor has a practical [[ranging]] limit of {{convert|1.2|-|3.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} distance when used with the Xbox software. The area required to play Kinect is roughly 6 m<sup>2</sup>, although the sensor can maintain tracking through an extended range of approximately {{convert|0.7|-|6|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The sensor has an [[angle of view|angular field of view]] of 57[[degree (angle)|°]] horizontally and 43° vertically, while the motorized pivot is capable of [[tilt (camera)|tilting]] the sensor up to 27° either up or down. The horizontal field of the Kinect sensor at the minimum viewing distance of ≈{{convert|0.8|m|ft|abbr=on}} is therefore ≈{{convert|87|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and the vertical field is ≈{{convert|63|cm|in|abbr=on}}, resulting in a resolution of just over {{convert|1.3|mm|in|abbr=on}} per pixel. The microphone array features four microphone capsules<ref name="Microsoft store">{{cite web|url=http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Kinect-Sensor-for-Xbox-360/product/C737B081 |title=Kinect for Xbox 360 |work=Microsoft Store |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=July 7, 2010 |quote=Array of 4 microphones supporting single speaker voice recognition |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618035006/http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Kinect-Sensor-for-Xbox-360/product/C737B081 |archive-date=June 18, 2010 }}</ref> and operates with each channel processing 16-[[audio bit depth|bit]] audio at a [[sampling rate]] of 16 [[kilohertz|kHz]].<ref name="Play.com page">{{cite web |url=http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/10296372/Project-Natal/Product.html#jump-tech |title=Play.com (UK) : Kinect : Xbox 360 - Free Delivery |publisher=Play.com |access-date=July 2, 2010 |quote=This information is based on specifications supplied by manufacturers and should be used for guidance only. |archive-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325202847/http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/10296372/Project-Natal/Product.html#jump-tech |url-status=live }}</ref>
Because the Kinect sensor's motorized tilt mechanism requires more power than the Xbox 360's [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] ports can supply,<ref name="leadedmanual">{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/project-natal--its-instruction-manual-in-the-wild-5520812|title=Project Natal & Its Instruction Manual(!) In The Wild|website=Kotaku|date=April 20, 2010|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=May 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527034254/http://kotaku.com/5520812/project-natal--its-instruction-manual-in-the-wild|url-status=live}}</ref> the device makes use of a proprietary connector combining USB communication with additional power. Redesigned [[Xbox 360 S]] models include a special AUX port for accommodating the connector,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/14/original-xbox-360-requires-separate-power-for-kinect|title=Original Xbox 360 requires separate power connection for Kinect|publisher=Joystiq|date=June 14, 2010|access-date=June 14, 2010|archive-date=June 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616171840/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/14/original-xbox-360-requires-separate-power-for-kinect/|url-status=live}}</ref> while older models require a special power supply cable (included with the sensor)<ref name="Microsoft store" /> that splits the connection into separate USB and power connections; power is supplied from the [[mains electricity|mains]] by way of an AC adapter.<ref name="leadedmanual"/>
=== Kinect for Windows (2012) === Kinect for Windows is a modified version of the Xbox 360 unit which was first released on February 1, 2012, alongside the SDK for commercial use.<ref name="Ars tech kinect for windows"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/kinectforwindows/2012/01/09/starting-february-1-2012-use-the-power-of-kinect-for-windows-to-change-the-world/|title=Starting February 1, 2012: Use the Power of Kinect for Windows to Change the World|access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=February 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210045405/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/kinectforwindows/2012/01/09/starting-february-1-2012-use-the-power-of-kinect-for-windows-to-change-the-world/|url-status=live}}</ref> The hardware included better components to eliminate noise along the USB and other cabling paths, and improvements in the depth-sensing camera system for detection of objects at close range, as close as {{convert|50|cm|in}}, in the new "Near Mode".<ref name="Ars tech kinect for windows"/>
The SDK included [[Windows 7]] compatible [[Personal computer|PC]] drivers for Kinect device. It provided Kinect capabilities to developers to build applications with [[C++]], [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]], or [[Visual Basic]] by using [[Microsoft Visual Studio 2010]] and included the following features:
# Raw sensor streams: Access to low-level streams from the depth sensor, color camera sensor, and four-element microphone array. # Skeletal tracking: The capability to track the skeleton image of one or two people moving within Kinect's field of view for gesture-driven applications. # Advanced audio capabilities: Audio processing capabilities include sophisticated [[acoustic noise]] suppression and [[echo cancellation]], beam formation to identify the current sound source, and integration with [[Windows speech recognition]] API. # Sample code and Documentation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/kinectsdk/about.aspx |title=About the Kinect for Windows SDK - Microsoft Research |access-date=October 19, 2011 |archive-date=October 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020052528/http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/kinectsdk/about.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
In March 2012, Craig Eisler, the general manager of Kinect for Windows, said that almost 350 companies are working with Microsoft on custom Kinect applications for Microsoft Windows.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-08/can-kinect-make-windows-cool-again |title=Can Kinect Make Windows Cool Again? |magazine=Businessweek |date=March 8, 2012 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312060842/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-08/can-kinect-make-windows-cool-again |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In March 2012, Microsoft announced that next version of Kinect for Windows SDK would be available in May 2012. Kinect for Windows 1.5 was released on May 21, 2012. It adds new features, support for many new languages and debut in 19 more countries.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402241,00.asp | work=PC Magazine | first=Chloe | last=Albanesius | title=Kinect for Windows 1.5 Coming in May | date=March 27, 2012 | access-date=September 2, 2017 | archive-date=October 8, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008152504/https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402241,00.asp | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404694,00.asp | work=PC Magazine | first=Chloe | last=Albanesius | title=Kinect for Windows 1.5 Released With Facial, Skeletal Tracking | date=May 21, 2012 | access-date=September 2, 2017 | archive-date=August 12, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812172300/https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404694,00.asp | url-status=live }}</ref>
# Kinect for Windows 1.5 SDK would include 'Kinect Studio' a new app that allows developers to record, playback, and debug clips of users interacting with applications.<ref>{{cite web |author=Tom Warren |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/3/27/2906181/kinect-studio-kinect-for-windows-1-5-sdk |title=Kinect for Windows 1.5 will feature '10-joint' skeletal tracking and four new speech recognition languages |website=The Verge |date=March 27, 2012 |access-date=June 15, 2013 |archive-date=May 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516022703/http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/27/2906181/kinect-studio-kinect-for-windows-1-5-sdk |url-status=live }}</ref> # Support for new "seated" or "10-joint" skeletal system that will let apps track the head, neck, and arms of a Kinect user—whether they're sitting down or standing; which would work in default and near mode. # Support for four new languages for speech recognition – French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. Additionally it would add support for regional dialects of these languages along with English.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gorman |first=Michael |url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/03/27/kinect-for-windows-version-1-5-to-be-released-in-may/ |title=Kinect for Windows version 1.5 to be released in May |publisher=Engadget.com |date=March 27, 2012 |access-date=June 15, 2013 |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531094246/http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/27/kinect-for-windows-version-1-5-to-be-released-in-may/ |url-status=live }}</ref> # It would be available in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan in May and Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates in June.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2012/03/26/what-s-ahead-a-sneak-peek.aspx |title=What's Ahead: A Sneak Peek - Kinect for Windows Product Blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs |publisher=Blogs.msdn.com |date=March 26, 2012 |access-date=June 15, 2013 |archive-date=April 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429150050/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2012/03/26/what-s-ahead-a-sneak-peek.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
Kinect for Windows SDK for the first-generation sensor was updated a few more times, with version 1.6 released October 8, 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2012/10/08/kinect-for-windows-releases-sdk-update-and-launches-in-china.aspx|title=Kinect for Windows releases SDK update and launches in China|access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203132532/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2012/10/08/kinect-for-windows-releases-sdk-update-and-launches-in-china.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> version 1.7 released March 18, 2013,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2013/03/18/the-latest-kinect-for-windows-sdk-is-here.aspx|title=The latest Kinect for Windows SDK is here|access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203124444/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2013/03/18/the-latest-kinect-for-windows-sdk-is-here.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> and version 1.8 released September 17, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2013/09/17/updated-sdk-with-html5-kinect-fusion-improvements-and-more.aspx|title=Updated SDK, with HTML5, Kinect Fusion improvements, and more|access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=November 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124131237/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2013/09/17/updated-sdk-with-html5-kinect-fusion-improvements-and-more.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Kinect for Xbox One (2013) === An upgraded iteration of Kinect was released on November 22, 2013, for [[Xbox One]]. It uses a wide-angle [[time-of-flight camera]], and processes 2 gigabits of data per second to read its environment. The new Kinect has greater accuracy with three times the fidelity over its predecessor and can track without visible light by using an active [[Infrared|IR]] sensor. It has a 60% wider field of vision with a minimum working distance of {{convert|0.91|m|ft}} away from the sensor, compared to {{convert|1.83|m|ft}} for the original Kinect,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yam |first1=Marcus |title=Xbox One Review: Unifying Your Living Room Experience |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/microsoft-xbox-one-console-review,3681-6.html |website=Tom's Hardware |access-date=21 March 2024 |language=en |date=20 November 2013}}</ref> and can track up to 6 skeletons at once. It can also detect a player's [[heart rate]], facial expression, the position and orientation of 25 individual joints (including thumbs), the weight put on each limb, speed of player movements, and track gestures performed with a standard controller. The color camera captures 1080p video that can be displayed in the same resolution as the viewing screen, allowing for a broad range of scenarios. In addition to improving video communications and video analytics applications, this provides a stable input on which to build interactive applications. Kinect's microphone is used to provide voice commands for actions such as navigation, starting games, and waking the console from [[sleep mode]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/microsofts-new-kinect-is-official/|title=Microsoft's new Kinect is official: larger field of view, HD camera, wake with voice|date=May 21, 2013 |access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=June 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607192016/http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/microsofts-new-kinect-is-official/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=XboxOneKinectListeningMay2013Polygon>{{cite news |title=Kinect is always listening on Xbox One, but privacy is a 'top priority' for Microsoft |author=Dave Tach |work=Polygon |url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/21/4353580/kinect-always-listening-on-xbox-one-privacy-is-a-top-priority |date=May 21, 2013 |access-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-date=June 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607181357/http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/21/4353580/kinect-always-listening-on-xbox-one-privacy-is-a-top-priority |url-status=live }}</ref> The recommended player's height is at least 40 inches, which roughly corresponds to children of {{frac|4|1|2}} years old and up.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/The-Kid-Friendly-Guide-to-Kinect|title=The Kid-Friendly Guide to Kinect|website=Channel 9|language=en|access-date=2018-11-13|archive-date=November 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113165643/https://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/The-Kid-Friendly-Guide-to-Kinect|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40097124/ns/technology_and_science-digital_home/t/kinect-your-kids-what-works-what-wont/|title=Kinect and your kids: What works, what won't|date=2010-11-10|work=msnbc.com|access-date=2018-11-13|language=en|archive-date=November 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115215104/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40097124/ns/technology_and_science-digital_home/t/kinect-your-kids-what-works-what-wont/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
All Xbox One consoles were initially shipped with Kinect included.<ref name="ext-onekinect" /> In June 2014, bundles without Kinect were made available,<ref name="polygon kinectless">{{cite web | url = http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/13/5713874/more-powerful-xbox-one-kinect | title = Microsoft: Dropping Kinect could free up extra processing power in Xbox One | first = Brian | last = Crecente | date = 2014-05-09 | access-date = 2014-05-09 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = December 15, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141215221653/http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/13/5713874/more-powerful-xbox-one-kinect | url-status = live }}</ref> along with an updated Xbox One SDK allowing game developers to explicitly disable Kinect skeletal tracking, freeing up system resources that were previously reserved for Kinect even if it was disabled or unplugged.<ref name="polygon kinectless"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Thurrott|first1=Paul|title=Explaining the Performance Improvements in the June Xbox One XDK Update|url=http://winsupersite.com/xbox-one/explaining-performance-improvements-june-xbox-one-xdk-update|website=Supersite for Windows|publisher=Penton|access-date=1 July 2014|archive-date=December 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204164022/http://winsupersite.com/xbox-one/explaining-performance-improvements-june-xbox-one-xdk-update|url-status=live}}</ref> As interest in Kinect waned in 2014, later revisions of the Xbox One hardware, including the [[Xbox One S]] and [[Xbox One X]], dropped the dedicated Kinect port, requiring users to purchase a USB 3.0 and AC adapter to use the Kinect for Xbox One.<ref name="polygon-nomoresensor">{{cite web|title=Microsoft ends free Kinect adapter promotion for Xbox One S owners|url=http://www.polygon.com/2017/4/5/15192792/xbox-one-s-kinect-adapter-free-microsoft|website=Polygon|publisher=Vox Media|access-date=April 5, 2017|date=April 5, 2017|archive-date=April 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405195656/http://www.polygon.com/2017/4/5/15192792/xbox-one-s-kinect-adapter-free-microsoft|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/2/16842072/xbox-one-kinect-adapter-out-of-stock-production-ended|title=Microsoft discontinues Xbox One Kinect adapter|last=Sarkar|first=Samit|date=January 2, 2018|website=Polygon|access-date=January 2, 2018|archive-date=January 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103024326/https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/2/16842072/xbox-one-kinect-adapter-out-of-stock-production-ended|url-status=live}}</ref>
A standalone Kinect for Xbox One, bundled with a digital copy of ''[[Dance Central Spotlight]]'', was released on October 7, 2014.<ref name=gamespot-kinectstandalone>{{cite web|title=Standalone Xbox One Kinect Launching October 7 for $150 With Dance Central|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/standalone-xbox-one-kinect-launching-october-7-for/1100-6421947/|website=GameSpot|access-date=16 December 2014|archive-date=December 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213012759/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/standalone-xbox-one-kinect-launching-october-7-for/1100-6421947/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Considered a market failure compared to the Kinect for Xbox 360, the Kinect for Xbox One product was discontinued by October 25, 2017. Production of the adapter cord also ended by January 2018.<ref name="eg kinect eol">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-25-kinect-officially-dead | title = Kinect officially dead | first = Wesley | last = Yin-Poole | date = October 25, 2017 | access-date = October 25, 2017 | work = [[Eurogamer]] | archive-date = October 25, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171025133124/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-25-kinect-officially-dead | url-status = live }}</ref>
===Kinect 2 for Windows (2014)=== Released on 15 July 2014, Kinect 2 for Windows is based on the Kinect for Xbox One and considered a replacement of the original Kinect for Windows. It was also repackaged as "Kinect for Windows v2". It is nearly identical besides the removal of Xbox branding, and included a USB 3.0/AC adapter. It released alongside version 2.0 of the Windows SDK for the platform. The MSRP was {{USD|199}}.<ref name="arstech k2"/><ref name="360discontinuation"/><ref name="Windows v2 release"/><ref name="vb k2 done"/> Microsoft considers the Kinect 2 for Windows equivalent in performance to the Xbox One version.
In April 2015, having difficulty in keeping up manufacturing demand for the Kinect for Xbox One, this edition was discontinued. Microsoft directed commercial users to use the Xbox One version with a USB adapter instead.<ref name="vb k2 done"/><ref name="Eurogamer.net">{{Cite news|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-28-this-is-microsofts-kinect-for-windows-v2-sensor|title=Microsoft has a Kinect for Windows v2 sensor|work=Eurogamer.net|access-date=2018-05-08|language=en|archive-date=May 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508123046/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-28-this-is-microsofts-kinect-for-windows-v2-sensor|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="360discontinuation"/><ref name="Windows v2 release">{{Cite web |url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/kinectforwindows/2014/07/15/the-kinect-for-windows-v2-sensor-and-free-sdk-2-0-public-preview-are-here/ |title=The Kinect for Windows v2 sensor and free SDK 2.0 public preview are here |date=15 July 2014 |website=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=2018-03-12 |archive-date=March 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313031651/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/kinectforwindows/2014/07/15/the-kinect-for-windows-v2-sensor-and-free-sdk-2-0-public-preview-are-here/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/04/02/microsoft-stops-producing-kinect-for-windows-v2-sensor-will-focus-on-kinect-for-xbox-one-and-windows-apps/|title=Microsoft stops producing Kinect for Windows v2 sensor, will focus on Kinect for Xbox One and Windows apps|date=2015-04-02|work=VentureBeat|access-date=2018-05-08|language=en-US|archive-date=May 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508121829/https://venturebeat.com/2015/04/02/microsoft-stops-producing-kinect-for-windows-v2-sensor-will-focus-on-kinect-for-xbox-one-and-windows-apps/|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Azure Kinect (2019) === {{Main|Azure Kinect}}
On May 7, 2018, Microsoft announced a new iteration of Kinect technology designed primarily for enterprise software and [[artificial intelligence]] usage. It is designed around the [[Microsoft Azure]] cloud platform, and is meant to "leverage the richness of Azure AI to dramatically improve insights and operations".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/kinect-gets-another-shot-at-microsoft-build/|title=Kinect gets another shot at Microsoft Build|date=2018-05-07|work=CNET|access-date=2018-05-08|language=en|archive-date=May 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507175942/https://www.cnet.com/news/kinect-gets-another-shot-at-microsoft-build/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/7/17318690/microsoft-kinect-cloud-announced-build-2018|title=Microsoft is moving Kinect to the cloud|work=The Verge|access-date=2018-05-08|archive-date=May 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508034249/https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/7/17318690/microsoft-kinect-cloud-announced-build-2018|url-status=live}}</ref> It has a smaller form factor than the Xbox iterations of Kinect, and features a 12-megapixel camera, a time-of-flight depth sensor also used on the [[HoloLens 2]], and seven microphones. A development kit was announced in February 2019.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/24/18237244/microsoft-azure-kinect-developer-kit-price-release-date-mwc-2019 | title = Microsoft shrinks Kinect into a $399 cloud-powered PC peripheral | first = Tom | last = Warren | date = February 24, 2019 | access-date = February 24, 2019 | work = [[The Verge]] | archive-date = February 24, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190224173104/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/24/18237244/microsoft-azure-kinect-developer-kit-price-release-date-mwc-2019 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/25/18239860/microsoft-kinect-azure-dk-hands-on-mwc-2019|title=A closer look at Microsoft's new Kinect sensor|last=Warren|first=Tom|date=2019-02-25|website=The Verge|access-date=2019-02-26|archive-date=February 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226125730/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/25/18239860/microsoft-kinect-azure-dk-hands-on-mwc-2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The kit was discontinued in October 2023.<ref name="azure end" />
== Software == ===Kinect-enabled features on the Xbox operating system=== Requiring at least 190 MB of available storage space,<ref name="mainsite">{{cite web|url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/kinect |title=Xbox.com: Kinect |work=Xbox.com |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=September 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100912154547/http://www.xbox.com/en-us/kinect |archive-date=September 12, 2010 }}</ref> Kinect system software allows users to operate [[Xbox 360 system software|Xbox 360 Dashboard console user interface]] through voice commands and hand gestures. Techniques such as voice recognition and facial recognition are employed to automatically identify users. Among the applications for Kinect is Video Kinect, which enables [[voice chat]] or [[video chat]] with other Xbox 360 users or users of [[Windows Live Messenger]]. The application can use Kinect's tracking functionality and Kinect sensor's motorized pivot to keep users in frame even as they move around. Other applications with Kinect support include [[ESPN]], [[Zune Marketplace]],<ref name="mainsite"/> [[Netflix]], [[Hulu Plus]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2011/01/05/netflix-and-hulu-plus-with-kinect-coming-this-spring/ |title=Netflix and Hulu Plus with Kinect coming this spring to Xbox 360 |publisher=Engadget |date=January 5, 2011 |access-date=October 19, 2011 |archive-date=September 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924173631/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/05/netflix-and-hulu-plus-with-kinect-coming-this-spring/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Last.fm]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Blake |last=Robinson |url=http://mashable.com/2010/11/04/last-fm-kinect/ |title=Last.fm Gesture Controls for Xbox Kinect |publisher=Mashable.com |date=November 4, 2010 |access-date=October 19, 2011 |archive-date=October 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014033337/http://mashable.com/2010/11/04/last-fm-kinect/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Microsoft later confirmed that all forthcoming applications would be required to have Kinect functionality for certification.<ref>{{cite web |first=Evan |last=Narcisse |url=https://kotaku.com/wave-hello-microsoft-s-requiring-kinect-functionality-5866279 |title=Wave Hello: Microsoft's Requiring Kinect Functionality for All Future Apps Built for Xbox 360 |publisher=Kotaku.com |date=December 8, 2011 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=March 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315040112/http://kotaku.com/5866279/wave-hello-microsofts-requiring-kinect-functionality-for-all-future-apps-built-for-xbox-360 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Xbox One originally shipped in bundles with the Kinect; the original [[Xbox One system software|Xbox One user interface software]] had similar support for Kinect features as the Xbox 360 software, such as voice commands, user identification via skeletal or vocal recognition, and gesture-driven commands, though these features could be fully disabled due to privacy concerns.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/11/hands-on-with-the-xbox-one-kinect-interface-and-os-impressions/ | title = Hands-on with the Xbox One: Kinect, interface, and OS impressions | first = Kyle | last = Orland | date = November 8, 2013 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Ars Technica]] | archive-date = August 3, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803084919/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/11/hands-on-with-the-xbox-one-kinect-interface-and-os-impressions/ | url-status = live }}</ref> However, this had left the more traditional navigation using a controller haphazard. In May 2014, when Microsoft announced it would be releasing Xbox One systems without a Kinect, the company also announced plans to alter the Xbox One system software to remove Kinect features.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2014/05/13/xbox-one-price-interview/ | title = The Xbox One price drop isn't just to boost sales, says Microsoft | first = Ben | last = Gilbert | date = May 13, 2014 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = February 9, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190209053019/https://www.engadget.com/2014/05/13/xbox-one-price-interview/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Kinect support in the software was fully removed by November 2015.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/another-nail-in-kinects-coffin-xbox-one-update-removes-gesture-tracking/ | title = Another Nail in Kinect's Coffin: Xbox One Update Removes Gesture Tracking | first = Emanual | last = Maiberg | date = November 10, 2015 | access-date = January 17, 2020 | work = [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] | archive-date = February 11, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200211221508/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kb7qem/another-nail-in-kinects-coffin-xbox-one-update-removes-gesture-tracking | url-status = live }}</ref>
===Video games=== {{See also|List of Xbox 360 games|List of Xbox One games}} Xbox 360 games that require Kinect are packaged in special purple cases (as opposed to the green cases used by all other Xbox 360 games), and contain a prominent "Requires Kinect Sensor" logo on their front cover. Games that include features utilizing Kinect, but do not require it for standard gameplay, have "Better with Kinect Sensor" branding on their front covers.<ref name="BoxDesign">{{cite web |url=http://www.totalvideogames.com/Xbox-360/news/Some-Games-Are-Better-With-Kinect-Others-Require-It-15441.html |title=Some Games Are "Better With Kinect", Others "Require" It News |first=Gwynne |last=Dixon |date=July 6, 2010 |publisher=TotalVideoGames |access-date=July 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709074734/http://www.totalvideogames.com/Xbox-360/news/Some-Games-Are-Better-With-Kinect-Others-Require-It-15441.html |archive-date=July 9, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Kinect launched on November 4, 2010, with 17 titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/microsoft-reveals-kinect-launch-games/|title=Microsoft reveals Kinect launch games|work=digitaltrends.com|date=October 19, 2010|access-date=December 9, 2010|first=Jeffrey|last=Van Camp|archive-date=March 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314022243/http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/microsoft-reveals-kinect-launch-games/|url-status=live}}</ref> Third-party publishers of available and announced Kinect games include, among others, [[Ubisoft]], [[Electronic Arts]], [[LucasArts]], [[THQ]], [[Activision]], [[Konami]], [[Sega]], [[Capcom]], [[Namco Bandai]] and [[MTV Games]]. Along with retail games, there are also select [[Xbox Live Arcade]] titles which require the peripheral.
=== KinectShare.com === KinectShare.com was a website where players could upload video game pictures, videos, and achievements, from their Xbox 360.<ref name="kinectshare">{{Cite web |title=KinectShare |url=https://kinectshare.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224132525/https://kinectshare.com/ |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |access-date=December 24, 2024 |website=KinectShare.com}}</ref> It was released alongside the Kinect in November 2010. A blog was released on the website in October 2011, showcasing official Kinect news, which was discontinued after July 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 26, 2012 |title=KinectShare Blog |url=http://blog.kinectshare.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305180359/http://blog.kinectshare.com/ |archive-date=March 5, 2014 |access-date=December 24, 2024 |website=blog.kinectshare.com}}</ref> It was used by multiple Kinect games, including ''[[Dance Central 2]]'', ''Kinect Adventures!'', ''Kinect Fun Labs'', [[Rush: A Disney–Pixar Adventure|''Kinect'' ''Rush: A Disney–Pixar Adventure'']], ''[[Kinect Sports]]'', and ''[[Kinect Sports: Season Two]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Martin |date=June 6, 2011 |title=Kinect Fun Labs unveiled |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/kinect-fun-labs-unveiled |access-date=December 24, 2024 |website=[[Eurogamer]] |language=en}}</ref> The website was shut down in June 2017, a few months prior to the discontinuation of the Kinect, redirecting to Xbox.com.<ref name="kinectshare" /> The KinectShare feature on the Xbox 360 was shut down on July 28, 2017.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}
=== Kinect Fun Labs === {{Main article|Kinect Fun Labs}} At [[E3 2011]], Microsoft announced ''Kinect Fun Labs'': a collection of various gadgets and minigames that are accessible from Xbox 360 Dashboard. These gadgets includes ''Build A Buddy'', ''Air Band'', ''Kinect Googly Eyes'', ''Kinect Me'', ''Bobblehead'', ''Kinect Sparkler'', ''Junk Fu''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://electronictheatre.co.uk/xbox360/xbox360-news/16269/free-kinect-videogame-junk-fu |title=Free Kinect Videogame Junk Fu Now Available |work=Electronic Theatre |date=February 20, 2012 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223213135/http://electronictheatre.co.uk/xbox360/xbox360-news/16269/free-kinect-videogame-junk-fu |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''Avatar Kinect''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nosowitz |first=Dan |url=http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2011-06/microsoft-gifts-kinect-app-store-and-voice-controlled-live-tv |title=Microsoft Gives the Kinect an App Store and Voice-Controlled Live TV | Popular Science |work=Popular Science |date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=Popsci.com |access-date=October 19, 2011 |archive-date=September 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911163828/http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2011-06/microsoft-gifts-kinect-app-store-and-voice-controlled-live-tv |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=June 6, 2011 |title=Kinect Fun Labs - Xbox.com |url=http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Kinect-Fun-Labs/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258480811 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026034549/http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Kinect-Fun-Labs/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258480811 |archive-date=October 26, 2011 |access-date=October 19, 2011 |website=marketplace.xbox.com |publisher=[[Xbox]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Terrones |first=Terry |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/222458/review-kinect-fun-labs-360/ |title=Kinect Fun Labs Review from |magazine=GamePro |date=August 29, 2011 |access-date=October 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202210453/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/222458/review-kinect-fun-labs-360/|url-status=dead |archive-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref>
=== Non-video game uses of Kinect=== [[File:Wearable electronics Maker Faire 2011.jpg|thumb|A demonstration of a third-party use of Kinect at [[Maker Faire]]. The visualization on the left, provided through Kinect, is of a user with a jacket featuring wearable electronic controls for [[VJing]].]]
Numerous developers are researching possible applications of Kinect that go beyond the system's intended purpose of playing games, further enabled by the release of the Kinect SDK by Microsoft.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Microsoft Kinect Sensor and Its Effect | first = Zhengyou | last = Zhang | date = April 27, 2012 | journal = IEEE MultiMedia | volume = 19 | issue = 2 | pages = 4–10 | doi = 10.1109/MMUL.2012.24 | bibcode = 2012IEEEM..19b...4Z | s2cid = 8629444 }}</ref>
For example, Philipp Robbel of [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] combined Kinect with [[iRobot Create]] to map a room in 3D and have the robot respond to human gestures,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/technology/22hack.html?_r=1 |title=With Kinect Controller, Hackers Take Liberties |first=Jenna |last=Wortham |date=November 21, 2010 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 25, 2010 |archive-date=September 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906163539/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/technology/22hack.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> while an MIT Media Lab team is working on a JavaScript extension for [[Google Chrome]] called depthJS that allows users to control the browser with hand gestures.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://github.com/doug/depthjs | title = depthJS | publisher = GitHub | author = Doug | date = December 30, 2019 | access-date = March 9, 2011 | archive-date = May 3, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110503205540/https://github.com/doug/depthjs | url-status = live }}</ref> Other programmers, including Robot Locomotion Group at MIT, are using the drivers to develop a motion-controller user interface similar to the one envisioned in ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2010/12/09/kinect-finally-fulfills-its-minority-report-destiny-video/ | title = Kinect finally fulfills its Minority Report destiny (video) | first = Vlad | last = Savov | date = December 9, 2010 | access-date = December 9, 2010 | publisher = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = December 10, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101210044610/http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/09/kinect-finally-fulfills-its-minority-report-destiny-video/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The developers of [[Mobile Robot Programming Toolkit|MRPT]] have integrated open source drivers into their libraries and provided examples of live 3D rendering and basic 3D visual [[Simultaneous localization and mapping|SLAM]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mrpt.org/Kinect_and_MRPT |title=Kinect and MRPT | The Mobile Robot Programming Toolkit |publisher=Mrpt.org |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-date=December 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213232222/http://www.mrpt.org/Kinect_and_MRPT |url-status=live }}</ref> Another team has shown an application that allows Kinect users to play a virtual piano by tapping their fingers on an empty desk.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kinectaku.com/news/2010/12/become_tom_hanks_in_big_with_kinects_giant_piano_hack |title=Become Tom Hanks in Big with Kinect's Giant Piano Hack |first=James |last=Newton |date=December 6, 2010 |work=KINECTaku.com |access-date=December 6, 2010 |archive-date=December 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208211625/http://www.kinectaku.com/news/2010/12/become_tom_hanks_in_big_with_kinects_giant_piano_hack |url-status=live }}</ref> Oliver Kreylos, a researcher at [[University of California, Davis]], adopted the technology to improve live 3-dimensional [[videoconference|videoconferencing]], which [[NASA]] has shown interest in.<ref>{{cite news|title=Microsoft's Xbox Kinect beyond hackers, hobbyists|first=Casey|last=Newton|date=January 10, 2011|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/microsoft-s-xbox-kinect-beyond-hackers-hobbyists-2462208.php|access-date=January 10, 2011|archive-date=January 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110225638/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F01%2F09%2FBUO01H4ISI.DTL#ixzz1Ag01V1V9|url-status=live}}</ref>
Alexandre Alahi from [[École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne|EPFL]] presented a video surveillance system that combines multiple Kinect devices to track groups of people even in complete darkness.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://actu.epfl.ch/news/connecting-kinects-for-group-surveillance/ |title=Connecting Kinects for Group Surveillance |first=Didier |last=Bonvin |access-date=December 26, 2010 |date=January 17, 2020 |archive-date=December 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223053718/http://actu.epfl.ch/news/connecting-kinects-for-group-surveillance/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Companies So touch and Evoluce have developed presentation software for Kinect that can be controlled by hand gestures; among its features is a multi-touch zoom mode.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prlog.org/11120062-control-your-powerpoint-and-pdf-presentations-with-kinect.html |title=Control your PowerPoint and PDF presentations with Kinect |date=December 2, 2010 |publisher=PRLog.org |access-date=December 8, 2010 |archive-date=September 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904033216/http://www.prlog.org/11120062-control-your-powerpoint-and-pdf-presentations-with-kinect.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2010, the free public beta of [[Home theater PC|HTPC]] software ''KinEmote'' was launched; it allows navigation of [[Boxee]] and [[XBMC]] menus using a Kinect sensor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.techspot.com/news/41724-kinemote-brings-kinect-to-boxee-and-xbmc-on-windows.html |title=KinEmote brings Kinect to Boxee and XBMC on Windows |first=Emil |last=Protalinski |date=December 24, 2010 |publisher=[[TechSpot]] |access-date=December 26, 2010 |archive-date=December 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227030020/http://www.techspot.com/news/41724-kinemote-brings-kinect-to-boxee-and-xbmc-on-windows.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Soroush Falahati wrote an application that can be used to create [[Stereoscopy|stereoscopic]] 3D images with a Kinect sensor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kinectdevs.com/forums/kinect-photo-capture-tool-f18/kinect-photo-capture-tool-released-anaglyph-stereoscopic-vision-t8.html |title=Kinect 3D Photo Capture Tool 0.7 Released |access-date=March 4, 2011 |archive-date=March 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310053744/http://www.kinectdevs.com/forums/kinect-photo-capture-tool-f18/kinect-photo-capture-tool-released-anaglyph-stereoscopic-vision-t8.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In human motion tracking, Kinect might suffer from occlusion which is when some human body joints are occluded and cannot be tracked accurately by Kinect's skeletal model.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Real-Time Posture Reconstruction for Microsoft Kinect | year= 2013|journal = [[IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics]] | last1 = Shum | first1 = Hubert|last2=Ho|first2=Edmond|last3=Jiang|first3=Yang|last4=Takagi|first4=Shu|doi=10.1109/TCYB.2013.2275945|volume=43|issue=5|pages=1357–1369| pmid= 23981562| bibcode= 2013ITCyb..43.1357S| s2cid= 14124193| url= https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1257506}}</ref> Therefore, fusing its data with other sensors can provide a more robust tracking of the skeletal model. For instance, in a study, an [[Unscented Kalman filter]] (UKF) was used to fuse Kinect 3D position data of shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints to those obtained from two [[inertial measurement unit]]s (IMUs) placed on the upper and lower arm of a person.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Human arm motion tracking by orientation-based fusion of inertial sensors and Kinect using unscented Kalman filter | year= 2016|journal = Journal of Biomechanical Engineering | last1 = Atrsaei | first1 = Arash|last2=Salarieh|first2=Hassan|last3=Alasty|first3=Aria|doi=10.1115/1.4034170|volume=138|issue=9| article-number= 091005| pmid= 27428461}}</ref> The results showed an improvement of up to 50% in the accuracy of the position tracking of the joints. In addition to solving the occlusion problem, as the sampling frequency of the IMUs was 100 Hz (compared to ~30 Hz for Kinect), the improvement of skeletal position was more evident during fast and dynamic movements.
Kinect also shows compelling potential for use in medicine. Researchers at the [[University of Minnesota]] have used Kinect to measure a range of disorder symptoms in children, creating new ways of objective evaluation to detect such conditions as autism, attention-deficit disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Minnesota-University-Team-Adapts-Kinect-for-Medical-Use-189553.shtml|title=Minnesota University Team Adapts Kinect for Medical Use|publisher=Softpedia|date=March 15, 2011|access-date=May 23, 2011|archive-date=March 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317115729/http://news.softpedia.com/news/Minnesota-University-Team-Adapts-Kinect-for-Medical-Use-189553.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Several groups have reported using Kinect for intraoperative, review of medical imaging, allowing the surgeon to access the information without contamination.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qj.net/qjnet/xbox-360/medical-practice-finds-use-for-kinect-hack.html|title=Medical practice finds use for Kinect hack|publisher=QuickJump Gaming Network|date=December 27, 2010|access-date=May 23, 2011|archive-date=December 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230143408/http://www.qj.net/qjnet/xbox-360/medical-practice-finds-use-for-kinect-hack.html|url-status=live |last1=M. |first1=Glenn }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=radRounds|url=http://www.radrounds.com/video/xbox-kinect-based-radiology-medical-image-exploration|work=Xbox Kinect-based radiology & medical image exploration|access-date=December 4, 2011|archive-date=August 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805232814/http://www.radrounds.com/video/xbox-kinect-based-radiology-medical-image-exploration|url-status=live}}</ref> This technique is already in use at [[Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre]] in [[Toronto]], where doctors use it to guide imaging during cancer surgery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chealth.canoe.com/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=31715&news_channel_id=12&channel_id=12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128061141/http://chealth.canoe.com/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=31715&news_channel_id=12&channel_id=12|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 28, 2016|title=Doctors use Xbox Kinect in cancer surgery|publisher=CHealth|date=March 22, 2011|access-date=May 23, 2011}}</ref> At least one company, GestSure Technologies, is pursuing the commercialization of such a system.<ref>{{cite web|title=GestSure Technologies|url=http://www.gestsure.com/|access-date=December 4, 2011|archive-date=April 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402225838/http://gestsure.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[NASA]]'s [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] (JPL) signed up for the Kinect for Windows Developer program in November 2013 to use the new Kinect to manipulate a robotic arm in combination with an [[Oculus Rift]] [[virtual reality]] headset, creating "the most immersive interface" the unit had built to date.<ref name=five>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Nicole|title=NASA's JPL maneuvers a robot arm with Oculus Rift and Kinect 2, points to more immersive space missions|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/12/23/nasa-jpl-control-robotic-arm-kinect-2/|work=Web|date=December 24, 2013 |access-date=March 19, 2014|archive-date=March 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320172435/http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/23/nasa-jpl-control-robotic-arm-kinect-2/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Reception == ===Kinect for Xbox 360=== {{Video game reviews |CVG=8.8/10<ref name="CVG Review"/> |GI=8/10<ref name="GI Review"/> |IGN=7.5/10<ref name="IGN Review"/> | rev1 = ''[[CNET]]'' | rev1Score = 3.5/5<ref name="CNET Review"/> | rev2 = ''[[Engadget]]'' | rev2Score = 6/10<ref name="Engadget Review"/> | rev3 = ''[[USA Today]]'' | rev3Score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}<ref name="USA Today Review"/> | rev4 = ''[[TechRadar]]'' | rev4Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Tech Radar Review"/> | rev5 = ''[[The Washington Post]]'' | rev5Score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref name="Washington Post Review">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/04/AR2010110404178.html |title=Microsoft Kinect review |first=Ron |last=Harris |date=November 4, 2010 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=November 10, 2010 |archive-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107123931/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/04/AR2010110404178.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | rev6 = ''[[PC Magazine]]'' | rev6Score = 4/5<ref name="PCMag Review">{{cite news |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372069,00.asp |title=Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 |first=Jeffrey L. |last=Wilson |date=November 4, 2010 |work=PCMag.com |access-date=November 10, 2010 |archive-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107010452/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372069,00.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> | rev7 = ''[[Game Guru]]'' | rev7Score = 9/10 <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gameguru.in/reviews/2011/04/microsoft-kinect-review-the-beginning-of-hassle-free-gaming |title=Microsoft Kinect Review: The beginning of hassle-free gaming | Game Guru |publisher=Gameguru.in |date=February 4, 2011 |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-date=August 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809205947/http://www.gameguru.in/reviews/2011/04/microsoft-kinect-review-the-beginning-of-hassle-free-gaming/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | rev8 = ''Tech Shout'' | rev8Score = 9.2/10 <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.techshout.com/reviews/2011/05/microsoft-kinect-for-xbox-360-review-controller-free-gaming-at-its-best |title=Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 Review: Controller-free gaming at its best |publisher=TechShout |date=February 5, 2011 |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812215056/https://www.techshout.com/reviews/2011/05/microsoft-kinect-for-xbox-360-review-controller-free-gaming-at-its-best |url-status=live }}</ref> }} Upon its release, the Kinect garnered generally positive opinions from reviewers and critics. ''[[IGN]]'' gave the device 7.5 out of 10, saying that "Kinect can be a tremendous amount of fun for casual players, and the creative, controller-free concept is undeniably appealing", though adding that for "$149.99, a motion-tracking camera add-on for Xbox 360 is a tough sell, especially considering that the entry level variation of Xbox 360 itself is only $199.99".<ref name="IGN Review">{{cite web |url=http://gear.ign.com/articles/113/1132213p1.html |title=Microsoft Kinect Review |first=Scott |last=Lowe |date=November 4, 2010 |website=IGN |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107045500/http://gear.ign.com/articles/113/1132213p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Game Informer]]'' rated Kinect 8 out of 10, praising the technology but noting that the experience takes a while to get used to and that the spatial requirement may pose a barrier.<ref name="GI Review">{{cite magazine |url=https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/11/03/kinect-hardware-review.aspx |title=Kinect Hardware Review: Wave Of The Future |first=Annette |last=Gonzalez |date=November 4, 2010 |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106142058/http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/11/03/kinect-hardware-review.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' called the device a technological gem and applauded the gesture and voice controls, while criticizing the launch lineup and Kinect Hub.<ref name="CVG Review">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=273523 |title=Kinect Review |first=Tim |last=Ingham |date=November 4, 2010 |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |access-date=November 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106023322/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=273523 |archive-date=November 6, 2010 }}</ref>
''[[CNET.com|CNET]]''{{'}}s review pointed out how Kinect keeps players active with its full-body motion sensing but criticized the learning curve, the additional power supply needed for older Xbox 360 consoles and the space requirements.<ref name="CNET Review">{{cite web |url=https://reviews.cnet.com/xbox-360-accessories/xbox-360-kinect/4505-9994_7-34182443.html?tag=cnetRiver#reviewPage1 |title=Xbox 360 Kinect Review |first=Jeff |last=Bakalar |date=November 4, 2010 |publisher=[[CNET.com|CNET]] |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114141650/https://www.cnet.com/reviews/microsoft-kinect-series-review/#reviewPage1 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Engadget]]'', too, listed the large space requirements as a negative, along with Kinect's launch lineup and the slowness of the hand gesture UI. The review praised the system's powerful technology and the potential of its yoga and dance games.<ref name="Engadget Review">{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2010/11/04/kinect-for-xbox-360-review/ |title=Kinect for Xbox 360 review |first=Ross |last=Miller |date=November 4, 2010 |work=[[Engadget]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105000015/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/04/kinect-for-xbox-360-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Kotaku]]'' considered the device revolutionary upon first use but noted that games were sometimes unable to recognize gestures or had slow responses, concluding that Kinect is "not must-own yet, more like must-eventually own."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/review-kinect-30856296 |title=Review: Kinect |first=Stephen |last=Totilo |date=November 3, 2010 |work=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]] |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-date=November 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105102906/http://kotaku.com/5680501/review-kinect?skyline=true&s=i |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[TechRadar]]'' praised the voice control and saw a great deal of potential in the device whose lag and space requirements were identified as issues.<ref name="Tech Radar Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/controllers/microsoft-kinect-905010/review |title=Microsoft Kinect review |date=November 4, 2010 |work=[[TechRadar]] |access-date=November 8, 2010 |archive-date=November 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108191111/http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/controllers/microsoft-kinect-905010/review |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Gizmodo]]'' also noted Kinect's potential and expressed curiosity in how more mainstream titles would utilize the technology.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/5680205/xbox-kinect-review-its-a-brand-new-console |title=Xbox Kinect Review: It's a Brand New Console |first=Jason |last=Chen |date=November 4, 2010 |work=[[Gizmodo]] |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105095503/http://gizmodo.com/5680205/xbox-kinect-review-its-a-brand-new-console |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Ars Technica]]'s'' review expressed concern that the core feature of Kinect, its lack of a controller, would hamper development of games beyond those that have either stationary players or control the player's movement automatically.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2010/11/buy-a-house-clean-your-floor-move-your-butt-ars-reviews-kinect.ars/6 | title = Buy a house, clean your floor, move your butt: Ars reviews Kinect | date = November 4, 2010 | website = Ars Technica | access-date = June 14, 2017 | archive-date = August 10, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110810172248/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2010/11/buy-a-house-clean-your-floor-move-your-butt-ars-reviews-kinect.ars/6 | url-status = live }}</ref>
The mainstream press also reviewed Kinect. ''[[USA Today]]'' compared it to the futuristic control scheme seen in ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]]'', stating that "playing games feels great" and giving the device 3.5 out of 4 stars.<ref name="USA Today Review">{{cite news |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/11/review-microsoft-kinect-marks-big-leap-for-motion-gaming/1 |title=We play Kinect... |first=Brett |last=Molina |date=November 4, 2010 |work=[[USA Today]] |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104071151/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/11/review-microsoft-kinect-marks-big-leap-for-motion-gaming/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[David Pogue]] from ''[[The New York Times]]'' predicted players will feel a "crazy, magical, omigosh rush the first time you try the Kinect." Despite calling the motion tracking less precise than [[Wii]]'s implementation, Pogue concluded that "Kinect’s astonishing technology creates a completely new activity that’s social, age-spanning and even athletic."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/technology/personaltech/04pogue.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&src=busln |title=Kinect Pushes Users Into a Sweaty New Dimension |first=David |last=Pogue |date=November 4, 2010 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=July 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713051700/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/technology/personaltech/04pogue.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&src=busln |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' titled Kinect as setting a "new standard for motion control." The slight input lag between making a physical movement and Kinect registering it was not considered a major issue with most games, and the review called Kinect "a good and innovative product," rating it 3.5 out of 4 stars.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/personal-tech/gadgets/review-microsofts-kinect-sets-new-standard-for-motion-control/article1784987/page1/ |title=Microsoft's Kinect sets new standard for motion control |first=Chad |last=Sapieha |date=November 4, 2010 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |access-date=November 4, 2010 |location=Toronto |archive-date=November 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109031121/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/personal-tech/gadgets/review-microsofts-kinect-sets-new-standard-for-motion-control/article1784987/page1/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Kinect for Xbox One=== Although featuring improved performance over the original Kinect, its successor has been subject to mixed responses. In its Xbox One review, ''[[Engadget]]'' praised Xbox One's Kinect functionality, such as face recognition login and improved motion tracking, but said that while the device was "magical", "every false positive or unrecognized [voice] command had us reaching for the controller."<ref name=engadget-2013review>{{cite web|last1=Gilbert|first1=Ben|title=Xbox One review: a fast and powerful work in progress|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/11/20/microsoft-xbox-one-review/|website=Engadget|date=November 20, 2013 |access-date=December 16, 2014|archive-date=December 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210081203/http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/20/microsoft-xbox-one-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Kinect's inability to understand some accents in English was criticized.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U_QcJtK5-g | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/3U_QcJtK5-g| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|title=The Point : Can Kinect Understand Weird Accents?| website=[[YouTube]]| date=November 27, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', Matt Peckham described the device as being "chunky" in appearance, but that the facial recognition login feature was "creepy but equally sci-fi-future cool", and that the new voice recognition system was a "powerful, addictive way to navigate the console, and save for a few exceptions that seem to be smoothing out with use". However, its accuracy was found to be affected by background noise, and Peckham further noted that launching games using voice recognition required that the full title of the game be given rather than an abbreviated name that the console "ought to semantically understand", such as ''[[Forza Motorsport 5]]'' rather than "Forza 5".<ref name=time-xb1review>{{cite magazine|last1=Peckham|first1=Matt|title=Xbox One Review: Microsoft's Ambitious One-Stop Shop|url=https://techland.time.com/2013/11/20/xbox-one-review-microsofts-ambitious-one-stop-shop/|magazine=Time|access-date=April 5, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402014253/http://techland.time.com/2013/11/20/xbox-one-review-microsofts-ambitious-one-stop-shop/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Prior to Xbox One's launch, [[Digital privacy|privacy]] concerns were raised over the new Kinect; critics showed concerns the device could be used for [[surveillance]], stemming from the originally announced requirements that Xbox One's Kinect be plugged in at all times, plus the initial [[always-on DRM]] system that required the console to be connected to the internet to ensure continued functionality. Privacy advocates contended that the increased amount of data which could be collected with the new Kinect (such as a person's eye movements, heart rate, and mood) could be used for [[targeted advertising]]. Reports also surfaced regarding recent Microsoft [[patent]]s involving Kinect, such as a DRM system based on detecting the number of viewers in a room, and tracking viewing habits by awarding [[Achievement (video gaming)|achievements]] for watching television programs and [[Television commercial|advertising]]. While Microsoft stated that its [[privacy policy]] "prohibit[s] the collection, storage, or use of Kinect data for the purpose of advertising", critics did not rule out the possibility that these policies could be changed prior to the release of the console. Concerns were also raised that the device could also record conversations, as its microphone remains active at all times. In response to the criticism, a Microsoft spokesperson stated that users are "in control of when Kinect sensing is On, Off or Paused", will be provided with key privacy information and settings during the console's initial setup, and that user-generated content such as photos and videos "will not leave your Xbox One without your explicit permission."<ref name=polygon-xbox1privacy /><ref name="verge-kinectads" /><ref name="polygon-privacyresponse" /><ref name=XboxOneReceptionInternetMay2013Pcmag /> Microsoft ultimately decided to reverse its decision to require Kinect usage on Xbox One, but the console still shipped with the device upon its launch in November 2013.<ref name=ext-onekinect/>
== Sales == While announcing Kinect's discontinuation in an interview with [[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Co. Design]] on October 25, 2017, Microsoft stated that 35 million units had been sold since its release.<ref name="35million"/> 24 million units of Kinect had been shipped by February 2013.<ref name="24-million">{{cite web |url=http://bgr.com/2013/02/12/microsoft-xbox-360-sales-2013-325481/ |title=MICROSOFT SAYS XBOX 360 SALES HAVE SURPASSED 76 MILLION UNITS, KINECT SALES TOP 24 MILLION |first=Zach |last=Epstein |publisher=BGR.com |date=February 12, 2013 |access-date=February 15, 2013 |archive-date=February 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215054157/http://bgr.com/2013/02/12/microsoft-xbox-360-sales-2013-325481/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Having sold 8 million units in its first 60 days on the market, Kinect claimed the [[Guinness World Record]] of being the "fastest selling consumer electronics device".<ref name="Gamasutra-record">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/microsoft-kinect-hits-10-million-units-10-million-games |title=Microsoft: Kinect Hits 10 Million Units, 10 Million Games |first=Leigh |last=Alexander |website=Gamasutra |date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=March 10, 2011 |archive-date=March 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311083825/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/33430/Microsoft_Kinect_Hits_10_Million_Units_10_Million_Games.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CVG-record">{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/292825/news/kinect-cruises-past-10m-sales-barrier/ |title=Kinect cruises past 10m sales barrier |first=Tim |last=Ingham |publisher=CVG |date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=March 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311085030/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/292825/news/kinect-cruises-past-10m-sales-barrier/ |archive-date=March 11, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Guinness-record">{{cite web|url=http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_Kinect-Confirmed-As-Fastest-Selling-Consumer-Electronics-Device/blog/3376939/7691.html |title=Kinect Confirmed As Fastest-Selling Consumer Electronics Device |publisher=Guinnessworldrecords.com |access-date=March 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311213211/http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_Kinect-Confirmed-As-Fastest-Selling-Consumer-Electronics-Device/blog/3376939/7691.html |archive-date=March 11, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="10-million">{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2011/03/09/microsoft-sells-10-million-kinects-10-million-kinect-games/ |title=Microsoft sells 10 million Kinects, 10 million Kinect games |first=Tim |last=Stevens |publisher=[[Engadget]] |date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=March 10, 2011 |archive-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312144129/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/09/microsoft-sells-10-million-kinects-10-million-kinect-games |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter, Kinect bundles accounted for about half of all Xbox 360 console sales in December 2010 and for more than two-thirds in February 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.industrygamers.com/news/microsofts-xbox-360-kinect-bundles-outsold-move-bundles-by-51/ |title=Microsoft's Xbox 360 Kinect Bundles Outsold Move Bundles By 5:1 |first=James |last=Brightman |publisher=Industrygamers.com |date=January 14, 2011 |access-date=January 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116053534/http://www.industrygamers.com/news/microsofts-xbox-360-kinect-bundles-outsold-move-bundles-by-51/ |archive-date=January 16, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.industrygamers.com/news/kinect-bundles-outsold-ps3-move-bundles-51-in-february/ |title=Kinect Bundles Outsold PS3 Move Bundles 5:1 in February |first=James |last=Brightman |publisher=Industrygamers.com |date=March 11, 2011 |access-date=March 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314052126/http://www.industrygamers.com/news/kinect-bundles-outsold-ps3-move-bundles-51-in-february/ |archive-date=March 14, 2011 }}</ref> More than 750,000 Kinect units were sold during the week of Black Friday 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://majornelson.com/2011/11/29/xbox-360-records-the-biggest-week-in-xbox-history/ |title=Xbox 360 records the biggest week in Xbox history |publisher=MajorNelson.com |date=November 29, 2011 |access-date=November 29, 2011 |archive-date=December 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201160930/http://majornelson.com/2011/11/29/xbox-360-records-the-biggest-week-in-xbox-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/29/xbox-360-sees-biggest-sales-week-in-its-7-year-history/ |title=Xbox 360 sees biggest sales week in its 7-year history |work=VentureBeat |date=November 29, 2011 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218195535/http://venturebeat.com/2011/11/29/xbox-360-sees-biggest-sales-week-in-its-7-year-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Other motion controllers== {{Main|Motion controller#Gaming}} Kinect competed with several [[motion controller]]s on other home consoles, such as [[Wii Remote]], [[Wii Remote Plus]] and [[Wii Balance Board]] for the [[Wii]] and [[Wii U]], [[PlayStation Move]] and [[PlayStation Eye]] for the [[PlayStation 3]], and [[PlayStation Camera]] for the [[PlayStation 4]].
While the Xbox 360 Kinect's controller-less nature enabled it to offer a motion-controlled experience different from the wand-based controls of the Wii and PlayStation Move, this has occasionally hindered developers from developing certain motion-controlled games that could target all three seventh-generation consoles and still provide the same experience regardless of console. Examples of seventh-generation motion-controlled games that were released on Wii and PlayStation 3, but had a version for Xbox 360 cancelled or ruled out from the start, due to issues with translating wand controls to the camera-based movement of the Kinect, include ''[[Dead Space: Extraction]]'',<ref name="EuroViceral">{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-28-critics-validated-wii-dead-space|title=Critics "validated" Wii Dead Space|last=Yin-Poole|first=Wesley|website=[[Eurogamer]]|date=2010-09-28|access-date=June 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001133609/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-28-critics-validated-wii-dead-space|archive-date=2010-10-01|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest]]''<ref name="interview">{{cite web | title=The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest Interview: Steve Pritchard | url=http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-lord-of-the-rings-aragorns-quest-interview-ste/2300-6266627/ | date=17 June 2010 | publisher=[[GameSpot]] | access-date=28 February 2015 | archive-date=January 16, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116040923/https://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-lord-of-the-rings-aragorns-quest-interview-ste/2300-6266627/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (video game)|Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5816583/ |title=Thank ''Ratchet and Clank for This Wonderful Disney Game'' |work=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]] |date=June 29, 2011 |author=Crecente, Brian |access-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-date=October 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018025304/http://kotaku.com/5816583/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Awards == * The [[machine learning]] work on human motion capture within Kinect won the [[MacRobert Award|2011 MacRobert Award]] for engineering innovation.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.imeche.org/news/engineering/kinect-team-scoop-the-50-000-macrobert-award | title=Kinect team scoop the $50,000 Macrobert Award | work=Professional Engineering | date=June 7, 2011 | access-date=July 31, 2014 | archive-date=August 8, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808041426/http://www.imeche.org/news/engineering/kinect-team-scoop-the-50-000-macrobert-award | url-status=live }}</ref> * Kinect Won [[T3 (magazine)|T3]]'s "Gadget of the Year" award for 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awards.t3.com/categories/gadget-of-the-year|title=Gadget of the Year {{!}} T3 Gadget Awards 2011|access-date=October 13, 2011|publisher=[[Future plc]]|work=[[T3 (magazine)|T3]]|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222041030/http://awards.t3.com/categories/gadget-of-the-year|url-status=live}}</ref> It also won the "Gaming Gadget of the Year" prize.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awards.t3.com/categories/gaming-gadget-of-the-year|title=Gaming Gadget of the Year {{!}} T3 Gadget Awards 2011|access-date=October 13, 2011|publisher=[[Future plc]]|work=[[T3 (magazine)|T3]]|archive-date=October 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018233858/http://awards.t3.com/categories/gaming-gadget-of-the-year|url-status=live}}</ref> * 'Microsoft Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit' was ranked second in "The 10 Most Innovative Tech Products of 2011" at [[Popular Mechanics]] Breakthrough Awards ceremony in New York City.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/reviews/the-10-most-innovative-tech-products-of-2011#fbIndex2 |title=The 10 Most Innovative Tech Products of 2011 |magazine=Popular Mechanics |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=March 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317114017/http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/reviews/the-10-most-innovative-tech-products-of-2011#fbIndex2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/msr_er/archive/2011/10/13/kinect-for-windows-sdk-beta-makes-it-big-in-the-big-city.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0 |title=Kinect for Windows SDK Beta Makes It Big in the Big Apple |work=Microsoft Research Connections Blog |publisher=Blogs.MSDN.com |date=October 13, 2011 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=March 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313182721/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/msr_er/archive/2011/10/13/kinect-for-windows-sdk-beta-makes-it-big-in-the-big-city.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0 |url-status=live }}</ref> * Microsoft Kinect for Windows won Innovation of the Year in the 2012 Seattle 2.0 Startup Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geekwire.com/2012/revealed-winners-seattle-20-startup-awards/|title=Revealed: The winners of the Seattle 2.0 Startup Awards|date=May 4, 2012|access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=February 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225073544/https://www.geekwire.com/2012/revealed-winners-seattle-20-startup-awards/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== See also == * [[Dreameye]] * [[EyeToy]] * [[Leap Motion]] * [[Xbox Live Vision]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Kinect}} * {{Official website|http://www.xbox.com/kinect/}} for Xbox + Kinect * {{Official website|http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/kinectforwindows/}} for Kinect for Windows
{{Microsoft video gaming}} {{Microsoft hardware}} {{Microsoft Research}} {{Xbox 360}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:3D imaging]] [[Category:Applied machine learning]] [[Category:Computer-related introductions in 2010]] [[Category:Products and services discontinued in 2017]] [[Category:Computing input devices]] [[Category:Devices capable of speech recognition]] [[Category:Gesture recognition]] [[Category:Infrared imaging]] [[Category:Microsoft franchises]] [[Category:Microsoft hardware]] [[Category:Pointing devices]] [[Category:Products introduced in 2010]] [[Category:Game controllers]] [[Category:User interfaces]] [[Category:Xbox 360 hardware]] [[Category:Xbox One]] [[Category:Discontinued Microsoft products]] [[Category:3D human-computer interaction]]