Kinect for Xbox One developers with new adaptor

Kinect for Xbox One developers with new adaptor

Microsoft this week announced that it is discontinuing its Kinect for Windows v2 sensors. Instead, the company will sell developers a Kinect Adaptor for Windows — which it released in October — that will work with the Kinect available for the Xbox One console.

In a blog post, Microsoft says the decision to just use one Kinect was made "in an effort to simplify and create consistency for developers."

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It's a smart move. Having two separately sold devices for Kinect has never made much sense to us. After all, if Microsoft is really trying to push the "One Windows" strategy for its development, why force Windows developers to use totally different (yet still similar) hardware for Kinect for Windows experiences, as compared with the Kinect for Xbox One experience.

And although Microsoft hasn't said that this decision means developers will be able to build cross-platform Kinect experiences, the idea that you might be able to play Kinect-style games on the PC doesn't seem so outlandish.

Remember, one of the features of Windows 10 will be the ability to stream Xbox One gaming content to a Windows 10 desktop, notebook or tablet.


The Kinect for Xbox One is available for $149.99. The Kinect Adaptor for Windows is available for $49.99.