Dis Kinect

Microsoft has ended production of the Kinect peripheral for the Xbox. How did the best-selling gaming peripheral sink so low?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Microsoft recently made the decision to discontinue production of the
Connect peripheral for the Xbox one. What went wrong? I'm
Jonathan Strickland, and this is tech Stuff Daily. Back in
two Microsoft unveiled a new accessory for the Xbox three
sixty console. Internally, the product had been known by the

(00:25):
code name Project Natal. When it came time for its debut,
it was known by another name, the Microsoft Connect. Technically,
the twenty unveiling wasn't the first time the public got
to get a glimpse at the technology. Microsoft had shown
off the concept in two thousand nine at E three,
also known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but the twenty
ten demonstration was where Microsoft pulled out all the stops.

(00:48):
The Connect used microphones and optical sensors to turn a
person's voice commands and gestures into executable commands in various
apps on the Xbox. This probably goes without saying, but
the main focus was on gaming. The cameras used a
type of mapping to get a sense of depth in
an environment. This involved the use of both a projector

(01:08):
and a camera. The projector used light in the infrared range,
which is beyond the range of human perception. If you
could see infrared light, you notice that the Connect would
shoot up thousands of tiny dots from a projector. These
dots helped the Connect map out what was in front
of the camera, and since how far away different elements
were moving through the area would create a distortion in
those dots, which the Connect could interpret as specific commands

(01:31):
and translate it into the appropriate responses on screen. That meant,
if you were playing a game in which you were, say,
fighting off hordes of ninja, the Connect would detect where
you jumped, leaned, dodged, duct or otherwise moved around. There
was no need for a controller, Your actions were the controller. Initially,
the Connect was extremely popular. It's sold like hotcakes, and

(01:53):
by that I mean Microsoft sold an average of one
hundred thirty three thousand, three hundred thirty three units per
day for the first sixty days the device became available
in the United Kingdom, which was fast enough for the
Guinness Book of World Records to declare it the fastest
selling gaming peripheral of all time at that point. Anyway,
hackers particularly like the Connect. The early Connect was relatively

(02:16):
easy to hack, and the capabilities of the device meant
you could create a lot of interesting potential applications. For example,
hackers took the hardware and turned it into a cheap
three D scanner. The depth sensing technology of the optics
meant you could scan a three dimensional object and create
a virtual representation of it pretty handily with the right
hacks and software. The CONNECTS sensor also allowed for interesting

(02:37):
applications in the field of robotics. Vision is a tricky
thing to incorporate in robots. The Connects sensors allowed roboticists
to design systems that could more accurately survey an environment
and navigate around it. My favorite hack using a connect
was for a robotic trash can minorro carrata. An engineer
used a connect sensor mounted to a wall to track

(02:59):
the trajectory of a throne piece of rubbish. A trash
can mounted on a small motorized wheeled platform would receive
instructions on where to move in order to intercept the
rubbish as it fell to the ground. It was a
clever display of what the connect could do when paired
with the right software. Upon the launch of the Xbox One,
Microsoft revamped the connect. One of the big changes made

(03:20):
it much more challenging for hackers to take advantage of
the hardware. This was a disappointing blow to the hacking community.
Microsoft had been waffling on whether the company wanted to
encourage or discourage hackers from meddling with the Connect. The
Xbox One implementation seemed to indicate the company had cited
against hackers. That didn't stop the hacking community. However, Meanwhile,

(03:41):
on the mainstream front, Microsoft was having trouble making the
Connect appear relevant. The hardware simply didn't have enough compelling uses.
The games made for the Connect were largely viewed as
interesting curiosities but not must play titles, and using the
Connect to navigate through the Xbox ecosystem wasn't universally except
Since the original Connect went on sale in twenty Microsoft

(04:03):
sold about thirty five million units, and while it was
originally bundled with the Xbox One, customers balked at paying
the premium price for a peripheral that had yet convinced
the public that it was a must have accessory. Microsoft
conceded by offering the Xbox One for sale without the Connect.
The demise of the Connect wasn't quick or unexpected. Microsoft

(04:23):
had largely been withdrawing support for the device over the
last couple of years. When the company introduced the Xbox
one S, one of the notable features missing from the
new console was the dedicated Connect port. This seemed to
be an admission from Microsoft that the Connects days were
coming to an end. That admission is now official, as
Microsoft representatives confirmed with the news outlet Fast Code Design

(04:45):
that manufacturing of the connect has ended. The company will
continue supporting the Connect, but no further development is expected.
While the sensor may have ultimately been a failure as
an Xbox peripheral, the technology has found its way to
other products. The Microsoft Hollow Lens is an example. The
a R headset uses some of the same technologies found

(05:06):
in the Connect, and you can find features similar to
the Connects facial recognition system and products like the iPhone
eight and ten handsets. So while the form factor may
be dead, the tech lives on. To learn more about sensors,
game consoles, augmented reality, and everything else tech, subscribe to
the tech Stuff podcast. I explore tech topics in greater

(05:27):
detail and share with you what really makes them work.
That's all for today. I'll see you again soon.