History Platform / Kinect

!!Game compatible with Kinect:

* It had become clear by the end of [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the Seventh Generation]] that trying to sell a video game based entirely on the presence of motion controls was no longer viable. Years of oversaturation between the three main consoles and accusations of {{Waggle}} meant the public had largely lost interest and wrote it off as a fad. There was also expectations that the next generation would go back to normal, which it did for the most part. People just didn't care about or even want a Kinect anymore.

[[caption-width-right:350:The original Kinect for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360]]

[[caption-width-right:350:The revised Kinect for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne]]

The unexpected and explosive success of the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} in 2006 sent shockwaves throughout the gaming industry. The system's motion controls were easy to grasp and attracted an audience that otherwise wouldn't touch a video game console, leading to amazing sales and a miniature phenomenon. Though Sony and Microsoft's consoles found success with the hardcore players, the two companies wanted to reach the same heights of Nintendo's little console that could. Sony ended up copying Nintendo outright with the [=PlayStation=] Move, while Microsoft went a different direction in 2010 with the '''Kinect''' for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 (and later PC and UsefulNotes/XboxOne).

After introducing the Kinect, Microsoft switched gears and focused largely on supporting it over their existing customer base that bought an Xbox 360 for traditional games. While chasing the casual audience was initially successful, the lack of normal first-party games left very notable gaps in the console's library during the latter half of its life. The shift in priorities likely contributed to the 360 ultimately being outsold by the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, which had recovered from its poorly-handled launch, started to do a much better job at catering to the traditional gaming audience, and saw a series of acclaimed exclusive games during the latter part of its life that made the lack of contemporary Xbox exclusives even more noticeable.

It wasn't long until a new generation of consoles was ready to hit the scene. Not wanting to give up on their shiny new toy after spending over half a billion dollars on marketing, Microsoft decided to double down on the Kinect with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne. They designed an improved, more sensitive and reliable Kinect sensor, and even bundled it with the system at its 2013 launch, making it a key part of the system's identity. They thought having the Kinect be a mandatory purchase would increase its viability and encourage developers to make games for it, but this backfired ''hard'' for a multitude of reasons.

* Bundling a Kinect with every Xbox One jacked up the price of the system by US$100, to a launch price of $500. Not only did this lead to the Xbox One being quite expensive at launch, but Sony made sure to sell the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 for $400 to avoid repeating the mistake of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3's high launch price... which Microsoft made instead.

Backlash to the Xbox One's policies led to Microsoft patching out the need for the Kinect to be plugged in so the console can function with a launch day update. Six months after launch, they also decided to axe the bundle to lower the One's retail price after it was quickly overtaken by the [=PS4=]. The Kinect would proceed to die a slow and painful death, receiving little support or mention from Microsoft for the rest of the generation. It was officially discontinued in 2017 -- the Xbox One version had received less than 20 games before being put down. The Xbox One's successor, the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, launched in 2020 with no support for the Kinect in spite of its emphasis on backwards compatibility with older Xbox titles, driving the final nail into the coffin of Kinect's gaming applications.

While the Kinect as a video game system is dead, it still lives on outside the gaming sphere. Thanks to its wide variety of applications, the technology has seen use in the medical field, robotics, and other commercial endeavors such as modern [=iPhones=]. The technology also saw a more direct review in Sky Glass [=TVs=] starting in 2022.

* ''[[VideoGame/SonicRiders Sonic Free Riders]]''

* ''Kinect Franchise/StarWars''

* ''KinectRushADisneyPixarAdventure''

After introducing the Kinect, Microsoft switched gears and focused largely on supporting it over their existing customer base that bought an Xbox 360 for traditional games. While chasing the casual audience was initially successful, the lack of normal first-party games left very notable gaps in the console's library during the latter half of its life. The shift in priorities likely contributed to the 360 ultimately being outsold by the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, which had recovered from its poorly-handled launch and started to do a much better job at catering to the traditional gaming audience, and saw a series of acclaimed exclusive games during the latter part of its life that made the lack of contemporary Xbox exclusives even more noticeable.

* MultiPlatform had long since become the norm for third-party developers, who didn't want to touch the Kinect or other platform-specific features until the Xbox One version's games sold enough to justify developing for it. This, combined with the console being OvershadowedByControversy in the run-up to its launch, resulting in low sales, led to a ViciousCycle of nobody making games because nobody wanted it and nobody wanting it because nobody was making games.

After introducing the Kinect, Microsoft switched gears and focused largely on supporting it over their existing customer base that bought an Xbox 360 for traditional games. While chasing the casual audience was initially successful, the lack of normal first-party games left very notable gaps in the console's library during the latter half of its life. The shift in priorities likely contributed to the 360 ultimately being outsold by the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, which had recovered from its poorly-handled launch and started to do a much better job at catering to the traditional gaming audience.

Backlash to the Xbox One's policies led to Microsoft patching out the need for the Kinect to be plugged in so the console can function. They also quickly decided to axe the bundle to lower the One's retail price after it was quickly overtaken by the [=PS4=]. The Kinect would proceed to die a slow and painful death, receiving little support or mention from Microsoft for the rest of the generation. It was officially discontinued in 2017 -- the Xbox One version had received less than 20 games before being put down. The Xbox One's successor, the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, launched in 2020 with no support for the Kinect in spite of its emphasis on backwards compatibility with older Xbox titles, driving the final nail into the coffin of Kinect's gaming applications.

* Developers still didn't want to touch the Kinect until the Xbox One version's games sold enough to justify developing for it. This led to a ViciousCycle of nobody making games because nobody wanted it and nobody wanting it because nobody was making games.

Backlash to the Xbox One's policies led to Microsoft patching out the need for the Kinect to be plugged in so the console can function. They also quickly decided to axe the bundle to lower the One's retail price after it was quickly overtaken by the [=PS4=]. The Kinect would proceed to die a slow and painful death, receiving little support or mention from Microsoft for the rest of the generation. It was officially discontinued in 2017 -- the Xbox One version had received less than 20 games before being put down. The Xbox One's successor, the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, launched in 2020, notably lacks compatibility with the Kinect in spite of its emphasis on backwards compatibility with older Xbox titles, driving the final nail into the coffin of Kinect's gaming applications.

It wasn't long until a new generation of consoles was ready to hit the scene. Not wanting to give up on their shiny new toy after spending over half a billion dollars on marketing, Microsoft decided to continue supporting the Kinect with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne and even bundle it with the system at its 2013 launch. They thought having the Kinect be a mandatory purchase would increase its viability and encourage developers to make games for it, but this backfired ''hard'' for a multitude of reasons.

Backlash to the Xbox One's policies led to Microsoft patching out the need for the Kinect to be plugged in so the console can function. They also quickly decided to axe the bundle to lower the One's retail price after it was quickly overtaken by the [=PS4=]. The Kinect would proceed to die a slow and painful death, receiving little support or mention from Microsoft for the rest of the generation. It was officially discontinued in 2017 -- the Xbox One version had received less than 20 games before being put down. The Xbox One's successor, the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, launched in 2020, notably lacks compatibility with the Kinect in spite of its emphasis on backwards compatibility with older Xbox titles, confirming Kinect's final death in the gaming space.

Backlash to the Xbox One's policies led to Microsoft patching out the need for the Kinect to be plugged in so the console can function. They also quickly decided to axe the bundle to lower the One's retail price after it was quickly overtaken by the [=PS4=]. The Kinect would proceed to die a slow and painful death, receiving little support or mention from Microsoft for the rest of the generation. It was officially discontinued in 2017 -- the Xbox One version had received less than 20 games before being put down.

* The casual market that the Kinect targeted had been taken over by {{Mobile Phone Game}}s and the near-universal proliferation of smartphones.
* Microsoft initially decided that the Xbox One wouldn't function unless a Kinect was plugged in, probably to ensure developers knew all future Xbox owners would have a Kinect. This caused major privacy concerns since the Xbox One was initially supposed to be "always-online", and the Kinect had a camera with voice recognition software that still technically functioned while the system was in sleep mode.

* ''VideoGame/FruitNinja''

[[redirect:UsefulNotes/Xbox360]]