First Gen Xbox Kinect Will Take Dirt Nap In 2015

Microsoft is fully focused on its Xbox One game console and accompanying second generation Kinect motion control sensor. And what about the original Kinect for the Xbox 360? Well, to (loosely) paraphrase Microsoft: "Ain't nobody got time for that!" While Microsoft is super proud of its original Kinect and the path it paved, it's time to move on, hence the company's decision to stop selling the original Kinect in 2015.

"The original Kinect for Windows sensor was a milestone achievement in the world of natural human computing. It allowed developers to create solutions that broke through the old barriers of mouse and keyboard interactions, opening up entirely new commercial experiences in multiple industries, including retail, education, healthcare, education, and manufacturing," Microsoft waxed nostalgic in a blog post.

"The original Kinect let preschoolers play educational games by simply moving their arms; it coached patients through physical rehabilitation; it gave shoppers new ways to engage with merchandise and even try on clothes. The list of innovative solutions powered by the original Kinect for Windows goes on and on."

Modders have done a lot of interesting things with the original Kinect, and Microsoft hopes the same type of creativity will transition over to the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor. To help the process, Microsoft recently released its software development kit (SDK 2.0) for the second generation Kinect.

With that said, there are companies out there with existing commitments to the original Kinect. If you're one of them, Microsoft urges you to contact them as quick as possible so that it can fulfill your orders -- no more new units will be produced once Microsoft's existing inventory is depleted.