How Microsoft Made the Kinect an Overnight Success, Then Slowly Killed It
A decade ago, Microsoft was breaking world records with the Kinect. Now, the add-on is a discontinued relic of the past.
The latter half of the aughts was a transitional time for gaming. Nintendo was recovering from lukewarm GameCube sales, and PlayStation 3 sales stalled due to the high price of the console. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Xbox 360 got an early start in this generation. Microsoft’s price allowed it to keep its lead, but Nintendo posed some heavy competition with its experimental Wii.
It’s clear that the Wii tapped into a family-friendly market with its motion controls. Meanwhile, Xbox typically battled with PlayStation for a more mature audience, but that changed with the 2010 release of the Kinect.
The add-on was a success. In 2011, it held the Guinness World Record for fastest-selling consumer device by selling 8 million units in 60 days. Momentum was strong, and Microsoft wanted to include Kinect with the 360’s predecessor. The idea was solid, but a lot went wrong.
By 2017, the Kinect was dead.
It felt like Microsoft quickly built a success, then slowly took its shine away. Microsoft was trying to force interest in the Kinect…
