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 first customers to purchase Kinect for Xbox 360 at Toys R Us Times Square on Nov. 4, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

The latter half of the aughts was a transitional time for gaming. Nintendo was recovering from lukewarm GameCube sales, and PlayStation 3…