Microsoft is discontinuing the Kinect, again. The company officially stopped manufacturing the depth camera and microphone in 2017 and brought them back in a new guise in 2019 as the Azure Kinect Developer Kit. Now, Microsoft is ending production of that too, but has partnered with a few companies. to provide options available to people who need similar types of devices.
If you want to grab one of the remaining Azure Kinect developer kits, they’ll be available to buy until the end of October or “while supplies last,” said Microsoft’s Swati Mehta. in a post on the company’s website. If he already has one, Mehta promises he can keep using it “without interruption.”
“As the needs of our customers and partners evolve, we regularly update our products to best support them,” Mehta wrote. “From time to time, this includes the introduction of new opportunities, as well as product withdrawals. We have made the decision to end production of the Azure Kinect Developer Kit, but this is far from the end of this technology as it will continue to be available through our partner ecosystem.” An alternative suggestion from Mehta is Orbbec Femto Postwhich uses the depth camera module found in the Azure Kinect Developer Kit.
