Gadgets
Microsoft Stops Producing the Kinect Despite Its Non-Gaming Applications
The Kinect, the device that was supposed to turn a gamer’s body into the controller, is no longer being produced. This is worse news than you realize, because the Kinect has found a home outside of gaming.
According to Co.Design, Alex Kipman the mastermind behind the Kinect and Matthew Lapsen the General Manager of Xbox broke the news that Microsoft has stopped producing the device. While the company will not manufacture any new Kinects, it will still support people who use the device. This is good news, because some people still use it for non-gaming projects, including the Studio for Creative Inquiry. The director of the studio, Golan Levin, stated the following:
“You know, we’re all at the whim of capital. And there’s no expectation that Microsoft should do something that doesn’t support their bottom line. But this is one of those times I’m sad to hear a tool which is used for so many different applications, and is so ubiquitous, and has served crucially as a platform for so much creative experimentation, culture progress, and secondary innovation, in so many different fields, isn’t supporting their core business. Someone has made the decision that there aren’t enough games being sold that use it and it’s a shame.”
The Studio for Creative Inquiry isn’t the only company that uses the Kinect for non-gaming purposes. The University of Pittsburgh Human Engineering Research Laboratories wants to use the Kinect to coach wheelchair users how to properly transfer in and out of their wheelchairs, and NASA even developed a robotic arm that was controlled by the Kinect. Heck, Microsoft is using the Kinect’s core to power the Hololens, which is another of Kipman’s creations. Granted, while the Kinect was primarily developed for games, and most of those games sucked (Sonic Free Riders and Steel Battalion come to mind), the device itself was still revolutionary, as it demonstrated that markerless motion capture devices could be produced inexpensively.
While Microsoft will continue to provide technical support to any organization that wants to control robots or create interactive art exhibits with a Kinect, if the device breaks down and needs to be replaced, eventually these organizations won’t be able to buy a new or refurbished one. Furthermore, companies that want to use Kinects for future non-gaming projects will have to deal with steadily dwindling stock. With luck, other companies will make their own Kinect-like motion capture devices before we run out of Kinects. Or, better yet, Microsoft will decide to resume production. While the device isn’t fit for gaming, it has many other, more important applications.
A PS5 firmware update on a cold winter morning is unmatched. The latest PS5 system software update is 23.02–08.40.00 from Sony. Does this one add useful features or just boost system performance?
Though closer to the latter, it’s more than Sony’s favorite patch note. It fixes security issues, improves messages and usability, and boosts system software performance. Official patch notes for this 1.185GB update:
- We updated system software security
- We improved system software stability and performance
- Some screens now have better messages and usability
That’s it. PS5 gets another win to recover from its midweek slump. Do you share our enthusiasm for this firmware update? Comment below. To spice things up, make your comment rhyme.
Belgian developer Larian Studios’ work on Baldur’s Gate 3’s Xbox Series S version will improve performance on all platforms, including PS5. The game’s fifth major patch, expected to launch this week, will include upgrades and new features. More details will be revealed later today.
Director of Publishing Michael Douse says PS5 performance improvements may be the “least exciting thing” in the title’s next update, so it sounds like a big one. Larian Studios employees are proud of “finally” implementing tweaks, fixes, and changes, Douse says. Later today, we’ll bring you all the Baldur’s Gate 3 update details.
Those who reached the RPG’s third act have reported technical issues during the narrative’s conclusion, especially in co-op, so today’s update should fix them. New features like a permadeath mode are expected, along with Xbox Series S optimization fixes. What else should be added to the game?
We love the PlayStation ecosystem, especially its top first-party studios, but Sony Interactive Entertainment could do more to build goodwill. The long-awaited Trophy support for PS5 games on PC appears to be closer to reality, though nothing official has been announced.
TrueTrophie’s scanners found a new PS5 Trophy list with “PSPC” as a platform. The list, titled “Trophy Set” and unattached to a game, appears to be a test. TrueTrophies notes that developers rarely submit their own platforms to PSN, suggesting Sony is behind it.
TrueTrophies says this platform is separate from PS5 but can connect to it, suggesting compatibility. As PlayStation fans know, PS4, PS Vita, and PS3 games could share a list. In October 2022, Sony added PSN support to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered’s PC release, allowing players to link Steam accounts to unlock an exclusive skin. Potentially minor, but something we’ll watch.
TrueTrophies lists PlayStation Trophies for serious hunters. They scrape the PlayStation Network’s ominous underbelly with scanners to provide the most up-to-date trophy lists, sometimes dangerously. TrueTrophies posted Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s trophy list weeks ago, with spoiler titles.
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