Key Takeaways
- Kinect 2.0's lifespan was relatively short-lived, but fans found other uses for it, including Walmart using it for security purposes.
- Kinect has been repurposed for functions other than gaming, such as medical and surveillance applications.
- Fans miss the Kinect's original features and hope Microsoft creates new games that support it.
User found Walmart using: xbox oneKinect is used for different purposes. Many see Kinect on Xbox One as a missed opportunity, as Kinect on Xbox 360 showed a lot of potential, especially when it comes to body tracking. This helped demonstrate that full motion controls were an innovative way to play, as they became widespread in many sports and dance games. But the second version of the technology, Kinect 2.0, felt like a miss when that generation of games arrived.
Kinect 2.0 has been a very minor presence throughout the Xbox One's lifespan, but owners have found creative ways to utilize the motion sensor instead. One fan previously saw the Xbox Kinect being used for medical purposes. In fact, consumers have been trying to apply Kinect to a variety of fields unrelated to gaming. A gamer recently asked a question after seeing a Kinect at a local Walmart.
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Reddit user Vectormus casually asked when Microsoft or Xbox started providing Kinect devices to Walmart for security purposes. The fan posted a photo of a Kinect suspended in the air, similar to a CCTV camera. As user TheMicroburst points out, Walmart has apparently been doing this since as early as 2013. Interestingly, using systems in this way isn't entirely new, with one airport previously utilizing the Xbox Kinect for surveillance. One fan said it might be cheaper to do so, since devices like this sell for about $20 or less at GameStop.
How Kinect Is Used for Other Purposes
A common sentiment in the comments section is that Kinect has had better success as a non-gaming utility than it was originally intended to be. User matt2085 shared the story of how a physical therapist used technology to help him understand his posture. A user named brokenmessiah joked that every time he sees the Kinect in real life, he's never used it for its intended purpose. Support for Microsoft Kinect was dropped early on at launch, but many fans agreed that they missed the features it had to offer. Especially since newer systems don't promote or support it for new games.
One of the last games to support Kinect is Spacelord Organ Trading Simulator Back to 2021. It seems unlikely that fans will get a new title anytime soon, but it could be good for Microsoft to confirm that not all the technology was wasted. One important comment from the Reddit post is that it's refreshing to see that Kinect still has many uses rather than being part of some random landfill.
xbox one
Microsoft Xbox One is part of the 8th generation of consoles and was created by the company to compete with its competitors Sony and Nintendo. It went head-to-head with PS4, Switch, and Wii-U. It was created after the Xbox 360.
- brand
- microsoft
- original release date
- November 22, 2013
- hardware version
- Xbox One, Xbox One X, Xbox One S
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $499, £429, €499
- weight
- Basic: 7.7 pounds S: 6.4 pounds
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