Thanks to Jamie Shotton and the team for a sensor that made a difference to an incidental community.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/video/body-part-rec...
At the time I was in a research lab that needed wireless networking + high-def video + light source + on-device processing + battery power + small form factor. It turns out that even compared to Raspberry Pi, the cheapest possible solution to that problem was "buy old Androids on Ebay and add external batteries". A handful of years before that we would have been cobbling together a $500 device, or more realistically scrapping the whole project.
The whole model of feature-dense sensors suddenly crossed from something for major production runs and custom orders into single-unit consumer products, and I'm not sure people really noticed how big an impact it had on research.
I think robotics research is probably a reason why they're discontinuing it. Why support something that only exists outside the walled garden? Maybe not the only reason, but a reason. The device probably isn't generating profits, and the value gain on top of that is missing because the gaming community has abandoned it.
Even though it seems like Sony's interest to foster a community of high-tech nerds interested in AI and parallel processing, and even though it seems like it's Microsoft's interest in fostering a community of robotics and computer vision nerds, it turns out the Giant Corporations need lock-down control on products and have no long-term vision for supporting ecosystems or communities.
I think they were worried about people buying them up and not purchasing games.
They used about 200ps3 to find some prime number (cryptography related)
This is pretty unfair. Microsoft released Kinect 2.0 for Windows[1], with a developer SDK, specifically for the community to hack on. It even supports Windows Embedded.
I can't in my wildest dreams imagine that they thought that product would be a money maker.
[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=445...
https://www.intel.ca/content/www/ca/en/architecture-and-tech...
Besides, the kinect has honestly better specs, a better quality in tracking and more accuracy.
Eventually, yes. I'm not sure there'll be a cloned part on Aliexpress next year, but there will be parts from broken phones for sure.
Unfortunately Microsoft missed the chance to buy Primsesense before Apple snapped them up. Still, while the tech is good, the ToF sensor in the Kinect v2 is superior for the (gaming) market and Microsoft own the IP via their Canesta acquisition (they licensed the Kinect patent).
What's more interesting is the boatload of cheap ToF systems that you can now buy. The only problem is they're much more power hungry. The new Kinect is crappy for mobile robotics because its heavy (90% of the sensor head is heatsink) and needs a wall power supply. It's fine for static systems, or beefier mechanics though.
(Face ID is literally a mini-Kinect, since it comes out of Primsense IP.)
also, the question of seeing the fog is more nuanced that can see/can't see:
"Just like it is impossible to give a simple answer to the question “How far can I see with a thermal imaging camera?”, it is equally impossible to say how much shorter the range will be in foggy or rainy conditions. This is not only dependant on the atmospheric conditions and the type of fog but it is also dependent on the IR camera used and on the properties of the target (size, temperature difference of the target and background, etc)" [http://www.flir.com/uploadedFiles/FOG_techNote_LR.pdf]
The only game in my house that could ever utilize it was the original Dancing games from the demos. The last time I saw my daughter playing it, she was holding her phone, and using it for the sensor instead of the kinect through their integrated app.
I asked why she would do that? Just plug in the kinect and use it, don't risk dropping your phone while dancing, but that's not how she wanted to play.