WEBVTT - Dis Kinect

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<v Speaker 1>Microsoft recently made the decision to discontinue production of the

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<v Speaker 1>Connect peripheral for the Xbox one. What went wrong? I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Jonathan Strickland, and this is tech Stuff Daily. Back in

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<v Speaker 1>two Microsoft unveiled a new accessory for the Xbox three

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<v Speaker 1>sixty console. Internally, the product had been known by the

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<v Speaker 1>code name Project Natal. When it came time for its debut,

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<v Speaker 1>it was known by another name, the Microsoft Connect. Technically,

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<v Speaker 1>the twenty unveiling wasn't the first time the public got

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<v Speaker 1>to get a glimpse at the technology. Microsoft had shown

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<v Speaker 1>off the concept in two thousand nine at E three,

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<v Speaker 1>also known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but the twenty

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<v Speaker 1>ten demonstration was where Microsoft pulled out all the stops.

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<v Speaker 1>The Connect used microphones and optical sensors to turn a

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<v Speaker 1>person's voice commands and gestures into executable commands in various

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<v Speaker 1>apps on the Xbox. This probably goes without saying, but

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<v Speaker 1>the main focus was on gaming. The cameras used a

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<v Speaker 1>type of mapping to get a sense of depth in

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<v Speaker 1>an environment. This involved the use of both a projector

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<v Speaker 1>and a camera. The projector used light in the infrared range,

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<v Speaker 1>which is beyond the range of human perception. If you

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<v Speaker 1>could see infrared light, you notice that the Connect would

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<v Speaker 1>shoot up thousands of tiny dots from a projector. These

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<v Speaker 1>dots helped the Connect map out what was in front

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<v Speaker 1>of the camera, and since how far away different elements

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<v Speaker 1>were moving through the area would create a distortion in

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<v Speaker 1>those dots, which the Connect could interpret as specific commands

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<v Speaker 1>and translate it into the appropriate responses on screen. That meant,

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<v Speaker 1>if you were playing a game in which you were, say,

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<v Speaker 1>fighting off hordes of ninja, the Connect would detect where

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<v Speaker 1>you jumped, leaned, dodged, duct or otherwise moved around. There

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<v Speaker 1>was no need for a controller, Your actions were the controller. Initially,

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<v Speaker 1>the Connect was extremely popular. It's sold like hotcakes, and

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<v Speaker 1>by that I mean Microsoft sold an average of one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred thirty three thousand, three hundred thirty three units per

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<v Speaker 1>day for the first sixty days the device became available

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<v Speaker 1>in the United Kingdom, which was fast enough for the

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<v Speaker 1>Guinness Book of World Records to declare it the fastest

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<v Speaker 1>selling gaming peripheral of all time at that point. Anyway,

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<v Speaker 1>hackers particularly like the Connect. The early Connect was relatively

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<v Speaker 1>easy to hack, and the capabilities of the device meant

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<v Speaker 1>you could create a lot of interesting potential applications. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>hackers took the hardware and turned it into a cheap

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<v Speaker 1>three D scanner. The depth sensing technology of the optics

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<v Speaker 1>meant you could scan a three dimensional object and create

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<v Speaker 1>a virtual representation of it pretty handily with the right

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<v Speaker 1>hacks and software. The CONNECTS sensor also allowed for interesting

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<v Speaker 1>applications in the field of robotics. Vision is a tricky

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<v Speaker 1>thing to incorporate in robots. The Connects sensors allowed roboticists

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<v Speaker 1>to design systems that could more accurately survey an environment

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<v Speaker 1>and navigate around it. My favorite hack using a connect

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<v Speaker 1>was for a robotic trash can minorro carrata. An engineer

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<v Speaker 1>used a connect sensor mounted to a wall to track

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<v Speaker 1>the trajectory of a throne piece of rubbish. A trash

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<v Speaker 1>can mounted on a small motorized wheeled platform would receive

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<v Speaker 1>instructions on where to move in order to intercept the

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<v Speaker 1>rubbish as it fell to the ground. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>clever display of what the connect could do when paired

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<v Speaker 1>with the right software. Upon the launch of the Xbox One,

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<v Speaker 1>Microsoft revamped the connect. One of the big changes made

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<v Speaker 1>it much more challenging for hackers to take advantage of

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<v Speaker 1>the hardware. This was a disappointing blow to the hacking community.

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<v Speaker 1>Microsoft had been waffling on whether the company wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>encourage or discourage hackers from meddling with the Connect. The

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<v Speaker 1>Xbox One implementation seemed to indicate the company had cited

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<v Speaker 1>against hackers. That didn't stop the hacking community. However, Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>on the mainstream front, Microsoft was having trouble making the

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<v Speaker 1>Connect appear relevant. The hardware simply didn't have enough compelling uses.

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<v Speaker 1>The games made for the Connect were largely viewed as

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<v Speaker 1>interesting curiosities but not must play titles, and using the

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<v Speaker 1>Connect to navigate through the Xbox ecosystem wasn't universally except

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<v Speaker 1>Since the original Connect went on sale in twenty Microsoft

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<v Speaker 1>sold about thirty five million units, and while it was

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<v Speaker 1>originally bundled with the Xbox One, customers balked at paying

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<v Speaker 1>the premium price for a peripheral that had yet convinced

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<v Speaker 1>the public that it was a must have accessory. Microsoft

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<v Speaker 1>conceded by offering the Xbox One for sale without the Connect.

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<v Speaker 1>The demise of the Connect wasn't quick or unexpected. Microsoft

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<v Speaker 1>had largely been withdrawing support for the device over the

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<v Speaker 1>last couple of years. When the company introduced the Xbox

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<v Speaker 1>one S, one of the notable features missing from the

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<v Speaker 1>new console was the dedicated Connect port. This seemed to

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<v Speaker 1>be an admission from Microsoft that the Connects days were

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<v Speaker 1>coming to an end. That admission is now official, as

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<v Speaker 1>Microsoft representatives confirmed with the news outlet Fast Code Design

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<v Speaker 1>that manufacturing of the connect has ended. The company will

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<v Speaker 1>continue supporting the Connect, but no further development is expected.

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<v Speaker 1>While the sensor may have ultimately been a failure as

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<v Speaker 1>an Xbox peripheral, the technology has found its way to

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<v Speaker 1>other products. The Microsoft Hollow Lens is an example. The

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<v Speaker 1>a R headset uses some of the same technologies found

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<v Speaker 1>in the Connect, and you can find features similar to

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<v Speaker 1>the Connects facial recognition system and products like the iPhone

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<v Speaker 1>eight and ten handsets. So while the form factor may

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<v Speaker 1>be dead, the tech lives on. To learn more about sensors,

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<v Speaker 1>game consoles, augmented reality, and everything else tech, subscribe to

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<v Speaker 1>the tech Stuff podcast. I explore tech topics in greater

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<v Speaker 1>detail and share with you what really makes them work.

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<v Speaker 1>That's all for today. I'll see you again soon.