Microsoft ending original Kinect for Windows sales in 2015

The original Kinect sensor for Windows PC will be phased out in 2015, Microsoft says, as the company focuses on supporting Kinect for Windows v2 — the hardware based on the Xbox One Kinect sensor. Microsoft says no more original Kinect for Windows sensors will be manufactured after the device goes out of stock.

"The original Kinect for Windows sensor was a milestone achievement in the world of natural human computing," the Kinect for Windows team wrote on its blog. "It allowed developers to create solutions that broke through the old barriers of mouse and keyboard interactions, opening up entirely new commercial experiences in multiple industries, including retail, education, healthcare, education, and manufacturing."

Microsoft released the original Kinect for Windows and its software development kit for PC in Feb. 2012. The motion sensing device was originally sold for $249.

Kinect for Windows v2 was released in July priced at $199. The device's  public release and its software development kit (SDK 2.0), were released in October.