Microsoft has clearly made what its priorities are during its announcements at the recently held E3 2015, and Kinect isn't one of them.
Does this mean that Microsoft is completely abandoning Kinect to focus on its future update for the Xbox One, HoloLens, Oculus Rift, among others?
Not really, because there are games slated for Kinect, according to Microsoft Game Studios Publishing Head Shannon Loftis. The Verge reported that during an interview in E3 2015, Loftis reassured that Microsoft is not letting go of Kinect, but it opted not to announce the Kinect games to highlight its plan of making Xbox One backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games.
Loftis revealed in an interview that there are unannounced Kinect titles in development. Those titles, according to Loftis, are both currently in the works internally and at third-party studios. It will also come to Windows 10.
But even if Kinect games are in the works, Microsoft seems to be keen on completely removing Kinect from the Xbox One ecosystem. Yes, Microsoft's backwards compatibility plan will not apply to Kinect titles because accessories or peripherals released for 360 will not be necessary to play 360 games on Xbox One. In other words, Microsoft will simply simulate Xbox 360 software.
Even if Microsoft had considered Kinect as an integral part of the initial Xbox One ecosystem, Microsoft had proven later on that it wasn't much of a blow to remove the device from the Xbox One bundle. In fact, it was the opposite that happened: Xbox One started to improve its sales and eventually pulled ahead the PS4 in the NPD charts in several occasions.
Add to that lack of compelling Kinect titles that can make gamers hooked and left wanting for more. Aside from Harmonix's Dance Central series, many Kinect games are mediocre in quality making gamers less satisfied.
Considering that Kinect Xbox One is more advanced than the Xbox 360, it's still a surprised for many to hear that it won't be backward compatible. Microsoft's Xbox One compatibility with Xbox 360 will be released later this year, but Xbox One Preview members already have access to its functionality.
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