Xbox news recap: Microsoft stops production of Kinect, Original Xbox Backward Compatibility launches and more

Welcome to our weekly Xbox news recap series, where we go over the top stories of the past week in the world of Xbox. Let’s get started.

Microsoft stops production of the Kinect

The Kinect was never a success – not in the way that Microsoft had been going for, anyways. While it found a niche for use with some small subset of experimental artists, and the Kinect technology found a lot of use in future products, the gaming peripheral was one of Microsoft’s biggest flops. Finally, Microsoft is giving up on the peripheral, ceasing all production. The Xbox One will continue to support the Kinect, but Microsoft isn’t going to try to push this device off shelves anymore.

Original Xbox Backward Compatibility is here

We’ve been waiting for this one since the launch of the Xbox One, and it’s here. You can now buy and play original Xbox games on the Xbox One. Games available at launch include Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Fusion Frenzy, Red Faction 2, Psychonauts, and more. Like the Xbox 360 Backward Compatibility, you can expect more titles to be added to the list of games that are supported. These original Xbox games are mostly going for $10 a pop, so they’re an affordable trip down memory lane for gamers that are interested.

ID@Xbox has generated more than $500 million

ID@Xbox, Microsoft’s push to give indie developers the means to produce better games, has been a huge success. The program has now collectively made $500 million after 4 years, marking up a sizable chunk of Xbox revenue. After the sudden plummet of public opinion that happened after Microsoft fumbled the announcement of the Xbox One, the ID@Xbox program was instrumental in helping to turn public opinion back towards the Xbox team, and show that they had the gamers’ best interests at heart.

Microsoft opens the “Stay n’ Play” mini hotel experience

Can’t show up to PAX this year, but live in the Sydney area? You may have caught wind of the “Stay n’ Play” mini hotel experience. This “hotel” is going on between November 3rd and November 5th, and gives people a chance to stay the night and play with the Xbox One X. The experience is complete with 4K TV’s, a nice sound system, and – most importantly – an Xbox Onesie to take home with you and brag about to your friends.

Thanks for joining us. To keep up to date with all the latest Xbox news, keep a close eye on our Xbox One tag.