How a bunch of hackers freed the Kinect from the Xbox
TL;DR
Microsoft's Kinect failed as a gaming device but became revolutionary in robotics, adult entertainment, and ghost hunting. Hackers freed it from the Xbox, unlocking its potential beyond gaming.
In 2010, when Microsoft unveiled the Kinect, it pitched the camera as a revolutionary new gaming device. Swing an imaginary lightsaber and that would be translated onscreen. Throw a football and it would be caught on your TV. Fifteen years later, we know the Kinect as an expensive failure. Microsoft overestimated the demand for playing games with your body. But the Kinect did still turn out to be revolutionary - just not for gaming.
Now, we understand the Kinect is anything but a gaming device. It became a robotics game changer, enjoyed a brief dalliance with pornography, and is now upsold as a ghost hunting toy. None of which would have be …