10 Ambitious Video Game Gimmicks That BOMBED

Microsoft launched the Kinect motion sensor camera in 2010 for the Xbox 360, hoping to compete with the Wii's enormously successful motion controls and capture a sizable slice of the market.

Kinect was a huge seller upon launch, shifting 10 million units within months of its release, and was moderately well-received by critics despite the frustrating lack of compelling software released for the platform.

For the 2013 release of the Xbox One, Microsoft came up with a next-generation Kinect, typically nicknamed Kinect 2.0, which would feature more complex and nuanced motion-sensing tech.

The Kinect 2.0's trouble began when Microsoft announced that it would need to be plugged into the Xbox One at all times, inviting concerns about privacy and the simple fact that not everyone wants a camera mounted in their living room while playing.

Microsoft eventually backtracked due to the huge public outcry during an already gaffe-filled Xbox One launch, and though Kinect 2.0 was still bundled with the console on release, it wasn't too long before they were quietly phased out, with later Xbox One models ditching the Kinect port entirely.

With little public interest in the new Kinect or its meager smattering of software, it was discontinued in late 2017. As impressive as the tech undeniably was, Microsoft simply failed to capture the public's imagination with it.