Though Kinect's sales successes have been m fixed since first introduced with the Xbox 360 back in 2010, the original model released for Windows PC will be seeing its twilight hours in 2015 coming from Microsoft's latest software update for the unit.

In a post on the Kinect for Windows blog, Microsoft confirmed that the company will be discontinuing original Kinect models for Windows PC once the device goes out of stock, with manufacturing to cease this year in favor of the newer hardware based on the Xbox One Kinect sensor.

Following the public release of SDK 2.0 for the Windows Kinect Sensor in October, Microsoft confirmed that the company will discontinue the sensor model this year, with Microsoft specifically mentioning:

"The original Kinect for Windows sensor was a milestone achievement in the world of natural human computing. 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. The original Kinect let preschoolers play educational games by simply moving their arms; it coached patients through physical rehabilitation; it gave shoppers new ways to engage with merchandise and even try on clothes. The list of innovative solutions powered by the original Kinect for Windows goes on and on."

Originally released in February 2012 for Windows PC alongside its original SDK at $249, the original Kinect for Windows model will be discontinued this year with Kinect for Windows v2 taking its place in manufacturing and sales instead.