Xbox One S Tip: Get Your Free USB Adapter for Kinect

Xbox One S Tip: Get Your Free USB Adapter for Kinect

The Xbox One S isn’t even shipping until the end of August, but it’s never too early to start planning. And those upgrading from the original Xbox One to the new console will want to know how to get a free USB adapter that will let them use their current Kinect Sensor with the Xbox One S.

As you may know, the original Xbox One includes a special, proprietary Kinect port, which of course is used to connect the Kinect Sensor to the console. But Microsoft removed this special port from the new Xbox One S to help keep the smaller console’s size down. This works because Microsoft previously created a USB-based Xbox Kinect Adapter for Windows PCs: The same adapter works with Xbox One S, which has three USB ports.

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The problem, of course, is that the Kinect Adapter for Windows costs $50. Fortunately, Microsoft will be providing the renamed Xbox Kinect Adapter to Xbox One S users for free.

There are of course caveats.

First, not all Xbox One S owners will get the Xbox Kinect Adapter for free: It is being offered for free only to those customers who own the original Xbox One console, an Xbox One Kinect, and an Xbox One S console. (It’s not just included in the box with Xbox One S.)

Second, you can’t actually get the free adapter now. Instead, you need to wait for your Xbox One S to arrive. Then, you can visit this Xbox Support page and request one from Microsoft.

And … it’s a fairly convoluted set up, as it is on Windows PCs.

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But as Microsoft notes, it pays to be ready: Be sure to register your existing Xbox One console and Xbox One Kinect now, so they’re in the system. Then, you’ll only need to register the Xbox One S when it arrives so you can get the adapter.

You can register your Xbox devices—and other Microsoft hardware like Surface—from the Microsoft Device Support web site. This is a good time to check to ensure that all of your devices are registered.

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