Kinect for Windows Launched Today

Well it’s now official. There is a true Kinect designed specifically to work with Windows, ending the necessity of actually “hacking” the Xbox 360 version as many have already. Or at least that is what Microsoft hopes will happen. The motion tracker was released today, along with a new version of the SDK that will surely be the bible for integrating it into a wide range of applications.

Microsoft has priced the Kinect, as we noted before at $250, which is still making a few people cringe, especially since their feeble attempts at a justification weren’t very convincing, but they did finally settle on one that many had not considered before and one that actually makes sense. When people buy an Xbox 360, they usually buy games (many from MS), shop at the Xbox Live Marketplace, buy subscriptions, etc. In other words, MS has a ton of money coming in from other avenues to support lowering the price of the Kinect. The PC doesn’t really have that. Short of the operating system and business software like Office, there isn’t a whole market built up like there is for the game consoles. And thus, they say that was the need to add $100 to the price. Of course, I still think the camera being that much better than its predecessor would have been a far better reason.


And what about the camera? Well obviously no one really sits 6-8 feet from their monitor and keyboard like they do when they are playing a game. And even that requirement was a bit of a strain for some who looked for solutions like the Nyko Zoom to give the Kinect “glasses”. The version for Windows can see motions from as close as 16 inches, which is a major improvement indeed. At least with this one, I won’t have to move my couch every time I want to sit down at my PC for some Minority Report type browsing.

What comes next is anyone’s guess, although I’m quite sure we are going to see a ton of new “hacks” for the Kinect for Windows. Microsoft is certainly hoping that the community will embrace this new version and use it to its utmost. The new and free SDK is now licensed for commercial use, but only under Windows boxes, and there will be a required check to be sure. Linux users will be out of luck when it comes to joining the money making fun. MS says that that Linux developers will still be able to use the Xbox 360 SDK for non-commercial apps, but I’m sure that will not sit well with many. Of course, it’s not clear how much say Microsoft will actually have if the open source community releases a new set of drivers and front end processor (SDK) of their own like they did with the Xbox version originally. But that will be surely left up to the legal eagles.

Either way, the future just got a bit brighter for the Kinect. How bright? Let the games begin.

The Kinect for Windows is available today from Amazon.com and other online retailers.