Microsoft originally designed its Kinect controller as a way to play Xbox 360 games via gesture and spoken words. Launched in Nov. 2010, the device (shown below with the Xbox) features an RGB camera, a multi-array microphone, and an infrared depth sensor.
Microsoft's Kinect

As we review later in this story, the company announced Nov. 4 that the Kinect would be able to work with Windows 8 (and Windows 7, too), thanks to a revised software development kit (SDK). It also said it would modify the Kinect hardware to make the controller more suitable as a PC peripheral.

Back in November, Craig Eisler, general manager for Kinect for Windows, didn't say whether the revisions would be confined to a specific SKU, or rolled out to all Kinects the company manufactures. However, he did detail the following hardware enhancements:

• new firmware allowing the depth camera to see "as close as 50 centimeters [about 20 inches] in front of the device without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation down to 40 centimeters"
  
  
• a shorter USB cable, "to ensure reliability across a broad range of computers"
  
  
• and a dongle "to improve co-existence with other USB peripherals"

Via a Jan. 9 blog posting, Eisler confirmed all the above, but added that the Windows-specific goodies would be offered only in a special Kinect SKU priced at $249. Available in "limited quantities" on Feb. 1, it will be offered "later this year" to qualified educational users for $149.

Eisler added, "We have chosen a hardware-only business model for Kinect for Windows, which means that we will not be charging for the SDK or the runtime; these will be available free to developers and end-users respectively. As an independent developer, IT manager, systems integrator, or ISV, you can innovate with confidence knowing that you will not pay license fees for the Kinect for Windows software or the ongoing software updates."

Apparently recognizing that some may cavil at the relatively high price of Kinect for Windows, Eisler noted that the Kinect for XBox 360 is subsidized by Kinect game purchases, Xbox Live subscriptions, and other transactions. Non-commercial developers may keep using the cheaper hardware, but only with the beta SDK, and only until June 16, 2016, he added.

As this analysis by Wired points out, the Kinect for Windows strategy is an unusual example of Microsoft building a business around an open hardware model. But, author Tim Carmody adds, it risks fragmenting the developer community and creating licensing enforcement issues.

According to Wired, even noncommercial projects aren't licensed to use software other than Microsoft's official commercial SDK to write code for the newly enhanced Kinect for Windows. Still, hackers are poised to create open source drivers for the hardware as soon as it ships, the story adds.

Background

In February, Microsoft noted that the "Kinect for Xbox 360 and the potential seen within its core technology have captured the imaginations of the academic research and enthusiast communities," and June 16 saw the release of a Kinect for Windows SDK (software development kit) beta. In September, Redmond followed up with a public beta of Robotics Developer Studio 4, software that allows the Kinect to act as the eyes and ears of robots.

Since then, the company unveiled both a Kinect for Windows website and a Beta 2 release of the hobbyist SDK. A key enhancements in the latter is support for the Windows 8 Developer Preview edition that the company released in September.

Microsoft describes its Kinect for Windows SDK v1.0 Beta 2 as including drivers, rich APIs for raw sensor streams and human motion tracking, installation documents, and resource materials. It provides Kinect capabilities to developers who build applications with C++, C#, or Visual Basic by using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, the company adds.

Microsoft had signaled for some time that it intended to use advances in 3D sensing for products outside the gaming arena. In late 2010, it acquired Canesta, a maker of 3D-image sensor chips and camera modules that can be embedded in a variety of consumer products, including laptops and vehicle dashboards.

There is little question that within the next decade we will see natural user interfaces become common for input across all devices," Jim Spare, president and CEO of Canesta, wrote in an Oct. 29, 2010, statement posted on the startup's website. "With Microsoft's breadth of scope from enterprise to consumer products, market presence, and commitment to NUI, we are confident that our technology will see wide adoption across many applications that embody the full potential of the technology."

This promotional video showcases the "Kinect Effect"
(click to play)

Further information

Downloads of non-commercial the Kinect for Windows SDK v1.0 Beta 2 are offered, in both 32- and 64-bit versions, on the Microsoft Download Center. The Kinect for Windows hardware, with new commercial SDK, will be available Feb. 1 and may be pre-ordered on this Amazon product page.

System requirements are a computer with a dual-core, 2.66GHz (or faster) processor; a Windows 7-compatible graphics card with support for DirectX 9.0c capabilities, and 2GB of RAM. Required software includes Windows 8 Developer Preview Edition or Windows 7, Visual Studio 2010 Express (or other 2010 edition), and Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0.

Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense.

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• Kinect controller now supports Windows 8
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• Kinect SDK for Windows is downloadable now
• Free tools let Kinect control Windows-powered robots
• Microsoft to acquire Canesta, 3D tech patents
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