Kinect for Windows arrives

GAMING TECHNOLOGY VENDOR Microsoft has lived up to its promise to deliver Kinect for Windows on 1 February.

The release was promised by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at CES last month, and Ballmer does not look like a man that you want to let down. The software development kit (SDK) for Kinect for Windows is available now, and the hardware is waiting to leave factories. It has an estimated retail price of $249.

Craig Eisler, GM of Kinect for Windows at Microsoft, said that there are a number of improvements to the software since the second beta was made available. These improvements will likely lend themselves to the sort of medical research and teaching that perhaps Kinect best suits.

So, for example, four Kinect sensors can be plugged into the same computer, while skeletal tracking has been improved. A new near mode improves visibility, and lets the Kinect depth camera see objects just 40cm in front of it.

The Kinect can also hear better from further away, and has improved speech recognition features. A full list of improvements is available from Microsoft.

"Shipping Kinect for Windows was another cross-Microsoft effort: not only did the hardware and software teams work closely together to create an integrated solution, but our support, manufacturing, supply chain, reverse logistics, and account teams have all been working hard to prepare for today's launch," said Eisler.

"As well, our research, speech, and Xbox NUI teams have contributed to making Kinect for Windows a better product."

Eisler promised that updates to the SDK and runtime will be released two or three times a year, adding that the team is already working on its next release. µ