Kinect For Windows Steps Up
On February 1st, Microsoft is releasing Kinect for Windows; a hardware and software package that may really be the start of something big in the area of gesture-based computing interfaces, reminiscent of those seen in the movie "Minority Report".
Kinect for Windows will cost around $250US, with discounts available for schools, libraries and the like which will bring the cost down to that of the Kinect for the Xbox 360 - around $150US. The SDKs and runtimes will be made freely available, so Microsoft is using a hardware business model with Kinect for Windows.
One of the main differences between the Xbox and Windows versions is the support of a "near mode" in the Windows version, where interactions at ranges closer than two feet can be handled. The Xbox version is designed for larger movements at greater distances. So far, eye tracking is not included in the Windows version.
There has been quite a cottage industry on Kinect hacking in the past, with people applying the technology to all kinds of things such as sex games and 3D maps a'la Google Street View. With the new "official" hardware and software, there is a lot of promise for real-world applications in medicine, education and other areas.
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