Ever wished you could use your Kinect with your Windows PC rather than just your XBox? Well, Microsoft will now let you do that. Microsoft has announced it will be selling an adapter which will let users connect their Windows machines running on version 8 and above, to a Kinect.
Microsoft is making available a $49.00 (Rs.3000.00) adapter kit that will allow Kinect for Xbox One sensors available for use with Windows 8/8.1 PCs and tablets.
Apps galore
It has also announced that it is for the very first time, allowing Kinect Apps for Windows to be sold on the Windows App Store. The first of those commercially available apps are available today, including Nayi Disha, a series of interactive apps for early childhood education; YAKiT, a 2D/3D character design app; and Microsoft's own 3D Builder, which allows users to scan people or objects and create a 3D print of that model.
No backwards compatibility
Sadly, this adapter will only work for the new Kinect. So users who thought they could use the Kinect they bought with their XBox 360 are out of luck. It requires a USB 3.0 port to work, which rules the older Kinect out of the picture.
The adapter is set to be sold in the coming weeks in 41 countries. The current Kinect for Windows sensor v2 (which doesn't require the $49.00 adapter kit) is available for $199.99 (Rs.12000.00) which is a tad expensive.
Version 1 of the Kinect for Windows sensor looked like the Kinect for Xbox sensor, but was designed to work at closer range and to work with Windows 7/8/8.1 PCs. The second version of the Kinect for Windows sensor, also designed to work at close range, works only with Windows 8 and 8.1.
Microsoft also is making its Kinect for Windows software development kit (SDK) 2.0 is available today which you can download from here. There are no fees for runtime licenses of commercial applications developed with the SDK.
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