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These Kinect apps now available for Windows 8 and 8.1
Microsoft Kinect’s Alex Kipman
Microsoft Corp. has just come up with a new fixture for Windows 8 and 8.1, reiterating the software giant’s desire to unify its platforms. Xbox One owners with a Kinect will now be able to connect to their PC or tablet with a new adapter, for what we think is the pretty lean price of $49.99. What’s more, developers can now use the Widows Store to release Kinect apps using the Widows software development kit 2.0.
Scott Evans, the partner director of program management in Microsoft’s Operating System Group, explained that Microsoft’s Xbox One sensor goes for $149.99, while Kinect for Windows is $199.99. This means consumers can now have the Xbox One with the adapter for the same price as the Kinect for Windows sensor. Evans goes on to say that the new development is “super-accessible” from a consumer’s point of view, and that connecting the Xbox One to your PC using the new adapter, will be “seamless”.
The adapter won’t make it possible for Xbox One users to play games on their PCs. However, Microsoft is allowing developers to deploy Kinect-enabled Windows apps in the Windows Store. Alex Kipman of Microsoft wrote about the new development in a blog post yesterday:
“This was a frequent request from the community and we are delighted to enable you to bring more personal computing experiences that feature gesture control, body tracking, and object recognition to Windows customers around the world. Access to the Windows Store opens a whole new marketplace for business and consumer experiences.”
Already available in the Windows Store are the following Kinect for Windows apps:
• YAKiT: An app from Seattle startup Freak n’ Genius that allows people without design expertise to animate 2D or 3D characters in real time.
• Nayi Disha: Series of interactive apps for early childhood education that gets kids up on their feet and learning through movement.
• 3D Builder: An app that enables anyone to scan a person or object, turn it into a 3D model, and create a 3D print of that model.
Image via Microsoft
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