Are you looking for a simple way to use Kinect for Xbox One with your Windows 8.1 PC or tablet? Well, Microsoft is now selling an adapter kit for $49, which give users the ability to use the Xbox One edition of the Kinect sensor with their Windows PCs and tablets. The adapter requires a USB 3.0 port to function properly, and doesn’t work with Kinect for Xbox 360.
The software giant mentioned the adapter kit is available in over two dozen countries across the globe. It’s also expected to make it’s way to 41 more countries in the coming weeks so Xbox One with Kinect users can make the most of the sensor. Kinect for Windows sensor v2, which doesn’t require the adapter kit, comes with a $199 price tag, and comes with a similar sensor as Xbox One, but it’s designed to work with Windows-based machines.
It’s not just the Kinect for Windows sensor, Microsoft also released Kinect SDK 2.0 which allows developers to create Kinect apps for Windows for the first time. Developers can develop the apps, and submit it in the Windows Phone store. The new SDK comes with over 200 improvements and updates, which also includes enhancements to Visual Gesture Builder, Kinect Studio, and Kinect Fusion.
Microsoft said in a blog post,
With over 200 improvements and updates to the SDK since we released the public preview in June, including enhancements to Visual Gesture Builder, Kinect Studio, and Kinect Fusion, we get you coding faster with a substantially more stable and feature-rich product.
The update is available as a free download, and there are no fees for runtime licenses of commercial applications developed with the SDK.
This will definitely be helpful for a number of users who want to use Kinect with their apps. It’s good to see Microsoft working with developers to create Windows-specific Kinect apps, but it would be better if they can make a universal adapter kit which works with both Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
