During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft announced that the Kinect would be available for Windows begining February 1st of this year. On top of that, the price was revealed to be $250, which is $100 more than the Kinect for Xbox.
“We are announcing the Kinect commercial program that goes into effect February 1st and with that organizations and individuals are able to harness the power of the Kinect. We have seen during the last few months that Kinect has inspired people to do and create amazing things. Hospitals using Kinect for rehabilitiation, companies using Kinect in assembly lines, organizations using Kinect to train workforce. And we are seeing a lot of support. Companies like Matel, United Healthcare are using Kinect in fantastic ways. We’re hoping to see that companies and people are going to grab kinect and create amazing things that nobody has ever dreamed of,” Microsoft’s Senior Director of Marketing PR, Jose Pinero stated.
It is obvious that Microsoft has shifted away from the term “Gamer” especially when it related to the Kinect device. This new Kinect for Windows is a way for Microsoft to branch out a bit and offer a unified platform experience. But when asked what gamers had to expect, Pinero explained, “our goal is to bring Xbox LIVE across all Microsoft platforms. And our goal is to put all the entertainment people want at their fingertips. That means having all the entertainment so you can share it with all the people you care about, and making that super easy.”
The Kinect for Windows becomes available beginning February 1st for $250. You can also check out the official Kinect for Windows website here, which includes a download link to the SDK.
