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Microsoft set to release Kinect for Windows SDK

By Barry Collins

Posted on 16 Jun 2011 at 09:22

The prospect of controlling PCs with gestures and voice commands edges a step closer to reality today, with the release of an SDK for Kinect on Windows.

Microsoft's wireless controller has been an enormous hit on the company's Xbox 360 consoles. Having originally been opposed to third parties developing their own applications for Kinect, Microsoft has subsequently embraced the developer community.

Later today, the company is expected to announce the first beta of an SDK for Kinect on Windows, bringing the wireless controller's capabilities to the PC.

The SDK will offer support for tracking up to two people within the Kinect's field of vision and integration with the Windows speech recognition API, according to a report on WinRumors.

Although voice and gesture controls are unlikely to have much impact on day-to-day computing, they could come into their own for gaming and control of media centre PCs.

Unofficial "Kinect hacks" have already resulted in a menagerie of applications for the wireless controller, including virtual surgery aids, art installations and real-time motion capture video.

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User comments

I can't wait to have a go

By TimoGunt on 16 Jun 2011

PVR anyone?

I would love to have this on a PVR where you can use gestures and voice to control your viewing and web use on the TV.

By skarlock on 16 Jun 2011

Game Changer (sic)

This is one device that might significantly change the way we use PCs and thus maintain a solid reason for persisting with Wintel technology.

By milliganp on 16 Jun 2011

Robots as well

It's already revolutionised the field of robotics research where the Kinect can replace incredibly expensive sensor technology that was previously required. Maybe we will soon have domestic robots around the home?

By skarlock on 16 Jun 2011

As a gaming device I'm not interested.

The potential for this device elsewhere however I am.

If someone could turn this into a cheap motion capture unit so it become (relatively) easy to develop new animations for the source SDK, etc. I may just buy one.

By tech3475 on 16 Jun 2011

@milliganp

It is reasonable to assume that the SDK will be updated to support Arm processors once Windows 8 is released.

By tirons1 on 16 Jun 2011

Every one looked at me and thought I was crazy waving my arms around in the ICT office. Then I told them I was using connect to run some diagnostics..........

By Kayo123 on 16 Jun 2011

It's nice to see that something developed here in the UK is such a success. It's just a pity that the media in this Country show absolutely no interest in the engineering behind products like this.
Surely PcPro could interview the personnel at Microsoft Research in Cambridge for the story behind this.

By Ex_Sailor on 16 Jun 2011