Following on for the announcement of the Kinect for Windows commercial program a few weeks back. Microsoft has this week announced it is currently developing new Kinect hardware device specifically designed for Windows. Which Microsoft hopes to launch in early 2012.
Microsoft explains they are currently building on the existing Kinect for Xbox 360 and are tweaking the firmware and hardware components to more closely work with Windows computers.
Once released early next year the new Kinect hardware and Software Development Kit (SDK) and runtime, is aiming to provide developers and Microsoft customers with the features and functionality that they have been requesting.
These include : “shortening the USB cable to ensure reliability across a broad range of computers and the inclusion of a small dongle to improve coexistence with other USB peripherals and new firmware which enables the depth camera to see objects as close as 50 centimeters in front of the device without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation down to 40 centimeters.” explains Microsoft.
More information about the new Kinect hardware currently being developed by Microsoft can be found on Microsoft’s website.
Source: Microsoft