Microsoft Corporation (Public, NASDAQ:MSFT) has announced on the Kinect for Windows blog that a PC specific version of the Kinect motion sensor hardware will be released this coming Spring.
The PC version will be more advanced that the older Xbox 360 version. Most importantly, the PC Kinect will have a “near mode”, which will allow the device to track objects as close as 50cm away, “with graceful degradation down to 40 centimeters,” which is in stark contrast to the original Kinect’s 1.8m requirement.
The PC Kinect hardware will also feature a shorter USB cable, as well as “a small dongle to improve coexistence with other USB peripherals.” In addition, Microsoft will be offering dev support for the camera, as well as updates to the device’s speech and tracking software.
One must wonder if this means a better Xbox 360 Kinect sensor will be released. The price of the PC Kinect has yet to be announced as well.
Jonah Falcon is a blogger for TMRzoo and GameStooge.com and covers all gaming consoles and platforms including Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP and computer games designed for Mac OS, Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems. Jonah provides his readers with reviews, previews, release dates and up to date gaming industry news, trailers and rumors.
