Kinect for Windows Launching February 1st, 2012

Microsoft have announced that the new Kinect for Windows hardware and accompanying software will be available on February 1st, 2012 in 12 countries: United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain). The package will be available, on a limited basis at first, through a variety of resellers and distributors and will include a 1 year warranty, access to ongoing software updates for both speech and human tracking, and Microsoft's continued investment in Windows-based research and development. The PC version is set to retail at $249 (£160), over $100 more expensive than the console version, and is more expensive as a reflection of the 360 version's subsidisation through linked sales (of games, LIVE subscriptions and other linked transactions). The long and short of it is that the new Windows version isn't being marketed for a mass consumer market, with an eye on industry and education. Here's the key points of the announcement from the computer giants, as appeared in a blog post by Kinect for Windows general manager Craig Eisler: Kinect for Windows will be a platform that is optimised for scenarios beyond the living room, and delivering new features on an ongoing basis, starting with €œnear mode€, which will allow use at your desk, or in other close proximity environments like in surgery. There is a hardware-only business model for Kinect for Windows: MS will not be charging for the SDK or the runtime; these will be available free to developers and end-users respectively. As an independent developer, an IT manager, a systems integrator, or an ISV, you can innovate with confidence knowing that you will not pay license fees for the Kinect for Windows software or the ongoing software updates, and the Kinect for Windows hardware you and your customers use is supported by Microsoft. Users who have created apps based on the beta SDK and the Kinect for Xbox 360 hardware may continue to develop for a limited period of time on the current Kinect for Xbox 360 hardware using version 1.0 SDK. However, non-commercial deployments that were allowed using the beta 2 SDK are no longer permitted €“ non-commercial deployments, as with commercial deployments, will require the fully tested and supported Kinect for Windows hardware and software platform. Developers who have existing non-commercial deployments using our beta 2 SDK may continue using beta 2 and the Kinect for Xbox 360 hardware, and to accomodate the time of the beta 2 license will be extended from June 16, 2013 for three more years, to June 16, 2016. The combination of Kinect for Windows hardware and software creates a superior development platform for Windows and will yield a higher quality, better performing experience for end users. Special pricing for the Kinect for Windows hardware will be introduced for Qualified Educational Users in the near future. Kinect for Xbox 360 hardware manufactured in the second half of 2012 will only be compatible with the Xbox 360 platform €“ devices manufactured before this change will continue to function with Windows and can be used for internal and non-commercial development as described above. In addition, MS's Kinect for Windows team R&D investments will be focused solely on the Kinect for Windows hardware and software platform once this transition occurs, ensuring the best possible experience through Windows-optimised hardware and software, and allowing for the Xbox 360 platform team to do the same on Xbox. Some key points there, and a grand vision for Kinect for Windows that effectively ratifies what hackers have been doing for some time. We shall see after the February 1st launch date whether the vision takes off...