The release of Kinect for XBox 360 has been well received around the world since it’s release last November. With record breaking sales and users coming up with new ideas for the Kinect, the Kinect has gained the attention of more than just users wanting to use the device on the XBox. With countless videos of users finding ways to use a Kinect with their PC, Microsoft announced in February that they would release an SDK for Windows Developers before the end of Spring.
Wait no longer, today the Microsoft Research Team announced the availability of the Kinect SDK for Windows.
Available with the SDK:
- Drivers
- API’s
- Device Interfaces
- Installer Documents
- Resource Materials
Hardware Requirements:
- Kinect Sensor
- PC with Dual Core 2.66GHZ + Processor
- Windows 7 compatible Graphics Card which supports DirectX 9.0c capabilities
- Minimum 2GB Ram (4GB Recommended)
Software Requirements:
- Windows 7 32Bit(x86) or 64Bit(x64)
- Visual Studio 2010 Express or higher Edition
- Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0
- For Speech: Microsoft Speech Platform Runtime v10.2 (x86), Microsoft Speech Platform Software Development Kit v10.2 (x86) and Kinect for Windows Runtime Language Language Pack v0.9
The team has also been holding a Code Camp for over 24 Hours challenging select Software Developers to use their imagination with the SDK to see what they can come up with. Channel 9 is broadcasting Live today showing off some of the applications they have come up with. There is also a Kinect Project page showing off some of the projects Developers have already created.
With the release of the Kinect SDK and the popularity of the Kinect already displayed, this is sure to boost even more popularity to the Windows Operating System as well!
Links:
Download the SDK 32Bit(x86) and 64Bit(x64) available.
Microsoft Research Kinect Page
Kinect for Windows SDK Documentation
