Kinect for Windows Fall Roadmap

The Kinect for Windows team has been hard at work this summer, and I have some very exciting developments to share with you regarding our roadmap between now and the end of the year.

On October 8, Kinect for Windows is coming to China. China is a leader in business and technology innovation. We are very excited to make Kinect for Windows available in China so that developers and businesses there can innovate with Kinect for Windows and transform experiences through touch-free solutions.

Kinect for Windows hardware will be available in seven additional markets later this fall: Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Puerto Rico.

In addition to making Kinect for Windows hardware available in eight new markets this fall, we will be releasing an update to the Kinect for Windows runtime and software development kit (SDK) on October 8. This release has numerous new features that deliver additional power to Kinect for Windows developers and business customers. We will share the full details when it’s released on October 8, but in the meantime here are a few highlights:

• Enable businesses to do more with Kinect for Windows
  We are committed to opening up even more opportunities for the creation of new end user experiences. We’ll be adding features such as expanded sensor data access—including color camera settings and extended depth data—to continue to inspire innovative uses of the Kinect for Windows technology in new and different places.
• Improve developer efficiency
  We continue to invest in making our platform easier and more powerful for developers. That’s why we’ll be releasing more tools and samples in October, such as a new sample that demonstrates a “best in class” UI based on the Kinect for Windows Human Interface Guidelines.
• Extend our Windows tools and operating system support
  We want to make it easy for our customers to be able to build and deploy on a variety of Windows platforms. Our October update will include support for Windows 8 desktop applications, Microsoft .NET 4.5, and Microsoft Visual Studio 2012.

It has been a little more than seven months since we first launched Kinect for Windows in 12 markets. By the end of the year, Kinect for Windows will be available in 38 markets and we will have shipped two significant updates to the SDK and runtime beyond the initial release—and this is this just the beginning. Microsoft has had a multi-decade commitment to natural user interface (NUI), and my team and I look forward to continuing to be an important part of that commitment. In coming years, I believe that we will get to experience an exciting new era where computing becomes invisible and all of us will be able to interact intuitively and naturally with the computers around us.

Craig Eisler
General Manager, Kinect for Windows

Key Links

• Kinect for Windows
• Download the Human Interface Guidelines (PDF)
• Download the Kinect for Windows SDK
• Kinect for Windows resellers

Comments

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  Great question, Craig and Takekazu. Kinect for Windows does currently work on the Windows 8 Developer Preview for desktop applications and the update in October will include support for Windows 8 desktop applications. At this time, we don’t have any other details to share but please stay tuned for updates: http://bit.ly/K4WWeb Thank you!

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  Amr, We are looking into availability in your area. Thank you for your patience as we gather some information!

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  Is there any chance Vista support will come in the future?

• Anonymous
  September 04, 2012
  Any chances to see laptops with Kinect sensor already included?

• Anonymous
  September 05, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 06, 2012
  The Kinect for Windows SDK version 1.5, runtime, and sensor are designed to operate on devices running Windows 7, Windows Embedded Standard 7, Windows Embedded POSReady 7, and Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Thanks! http://bit.ly/K4WFAQ

• Anonymous
  September 07, 2012
  Amr, We are told that the reseller should have sensors in 2-3 weeks. Thank you for your patience.

• Anonymous
  September 10, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 12, 2012
  thats realy cool. waiting for the updated tools and samples.

• Anonymous
  September 24, 2012
  Finally Poland! Yeah! ;)

• Anonymous
  November 09, 2012
  Hello Juan, We are still on track to release in Columbia in late fall. Please check on our Facebook page and Twitter feed to stay up to date on releases. Thanks!

• Anonymous
  January 31, 2013
  An intuitive and discrete interacton with the computers around us...an exciting new era indeed.