Microsoft Kinect SDK Beta 2 Includes Windows 8 Support

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Microsoft has rolled out an update to the Kinect software development kit, which now includes support for Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 platform. The Beta 2 update is meant for non-commerical, academic use by enthusiasts and hobbyists who wish to build Windows apps for Kinect.

Microsoft’s Kinect technology is going far beyond gaming. The Kinect for Windows SDK enables developers to build applications that take advantage of the motion-sensing technologies in various applications, such as manipulating content on a computer. The company actually has two versions of its SDK — one for commercial developers and another for enthusiasts or hobbyists.

Microsoft has updated its enthusiast version of the Kinect for Windows SDK to Beta 2, which includes support for the Windows 8 Developer Preview that was released in September. With this update, hobbyists can now build and test apps on both Windows 7 and Windows 8 preview as a Desktop Application.

Developing Kinect enabled applications is essentially the same as developing other Windows applications, except that this SDK provides support for the features of the Kinect sensor (color images, depth images, audio, skeletal data, etc.).

The new Kinect for Windows SDK also comes with the following features, aside from Windows 8 support.

• Improvements to skeletal tracking, which includes multithreading/multi-core support and faster skeletal frame delivery;
• Improved accuracy;
• When using 2 Kinects at the same time, developers can now define which one will be used for skeletal tracking;
• New API support for managing device status changes, such as plugging, unplugging, and power;
• 64-bit support;
• New C# sample: KinectAudioDemo.

The enthusiast version of the Kinect for Windows SDK comes with a custom Microsoft academic license, which means users can build apps for non-commercial purposes. A commercial version of the SDK will be available by early 2012. With this update, can we expect more Windows apps to come with motion-sensing support? Will we be able to manipulate our computers using simple gestures?