The Israel-based company made the 3D sensor technology in Microsoft’s Kinect

Nov 25, 2013 07:18 GMT  ·  By

An Apple spokesperson has confirmed to the press that PrimeSense has been acquired by the Cupertino giant for an undisclosed sum. Sources say the buyout price was around $360 million, or around €266 million.

Responsible for the depth sensors used by the Microsoft Kinect to capture gamers’ movements, PrimeSense has long been on Apple’s radar.

The two companies have been actively discussing the terms of the buyout for some time, and finalized the deal last week.

All Things D managed to squeeze out the standard (vague) confirmation from Apple via spokeswoman Kristin Huguet, who told the publication, “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”

PrimeSense is known to have raised over $80 million / €59 million in funding from various investment firms.

After developing and perfecting the 3D-motion sensing technology behind the Kinect, PrimeSense reportedly “expanded its product line to include more hardware than the original large, stationary sensor seen in the Kinect, creating new, smaller sensors targeted at more compact devices.”

These new sensors would make a good addition to the rumored iWatch that Apple is said to be developing. A future Apple TV upgrade, complete with a screen and advanced underlying software, could also benefit from the camera sensors.

Should Apple open its Apple TV platform to the multitude of games available on the iOS and Mac App Stores, the company would essentially offer a complete media center with state-of-the-art media playback and gaming capabilities.

PrimeSense is not the only Israeli-based company acquired by Apple this year. After paying a reported sum of $500 million (or around €370 million), the Cupertino giant secured rights to use some high-performance flash memory chips in its computers.

It is unclear if Apple has started picking the fruits from its Anobit acquisition.