14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will open the Kinect for Windows software development kit to commercial use early next year, the company confirmed just ahead of the 1-year anniversary of its NUI sensor.
There’s no specific launch deadline for the Kinect for Windows commercial program, but the software giant stressed that businesses and professional developers will be able to leverage the Kinect for Windows SDK at the start of 2012.
Come November 4, 2011, Microsoft will celebrate Kinect’s first year on the market, 12 months in which the innovative sensor breathed new life into the company’s console, thanks to its natural user interface capabilities and the new gaming and entertainment experiences it made possible.
Microsoft offered the first taste of the Kinect for Windows SDK in June 2011. But the initial release of the kit was aimed exclusively at academic and enthusiast developers which were limited to leveraging the resources for non-commercial projects only.
Still, even as early as mid-2011, the software giant promised to develop a similar SDK for commercial uses. Microsoft is now making good on that promise.
“To further fuel innovation and imagination, we will offer a Kinect for Windows commercial software developer kit early next year,” revealed Frank X. Shaw, corporate vice president, Corporate Communications, Microsoft.
“We recognize the intense commercial interest in harnessing the capabilities of Kinect, and are working with a wide range of companies and developers to create a great set of tools and APIs. In fact, our commercial pilot program has already received more than 200 applications from top companies in more than 20 countries spanning 25 unique industries, eager to explore the possibilities of Kinect beyond Xbox 360!”
The original version of the non-commercial Kinect for Windows SDK continues to be in Beta development stage, four months after it was released.
It’s important to note that Microsoft introduced a Kinect for Windows SDK Beta Refresh at the start of August 2011, and hinted that additional releases would follow.
Kinect for Windows SDK Beta Refresh is available for download here.