The new edition of the device is designed just for the PC

Jan 10, 2012 07:35 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has confirmed that it will finally release a special edition of its Kinect sensor, designed specifically for the Windows operating system, which will cost more than the regular edition made for the Xbox 360.

Microsoft’s Kinect has been a pretty big success, at least considering sales figures or the amount of games that have appeared with support for the device on the Xbox 360.

Last year, however, the company finally started talking about its Kinect for Windows initiative, after hobbyists and small developers started using the device on the PC to control all sorts of things, from games to applications.

Now, after deploying the Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit last year, which allowed drivers and tools to make creating applications much easier, the company has now announced when the special Kinect for Windows edition of the sensor is going to be released.

In case you’re wondering what’s so special about this version of the peripheral, Microsoft already highlighted its features and changes last year, so check them out below.

“Simple changes include shortening the USB cable to ensure reliability across a broad range of computers and the inclusion of a small dongle to improve coexistence with other USB peripherals,” the company said.

“Of particular interest to developers will be the new firmware which enables the depth camera to see objects as close as 50 centimeters in front of the device without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation down to 40 centimeters. “Near Mode” will enable a whole new class of “close up” applications, beyond the living room scenarios for Kinect for Xbox 360.”

This new edition of the sensor is steeper priced, however. While the regular Kinect, which can be used both on the Xbox 360 and the PC, costs around $150 (around €117), the Kinect for Windows version is priced at $250 (€195).

Potential customers shouldn’t expect to use this version of the sensor on an Xbox 360 console, however, as the Kinect for Windows works only on computers that are running the software development kit.

The Kinect for Windows sensor will be released on February 1.