14 DAY TRIAL // For the time being, Kinect is limited to Xbox 360 but there’s really no reason for the sensor to be focused exclusively on Microsoft’s console.
In fact, it simply makes sense to have Kinect also offered for Windows, especially as the Redmond company pushed its OS to new paradigms of computing in which entire rooms and not just PCs are the computer.
After all, immersive 3D computing environments need to start somewhere, and Kinect is a good a place as any, but the software giant should not linger in its decision to port Kinect to all flavors of Windows.
As far as the evolution of technology is concerned, sooner is better, and Microsoft which is currently at the avant-garde of the controller free computing experiences can act now to stay at the top of the game.
Make no mistake about it, the controller-free space is not going to have the software giant as the sole exponent for much longer. Rival products are coming.
Panasonic’s D-Imager is just one example, but a device that it is clearly targeted to hook into computers rather than into gaming consoles.
With Windows 8 in the making and still far enough that anything is possible, Microsoft has a great opportunity to take the PC to the next level, and expand it to an immersive 3D computing experience.
That’s not to say that the software giant will actually manage to pull it off in time, but the company is certainly exploring such scenarios.
Over 1 billion Windows PCs
While the holiday season and the associated shopping sprees are helping out considerably, Kinect for Xbox 360 is selling at the rate of 100,000 units per day.
In just 25 days, the Redmond company pushed over 2.5 million sensors. But of course, the actual number of Xbox 360 owners is nothing more than insignificant compared to that of Windows users.
There are over 1 billion Windows machines running worldwide. Need I say more?
Kinect for all flavors of Windows
I do believe that offering Kinect for Xbox was a better choice for Microsoft, compared to having the peripheral debuting for Windows instead.
Windows already sports its fair share of Natural User Interface (NUI) interaction models from multi-touch to voice, but users have yet to truly fall in love with any of them.
Instead, the decision to offer Kinect exclusively for Xbox 360 will serve to feed the hunger of Windows users for new NUI peripherals, beyond the aging mouse and keyboard, which offer an extremely limited experience in terms of human-computer interaction.
But when I’m saying that Kinect should come to Windows, I don’t necessarily mean only the Windows client.
Embedded devices, cars, smart displays, interactive advertising billboards, digital signs and mirrors, intelligent security systems, etc., anything that can be powered by a variant of Windows could also use a new interaction model that makes existing UI paradigms look obsolete.
Because Kinect is not just about gesture control, it’s about facial and body recognition, it’s about being aware of the user’s environment in a way that no other sensor is capable today.
Gaming and then some
The intimate connection established between Kinect and the Xbox 360 console puts the focus on new gaming experiences ahead of anything else. But the NUI peripheral can be tailored to a range of scenarios beyond simply playing games.
Of course, communications is the most obvious choice, from leaving voice messages to engaging in full video conversations via instant messaging, and Kinect does have the power to change the way in which people IM, as users can only do so much with touch.
But also think at remote-free media experiences on TVs hooked to Windows Media Center, much in the same manner as today’s entertainment experiences on the Xbox 360 via Kinect.
Imagine signing up seamlessly into Windows without ever requiring a password, and even a password manager that taps Kinect data to allow customers access into all their accounts, be them on the local computer or in the Cloud.
Kinect could allow users to try on clothes from their favorite online shop while in front of their PC, to interact with smart advertising, to get access to their car, etc.
Whether this will all be possible with Windows 8 it still remains to be seen, but it sure would be a great move from Microsoft, especially if all the recent Kinect hacks are any indication (just a few examples: here, here and here).
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