Microsoft Unveils Kinect For Windows V2

Microsoft has unveiled the final design of Kinect for Window v2. Expectedly, it looks almost exactly like the device that’s bundled with the Xbox One. The only noticeable differences are largely superficial, with the name Kinect adorning the top of the gadget, and it lacking the familiar Xbox One branding on the front.

A lot of folks cried foul with Microsoft included the Kinect hardware with the Xbox One, seeing it as an unnecessary cost. Not many official software applications make good use of its capabilities, but I personally adore the potential the device has. Dance Central and Child of Eden were some of the finest games of the last generation and the upcoming Fantasia: Music Evolved looks to further the motion-controlled, rhythm music-based genre.

When the first version of Kinect hit PCs, developers crafted some clever mods and applications like using the camera to build in-game statues in Minecraft or using it to replicate an active camouflage effect, Predator-style.

Obviously, the tech is what you make of it, but merely having the option of using this newer, more advanced version of Kinect with Windows opens up an exciting amount of possibilities. Kinect for Windows v2 is scheduled to release sometime this summer.