Kinect for Windows is nothing new, but its primarily development-geared uses have kept the little devices under the radar for most PC users interested in using the tech. The next-generation Kinect will be receiving an receiving the same treatment, and will make its way to the Windows sensor and software development kit next year.
Though one would assume the release of the new Kinect for Windows PCs would solely be for software developers to make use of, it may be possible the Microsoft have bigger plans for the device and Windows 8 users down the line.
The new Kinect’s features are prime for advanced DRM technologies. Voice and face recognition, for one, would be a formidable foe to PC software piracy. The Windows 8 Metro interface would also be the perfect shell for the motion-based control the Kinect provides. It’s difficult to imagine Microsoft haven’t thought of this in their strategy for the struggling operating system.
All of the above conjecture aside, the new model will be available for use in Kinect for Windows in 2014. Whether you choose to be excited over what this could bring to the personal computing space if made into a standard PC peripheral is up to you.
