Microsoft Kinect For Windows Along With SDK, Hardware Shipping Begun

As we had previously reported during CES about the launch of #-Link-Snipped-#, Microsoft has made the version 1.0 of SDK and runtime available for download. The hardware has also been started shipping through their distribution partners in twelve countries where it was planned for initial launch.

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The SDK and runtime has been updated with new features since the last release of Beta 2. Some of the key improvements includes

[*]supporting of up to four Kinect sensors in a single computer,
[*]Near Mode for the new hardware which enables the camera to pick up objects as near as 40 centimeters in front of the sensor,
[*]improved skeletal tracking which gives developers the ability to control the tracking of particular user by the sensor,
[*]updated Microsoft Speech component (v11),
[*]updated "far-talk" acoustic model for an accurate speech recognition,
[*]Kinect Explorer, for taking full advantage of the sensor and its capabilities

You can find the full list of latest inclusions in the #-Link-Snipped-# or#-Link-Snipped-#.

Updates to the SDK and runtime will be released two to three times a year to give the developers latest updates and developments in the SDK according to the requirement. The Kinect hardware is now shipping at a retail price of $249 and will be available for $149 at an academic pricing to Qualified Educational Users later this year. On the other had the SDK and runtime is free for download. Head over #-Link-Snipped-# to download the SDK for Kinect for Windows.