A recent article from Businessweek discussed how the Kinect has become a “turnaround chance” for Microsoft with its expanding uses extending far beyond its gaming capabilities:
“The original Kinect helped make the Xbox 360 last year’s bestselling game console; Microsoft has sold more than 18 million Kinects since November 2010. It’s also inspired tinkerers to put the device to unanticipated uses, such as guiding robots and doing 3D modeling. With Kinect for Windows, Microsoft aims to coax professional developers and big companies to create apps that make Kinect as essential in the home, office, and showroom as smartphones are to those on the go.”
It’s amazing how far the Kinect has come since it was released in 2010. From being a mere add-on to the Xbox 360, it has decidedly outgrown its gaming roots to become an alternative tool for advertising, healthcare, research and many other fields that were, I’m sure, not part of its planned demographic. Microsoft should also be applauded for recognizing the potential of the Kinect and for partnering with developers, including providing support, to continually increase the Kinect’s scope and functionality. As we reported recently, Microsoft will be conducting its first ever Kinect Workshop at Pervasive 2012 happening in June at the New Castle University in the UK.
This support, coupled with the growing interest from hackers and developers that see beyond Xbox 360 uses for the Kinect, assures us that our favorite device will feature in even more amazing applications in the foreseeable future. And us here at KinectHacks.com will be here to share the best of them with you.
