News - Man to get $2000 for successfully hacking Kinect to work with Windows

[HEXUS]

Video appears to show Kinect hacked less than one week after launch.

Read more.

[Spud1]

From what I read on engadget he's not planning to collect that prize or release the code that does this, instead he wants to get video working better and then integrate this into one of his video conferencing products. Most odd =)

[Steven W]

From what I read on engadget he's not planning to collect that prize or release the code that does this, instead he wants to get video working better and then integrate this into one of his video conferencing products. Most odd =)

Oh man, take the money and run!

[crossy]

I guess I maybe the only one who wonders why MS is doing this - after all, if this guy manages to turn Kinect into a Windows(7?) peripheral then where's the harm in that? Okay, if he then manages to hook Kinect up to Ubuntu/MacOS/etc then maybe they've got a point.

Plus - and maybe it's post-lunch drowsiness - but the thought of being able to use Kinect to drive Windows7 on a large screen (a la Minority Report) I find quite appealing.

To me, that gives something better than the current touch driven Windows - not least because it wouldn't need to touch the screen, so no finger prints to clean off (endlessly!)

[OilSheikh]

I guess I maybe the only one who wonders why MS is doing this - after all, if this guy manages to turn Kinect into a Windows(7?) peripheral then where's the harm in that? Okay, if he then manages to hook Kinect up to Ubuntu/MacOS/etc then maybe they've got a point.

Plus - and maybe it's post-lunch drowsiness - but the thought of being able to use Kinect to drive Windows7 on a large screen (a la Minority Report) I find quite appealing.

To me, that gives something better than the current touch driven Windows - not least because it wouldn't need to touch the screen, so no finger prints to clean off (endlessly!)

MS wants to get more revenue from XBOX sales, thats why!

Look at HALO franchise. HALO comes on XBOX, years later its on PC

[mikerr]

to me, that gives something better than the current touch driven Windows - not least because it wouldn't need to touch the screen, so no finger prints to clean off (endlessly!)

I don't have to actually touch the screen on my "touchscreen" PC (HP iq770)
the tracking is done by infra red just a fraction off the surface of the glass.

But something like kinect would work better than touchscreens on PCs (sat further away),
touchscreens really need you to be holding the device to work well (see phones and tablets).

[Agent]

I guess I maybe the only one who wonders why MS is doing this - after all, if this guy manages to turn Kinect into a Windows(7?) peripheral then where's the harm in that? Okay, if he then manages to hook Kinect up to Ubuntu/MacOS/etc then maybe they've got a point.

The prize was for open source drivers. Once you have the source to something like this, a little more man power and time and it can be quickly ported.

As for integrating it into one of his video conferencing products though? I think the lawyers at MS will come down hard on him for that.

[I3r0k3N7FEET]

imo GOOD JOB.. what right does anyone have to say that someone cannot use a peripheral with something else if they bought it?

i agree using kinect with windows sounds like a great idea VV down with the console!

[Robscure]

Why doesn't Microsoft want anyone using Kinect with a PC again? That will reduce their revenue how?

[razer121]

Why doesn't Microsoft want anyone using Kinect with a PC again? That will reduce their revenue how?

Future Dirtbox sales, people will buy the Kinect instead of the Kinect AND the Dirtbox

[Robscure]

Future Dirtbox sales, people will buy the Kinect instead of the Kinect AND the Dirtbox

I figured it had to do with money, hey Microsoft knows more about it than me, I'm poor and they're a multi-billion dollar corporation... But it still seems a bit silly

[crossy]

Future Dirtbox sales, people will buy the Kinect instead of the Kinect AND the Dirtbox

Hmm, I can't see anyone buying an XBox just to get Kinect - certainly the (unscientific) survey I carried out seem to confirm that. - heck, it's not even a certainty for Xbox owners! Yeah, okay there will be folks who'll use the Kinect+XB/Slim/Lite package to get a discount on the XB itself - but they'll not be buying an XBox just to use Kinect.

And I agree with "robscure", it still strikes me as a little silly to chase after the folks trying to get Kinect working with other h/w. After all, if a Sony owner buys one to use on their PC, then that's some dinero going into MS coffers that they wouldn't normally be getting.

Even more so, if that Sony owner is also an OpenSource nut (although presumably they'd have got rid of their Sony console, due to their dumb approach to OSS), so said nut was buying a Kinect to put on their Fedora/Ubuntu/etc system.

[kalniel]

Hmm, I can't see anyone buying an XBox just to get Kinect

And no-one except Nintendo thought people would buy a 'gamecube' just for the wii-motion sensor. Boy were they wrong.

[dangel]

Why doesn't Microsoft want anyone using Kinect with a PC again? That will reduce their revenue how?

Given all the hardware in Kinect, the price of developing said, plus all the software that makes the magic happen I think we can take it as read as MS aren't making money on the device itself. Much like consoles themselves, the money is in selling the games that use it - it's an enabler.

I'm sure MS has much larger plans for the technology beyond XBOX but the hardware is 50% of the equation - support in Direct X and Windows itself needs to happen before any developer will make use of it (MS included). It's a very exciting (and young) technology and the applications for it obviously span many markets.

I want one for my XBOX - even more telling is my wife does too - especially after seeing dance central

[MonkeyL]

As for integrating it into one of his video conferencing products though? I think the lawyers at MS will come down hard on him for that.

I can't see how, writing a driver to support some hardware you already own is not a criminal offence or copyright infringement.

[dangel]

I can't see how, writing a driver to support some hardware you already own is not a criminal offence or copyright infringement.

Depends - an EULA can cover use of it quite easily. Either way MS can bury someone in litigation for years.

Or have them killed by elite ninjas


Oh, sorry - it's MS not Apple..