Microsoft Consolidates its Xbox One and PC models of Kinect into One - Could it Be an Indication of Cross-Platform Game Support?

Microsoft has consolidated its Xbox One and PC models of Kinect into ane: the Xbox 1 version with an optional Windows adapter.

Michael Fry, Microsoft'south senior engineering evangelist for Kinect explained on Microsoft'due south web log:

"Over the past several months, we have seen unprecedented demand from the developer community for Kinect sensors and have experienced difficulty keeping up with requests in some markets,"

With the Kinect Adapter PC users can connect a Kinect for Xbox One sensor to Windows 8 and 8.i

"The Kinect Adapter enables you to connect a Kinect for Xbox One sensor to Windows viii.0 and 8.i PCs and tablets in the same way equally you lot would a Kinect for Windows v2 sensor," Fry said. "And because both Kinect for Xbox I and Kinect for Windows v2 sensors are functionally identical, our Kinect for Windows SDK two.0 works exactly the same with either."

The Kinect for Windows v2 sensor will continue to be supported, regardless of existence discontinued at retail.

The new Kinect Adapter for Windows is already on sale and goes for $49.99.

This move by Microsoft makes a lot of sense in respect to having a single device available at retail, but what seems far more interesting would be the cross-platform support for games that use the Kinect sensor for both the Xbox One and the PC. With DX12 cross-platform evolution coming, at that place is a lot of potential for new titles. Lets promise that this move does indeed betoken a brighter future for Windows gaming from Microsoft.

Source: Eurogamer