Microsoft Releases Kinect For Windows

nk497 writes "Microsoft has released Kinect for Windows, featuring a new "near mode" that lets the gesture control tech be used as close as 40cm. The Kinect for Windows hardware will retail at $249 — well above the price of the version for Xbox 360 consoles. Microsoft defended the price difference, saying sales of games and Xbox Live subscriptions help subsidize the console version. The new version will support Windows 7 and the Windows 8 developer preview, as well as Windows Embedded 7 devices."

Re:fuck off

[Anonymous Coward]

How about realizing that it's a money grab.

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4210649/Kinect-s-BOM-roughly--56--teardown-finds- [eetimes.com]

Don't forget to add in assembly costs, RND, plastics, tooling, packaging etc. Obviously these things go down over time, but I'd estimate there would be an extra $5-$10 in cost, at the least. So lats say $70 cost to MS. This $249 price gives MS roughly a 20%-35% profit on each one, depending on what their wholesale price is. Hardly looks like a money grab to me.

Re:fuck off

[Anonymous Coward]

That article is bunk, at least as far as supporting your assertion. It's a very basic, estimated BOM breakdown, excluding all development, marketing, support, distribution, retailer profit at about 5 or 6%, etc.

Re:Embedded devices?

[dreemernj]

I don't think so. You would still need the Kinect since there is specialized hardware in it that allows all this to work. When they talk about embedded devices, I seriously doubt they are talking about phones, or any other consumer electronics. This sort of support is most likely targeted at point-of-sale embedded devices or kiosks or something else along those lines.

Re:Nothing To Do Yet

[jader3rd]

Prerequisites have existed for software installers for a few years now. I don't know how easy it is to add this SDK to an installer (haven't had to do it), but eventually (if not already) there'll be a template/plugin for Visual Studio and all a programmer will need to do when creating their installer, is check the box for the Kinect SDK prerequisite. Maybe they won't even have to do that, the current VS 2010 installer project will autodect a bunch of prerequisites for your project automatically and just do the right thing.

Re:More two^H^Ho the point.

[Zero__Kelvin]

WHOOOSH!

My point was that Microsoft, once again, has spun things so far that they literally have it backwards and everyone buys it (excuse the pun) without a second thought. Peripherals don't support Operating Systems. Operating Systems support peripherals.