Kinect for Windows is Official, Launches in February

There have been hacks to get the Xbox Kinect working on computers seemingly ever since the motion tracker launched for the Xbox 360, but now there is no need for that. Microsoft has made Kinect for Windows official, with it hitting[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] shelves on February 1st. Microsoft is off to a good start for its last CES keynote, and Kinect for Windows is definitely one way to bring in the crowds. Say what you will about the games available for Kinect, but the motion tracking device is also pretty good at voice recognition. Imagine being able to launch a movie, play some music, or even begin a game just by telling your computer to do so. Voice recognition is becoming a hot commodity, and Kinect for Windows opens up that possibility in a big way for PCs. We will not have too long to wait to see it in action (officially, that is), and hopefully Microsoft has some big things lined up for it.

Amazon currently has the Kinect for Windows up for pre-order, however the $249.99 price may put off some potential buyers. It has been redesigned to focus on people as close as 50 centimeters (40cm with some degradation), "Near Mode," so it does have that over the Xbox 360 version. It will also only work with the Kinect for Windows application on your PC, but that should not be too surprising.

source: http://benchmarks.gr/7019/kinect-for-windows-is-official-launches-in-february/