**Update: this program has been extended – please see the Kinect for Windows team blog post for more information.
Today is an exciting day for gamers and tech enthusiasts: Xbox One has officially launched and is publically available! Today is also an exciting day for developers who are a part of the Kinect for Windows v2 developer preview. Starting today, these developers will get their hands on a preview of the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor and SDK.
This next version of Kinect for Windows will have some awesome new features and improvements compared to the v1 hardware and software including:
- Real Vision which greatly expands field-of-view, supports the active IR camera, and implements advanced 3D geometry.
- Real Motion with greatly enhanced motion tracking and gesture support. This new technology enables powerful new capabilities including the ability to respond to hand squeeze motions.
- Real Voice which exposes the power of the all-new multi-microphone array to developers. With even more powerful sound isolation capabilities, voice recognition will be better than ever!
It will be exciting to see what developers do with this amazing new technology. Today marks an exciting first step towards the commercial availability of Kinect for Windows v2 (Summer 2014).
Want to keep track of what developers are doing with Kinect for Windows v2? On Twitter you can check out the latest buzz with the #k4wdev hashtag and by following the @kinectwindows team!
You can also read more about today’s news here.
You can find me on Twitter HERE.