Microsoft Kind of Denies Kinect Hack Claims

Delusibeta

Reachin' out...
Mar 7, 2010
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Hacked... ehh no. Do have to back Microsoft on this one: this is not hacking Kinect in the same way as hacking your 360 to play pirated games. It's making a driver so that it works (somewhat) on Windows. It's a bit like arguing the developers of the XBCD drivers hacked the Xbox controller: no they didn't.
 

SexMeat

New member
Mar 10, 2010
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Interestingly, the bounty is now $3,000.

http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2010/11/08/the-bounty-is-now-3k-software-giant-says-engineers-linking-of-camera-based-system-to-windows-7-pc-does-not-constitute-hacking/
 

ZephrC

Free Cascadia!
Mar 9, 2010
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JediMB said:
No modifi--

Okay, stop being retarded, Microsoft. Hacking a device, such as a computer, has always been gaining unlawful access to the device through electronic means.
That's the catch though. It's illegal to modify the Kinect's hardware or software. It's not illegal to write a program for your computer that can read the Kinect's unmodified output. Thus Microsoft is correct, it's not technically a hack.

I'm sure Microsoft would love to sue everyone involved here, but they can't, so we get this statement instead.
 

Popido

New member
Oct 21, 2010
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Im confused. Are they letting the grey hatter get away? Thats cool tho.

Or

"lol, you cant play kinetic games on pc. their for xbox exclusive. :D"

ZephrC said:
That's the catch though. It's illegal to modify the Kinect's hardware or software. It's not illegal to write a program for your computer that can read the Kinect's unmodified output. Thus Microsoft is correct, it's not technically a hack.

I'm sure Microsoft would love to sue everyone involved here, but they can't, so we get this statement instead.
Ok, that explains it. They dont really need to have any opinion about this. :p
 

Danpascooch

Zombie Specialist
Apr 16, 2009
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I'm with Microsoft here, sure it's interesting, but not a "hack" from Microsoft's point of view, as in "Oh shit, it's been hacked, we're fucked now"
 

BrunDeign

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Feb 14, 2008
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Microsoft, why don't you have a seat?

Ok now, say this with me slowly.

YOU... DON'T... WANT... TO... EGG... PEOPLE... ON.

Saying that it isn't technically hacking until someone modifies it is LITERALLY ASKING SOMEONE TO DO THAT JUST TO PROVE YOU WRONG.

Also to anyone who think Kinect would actually work for computer, think about the space limitations again. Your PC is probably the electronic device that requires the least space to do anything, so naturally (at least for me) it would be in one of the smaller rooms in the house.

Besides there is nothing that you could play on a PC with Kinect that I wouldn't be able to do better with a mouse.
 

Popido

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Oct 21, 2010
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BrunDeign said:
Also to anyone who think Kinect would actually work for computer, think about the space limitations again. Your PC is probably the electronic device that requires the least space to do anything, so naturally (at least for me) it would be in one of the smaller rooms in the house.

Besides there is nothing that you could play on a PC with Kinect that I wouldn't be able to do better with a mouse.
Headtracking.

Also it might be able to track facial expressions. Or create 3D touch-screen on canvas and ofcourse on thin air. Or imitade 3D by tracking the viewers position. Holografic coping perhaps? The huge modding community on the PC could study and find ways to use it on games and everyday devices.

But to play Kinetic's games...eeh, maybe on a emulator.
 

Optimystic

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Sep 24, 2008
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Scars Unseen said:
I, for one, support Microsoft's stance on this. After all, no hack = no legal action.
This. Seriously people, did you WANT MS to call it a hack and go after the braniac who pulled it off???
 

EHKOS

Madness to my Methods
Feb 28, 2010
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elexis said:
Question is, why would Microsoft care? If they are making money of each Kinect sale and the homebrew software isn't competing against Microsoft software then it's a win-win for them.
They wouldn't....yet. You still have to buy the Kinect anyways UNTIL someone is able to use a webcam or the like to emulate it.
 

BrunDeign

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Feb 14, 2008
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Popido said:
Headtracking.

Also it might be able to track facial expressions. Or create 3D touch-screen on canvas and ofcourse on thin air. Or imitade 3D by tracking the viewers position. Holografic coping perhaps? The huge modding community on the PC could study and find ways to use it on games and everyday devices.

But to play Kinetic's games...eeh, maybe on a emulator.
What good would head tracking do? Again Kinect requires how much space. Unless we're now talking about a Playstation Eye-size thing. If that's the case it's obviously off the topic of whether or not Kinect would work.
 

Catalyst6

Dapper Fellow
Apr 21, 2010
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Logan Westbrook said:
Kinect's launch in the US prompted a challenge [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105035-Hack-Kinect-Win-Money] from Adafruit Industries, who offered a $1,000 bounty for the first person to get the sensor to output video and distance information to something other than an Xbox 360. When Adafruits learned of Microsoft's displeasure at the contest, it upped the prize to $2,000, and threatened to take it ever higher.
Adafruit Industries, I don't know what you do, but I applaud you for sticking it to Microsoft in such a fantastic way. A+
 

theriddlen

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Apr 6, 2010
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Microsoft is right, this is not a hack, because there are no modifications in device. It's just a method for reading the signals that Kinect outputs.
 

Staskala

New member
Sep 28, 2010
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Of course they were going to pull back.
I bet some Microsoft employee heard about "someone offering money for hacking the kinect" and immediately jumped the gun without any further research.
Then someone else realized that it was not about cracking the system to play "illegally aquired software" but for hobby engineering. Something a company can't even do anything against legally.

Of course we could also assume that someone at Microsoft really took offense to this contest and tried to pull a lawsuit only to realize that it isn't possible. But that only makes them look like bigger idiots.

We'll never know for sure...