Microsoft: Kinect Was Left Open on Purpose

[mistwolf]

If that's what they want then why didn't they release kinect windows drivers themselves?

Just to play devil's advocate, not believing for a moment that MS 'chose' to make it open so much as 'didn't put effort into closing it', there is a huge gap between making something you can access and making an entire driver interface you then have to support, update, etc.

If it were anyone but MS, I would think the conscious decision to make it open would make extremely good sense, relying on the fans and tinkers to fuel a usage path that nets them nothing but positives.

But this is MS, so they are just covering their asses.

 

[r_Chance]

In a corporation the size of Microsoft their is nothing unusual in different parts having different takes on something. The "incubation" part wants to see what interesting / useful things people can come up with. The other part is worried, probably about someone trying to reproduce the hardware / software and cutting MS out of the loop. It sounds like the "neat new stuff" people won. Be happy...

 

[nipsen]

"At first glance, this supposedly deliberate openness seems to be at odds with the comments the Microsoft made when Kinect was first released,"

But Microsoft assures us that we are, as a matter of fact, currently at war with Eurasia. And has always been so, and always will be.

 

[brunothepig]

YAY! I'm not really worried about motivations, this just means the experimentation can continue. Maybe a program will be developed where you fight robots with lightsabers!

 

[Delusibeta]

Translation: "Did we say that? No we didn't."

 

[TheTinyMan]

I agree that this sounds like a spin, but contrast it with Nintendo's response to hacking, which caused me to cease being a customer of theirs and has given me a nice, white paperweight.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

If that's what they want then why didn't they release kinect windows drivers themselves?

Just to play devil's advocate, not believing for a moment that MS 'chose' to make it open so much as 'didn't put effort into closing it', there is a huge gap between making something you can access and making an entire driver interface you then have to support, update, etc.

This is true. Especially considering how few people are really interested in buying a Kinect just for their computers. Hell, they're going to have a hard enough time getting a profit from sales to 360 owners!

 

[Sheinen]

They'd be daft to say NO! They've come up with something genuinely new and exciting, limiting it to shitty games where you stand on a raft or whatever would just be plain daft.

I'm still waiting until they think of a good use for the little magic box. When I can sit with my controller and use body movements to peer around corners or dodge quickly, voice commands to select weapons or instruct re-enforcements and standing up to immediately pause I'll be in the queue.

 

[Imp Poster]

PR guy forgot to add the disclaimer about Microsoft having the right to dispute/ban/fight against any changes that they deem worthy to be un-microsoft to their product.

 

[Cyberjester]

If the competition did in fact use the words "reverse engineer" then MSFT letting loose a vague threat was a definite. Simply connecting to the Kinect isn't reversing the hardware though and MSFT are generally ok with someone connecting to their device. Even if it's not official. Where would IE and Windows be if MSFT stuck to only certain hardware.

 

[Zer_]

And the PR man goes SPIN SPIN SPIN.

Actually, I totally believe them. You know why? Because!

Kinekt will not only appeal to 360 gamers, but by supporting this, they open up new markets that aren't interested in games, but in the technology. Hobbyists and hackers alike wanting to find cool ways to use the Kinekt hardware.