There’s good news for developers who have been waiting to get their hands on the new Kinect for Windows. Microsoft today started accepting pre-orders and promises to ships the units by July. The “v2” sensor is intended for use with the Kinect for Windows SDK (software development kit) 2.0 which the company will release as a public beta in July as well.
The Kinect for Windows v2 sensor can now be pre-ordered through Microsoft’s website for $199. Shipment promise is contingent on supplies lasting so if you’ve been meaning to get one it would be best not to waste any time in pre-ordering a unit.
Microsoft wants to give developers a head start by releasing the sensor early so that they can get to work on applications for the latest technology. However there’s nothing stopping regular customers from getting one for themselves. Just pre-order and wait for it to be dropped outside your door.
Developers will get more precision, responsiveness and intuitive capabilities that they need to develop gesture based and interactive voice applications for the Kinect for Windows v2.
Those who are not able to get a pre-order in time need not worry. Microsoft says that it will have additional sensors available for purchase later this year. The company is also due to launch a standalone Kinect sensor for the Xbox One in the coming months.