Microsoft announced an update to the Kinect for Windows' software development kit, or SDK, in preparation for the launch of Windows 8.
A number of enhancements to the SDK will provide developers with new data in the API for their Kinect applications.
Windows 8 compatible
In addition to the Kinect's new technical capabilities from the update, the new SDK makes Kinect sensors compatible with Windows 8, allowing developers to create Windows 8 desktop applications using the 3D camera.
Kinect applications support Visual Studio 2012 and Microsoft's .NET Framework 4.5. With the updated SDK, developers can also create Kinect applications for virtual machine environments, including Microsoft Hyper-V, VMWare, and Parallels.
Microsoft also launched the Kinect sensor for Windows in China, with launches to soon reach Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Puerto Rico.
Kinect is still gaining support from various fields, used in applications for manufacturing and even medical purposes, and the new SDK features will help to further expand those uses.
Microsoft has not given up on Kinect for gaming yet either, as recently leaked images hint at an even more accurate sensor in store for firm's next console, commonly referred to as the Xbox 720.