Today, Microsoft released update 1.5 for the Kinect on Windows. This update gives developers lot of new tools for recording and debugging gameplay, as well as better tracking for the device.
In detail, developers will now be able to record testing data which will allow them to see how the user’s interactions with the Kinect are being read and allow them to better debug their applications and games. Furthermore, the update also improves how the Kinect tracks people’s movements, including when “a user is sitting at a desk or needs to stand close to an interactive display.” The update even takes it a step further by implementing real-time 3D facial tracking, which will open new doors for new innovations in the way players interact with their games. This new feature, according to Microsoft, “will provides a real-time 3D mesh of facial features—tracking the head position, location of eyebrows, shape of the mouth, etc.”
In addition to the new tools available to developers, the update brings new speech recognition for four languages: French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. The Kinect has also been made available in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. The Kinect will be available next month in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.
A world united by Kinect Adventures is a dream soon fulfilled.
