A video has emerged of what appears to be the Kinect Xbox 360 accessory being controlled from a Windows 7 PC.
The video was supplied to gadget blog Gizmodo earlier today and is reportedly the result of a $2,000 bounty for a Kinect hack. New York based Adafruit Industries offered a $2,000 bounty for an open-source hack last week and an unknown hacker has responded. The video shows a Windows 7 PC controlling the Kinect sensor (see below). Microsoft issued a statement to CNET regarding the apparent hack:
“Microsoft does not condone the modification of its products,” a company spokesperson told CNET. “With Kinect, Microsoft built in numerous hardware and software safeguards designed to reduce the chances of product tampering. Microsoft will continue to make advances in these types of safeguards and work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant.”
Microsoft’s Kinect Xbox 360 accessory went on sale across the U.S. last week. The software giant held a lavish launch party at Times Square in New York to mark the arrival of the highly anticipated device.
The Kinect sensor is a horizontal bar that sits at the base of your TV. The device has an RGB camera, depth sensor and multi-array microphone which runs proprietary software. Kinect allows for full-body 3D motion capture, facial recognition, and voice recognition. Owners will be able to interact with games titles using just their body. Pausing TV and fast forwarding movies can be achieved using a mix of hand movements and voice control.
Winrumors recently reported that Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 console accessory sold out at various retailers. Amazon’s U.S. store and Best Buy’s online site stopped taking any more pre-orders for Kinect shortly before the launch. Retailers in the UK, including Amazon, have also reported high pre-orders.
The software giant has confirmed there will be 17 launch titles for Kinect in the run up to the crucial holiday season. If pre-orders are anything to rely on then it’s likely that the company has a hit on its hands in time for Christmas. Microsoft is set to introduce Kinect in Europe on November 10. Kinect is priced at $149.99 in the U.S. and £129.00 in the UK.