Xbox One Kinect Will Not Be Compatible With PCs, Says Microsoft

On May 22, Microsoft's Scott Evans said that the next-generation Kinect will be arriving for PCs, but didn't specify whether it would be possible to use the next-generation console's Kinect with a PC or if users would have to wait for the Windows-specific model. Microsoft laid the speculation to rest, saying that the Kinect shipping with the Xbox One will not work on PCs.

The information comes from the folks over at Ars Technica, who received word from a Microsoft spokesperson who said, "The Kinect for Xbox One sensor will not have an adapter that allows it to plug into a computer, the next generation Kinect for Windows sensor will connect to computers using a standard USB3 port." And thus it is so.

This is sad news for those who were hoping to use the Xbox One's Kinect the same way they did the Xbox 360's Kinect – with little more than plug-and-play effort via an adapter. Of course this doesn't mean the Kinect won't be available for use on computers, only that those who want such functionality are going to have to spring for the Windows version.

That spokesperson went on to explain that the Windows and Xbox One versions of the Kinect are similar, having been "built on a shared set of technologies." Both, for example, will reportedly have an active infrared mode and 1080p video capabilities. The hardware differences will apparently be the same as well, with the Windows variety having the same FOV as the Xbox One version, for example.

Unfortunately, when asked, the spokesperson said that Microsoft will not being making an adapter for connecting the proprietary-plug version of the Kinect into a standard USB slot, and so the only way that will happen is if some industrious techies take to making some DIY options. This revelation follows the developer pre-order of Kinect for Windows that went live earlier today.

SOURCE: ars technica