PrimeSense, Asus, to bring Kinect technology to HTPCs

Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing controller, originally aimed at the Xbox, has seen its Xbox-only hacked into submission. Knowing a golden opportunity when it sees one, PrimeSense, whose 3-D camera is a core part of Kinect, and ASUS have announced a team-up that will produce a similar device designed specifically for HTPCs.

The controller is dubbed the "WAVI Xtion," which regrettably doesn't flow off the lips as well as Kinect does. The focus on HTPCs is because, PrimeSense said, the focus of the WAVI Xtion will be on multimedia control, as opposed to the gaming focus of the Kinect.

In addition to the device, the two companies intend to create a dedicated online store for selling compatible apps.

There is definitely a market for this type of device, based on the number of hacks that have already turned the Kinect into an ASL teaching tool or a WoW controller. Because of that, restricting it to a particular purpose seems to be a strange, limiting decision.

A development platform, the "Xtion Pro," will arrive in February. The consumer version of the WAVI Xtion system is targeted for the spring; it will reach different countries in "phases."