Kinect will come to the PC "at the right time": Microsoft CEO

Microsoft's Kinect motion controller has been modified, hacked, whatever you want to call it for many uses already. PrimeSense and Asus are combining to add Kinect-based technology to HTPCs, but in terms of official Microsoft support, nada. It will come, however, according to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

When asked by the BBC's Spencer Kelly about any Microsoft plans to allow users plug a Kinect unit into a PC in the near future, Ballmer responded by saying

"We'll support that in a formal way, in the right time, and when we've got an announcement to make, we'll make it."

It sounds pretty promising, although "when" was not answered. However, to be truly useful, Kinect will have to be better able to track fine movements. Right now, end users need a fairly large "play space." However, technological improvements, perhaps in the software associated with Kinect, may eventually be able to overcome this.

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."