Microsoft’s latest little toy, Kinect for the Xbox has only been out a couple of days, but already, someones had a go at hacking it to work with Windows 7. Of course! What else you want to do with the newest game console on the market?
Well actually there was an incentive behind this, just under a week ago a New York based DIY Vendor Adafruit set a challenge. Dubbed the Open Kinect challenge, there was a $2000 reward up for whoever could hack the Kinect as desired. Adafruit detailed that the group or individual who managed to create a new open source driver for the accessory would be granted the prize money.
And sure enough, as soon as there is money on the line, the hackers got straight to work. Of course Microsoft weren’t too impressed and a spokesperson said
“Microsoft does not condone the modification of its products,”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.”So in record time, we have Kinect hacked and a driver appears to have been developed for Windows 7. The video below showcases the first work from a hacker on the NUI Group forum. You can see Windows 7 is tracking the movement of the Kinect, basic, but it’s a start.
I’m sure the possibilities are endless with the Kinect device, what about facial recognition passwords and log on? Flick around open windows with your hands, let your imagination run wild!
What would you like to be able to do with the Kinect controller on your windows machine?
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