Microsoft has updated its Kinect for Windows SDK

Today Microsoft has released an update to the Kinect for Windows 2.0 SDK. This preview SDK update brings a range of improvements which enable developers to make applications using Kinect. This update has over 200 changes which should make developing easier and faster. Microsoft thinks these additions will help make better more stable apps using Kinect. The SDK is free for anyone to download and use. Microsoft is also letting commercial applications be developed with no runtime licensing fee! The V2 Kinect sensor is $200.

Microsoft today updated its Kinect for Windows software development kit (SDK) 2.0 public preview with more than 200 improvements. The new version is available from the same place: as a direct download on Microsoft.com. The release includes the Kinect Fusion tool kit, which provides higher resolution camera tracking and performance, as well as “substantial” improvements in the tooling, specifically around Visual Gesture Builder (VGB) and Kinect Studio. Microsoft is also offering 10 new samples and promising an overall “more stable, more feature-rich” release. This is the first update to the public preview since its release just last monthalong with the accompanying v2 sensor. At the time, a final version was slated for “in a few months” and the company still hasn’t provided an update regarding the timeframe. Once SDK 2.0 arrives, developers will be able to start submitting their apps to the Windows Store and companies will be able to make their v2 solutions available commercially (this SDK will not work with the original Kinect).