I think Microsoft might have thought it but I am not sure many others in the tech industry did.
Yesterday it was all over the web about Microsoft’s official announcement that the Kinect for Xbox 360 has sold over 10 million units since it was released last year. That officially makes it the fastest selling consumer product – ever. It is such an achievement that the Guinness Book of World Records is documenting it.
Along with the device sales it was also reported that over 10 million Kinect games have been sold.
The Kinect has been an absolute coup for Microsoft. The sales have had a positive impact on console sales since it came out last November and the interest in hacking the device has seen some very creative uses developed. Now Microsoft watched this happen from afar and I suspect they were rubbing their hands together as the enthusiast community made these things happen and the resulting YouTube videos and stories across all the tech websites were extremely popular.
Then, as if on cue, Microsoft announced that they will be releasing a Windows software development kit (SDK) for the Kinect this Spring to make official tools available to anyone who wants to develop applications for the Kinect. To this point all of the things created have been done without a SDK – imagine what we will see once the official tools are out there.
I believe Microsoft has not even tapped the potential of this device at this point. As an initial release it has certainly caught the attention of a lot of people and with the recent announcement that more in depth use is coming in future games I think we are about to see a revolution in the hands free controller/interface arena.
Can you still call Microsoft an unimaginative company after this? I do not think many people saw this coming and I am excited about what the future holds for this technology.
Hang on tight because I think it is going to be a great ride!
