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Microsoft will not Fight Kinect Open-Source ProjectsRecently, a software engineer was able to create an open source driver that allowed the Kinect’s sensors to be used along with a PC. Initially, Microsoft was perturbed, stating that they would “work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant.” This happened two weeks after the launch of the Kinect. Microsoft soon retracted their earlier statements, becoming surprisingly more tolerant of the Kinect altering. “The first thing to talk about is Kinect was not actually hacked,” stated Alex Kipman, director of incubation for Xbox at Microsoft. “Hacking would mean that someone got to our algorithms that sit on the side of the Xbox and was able to actually use them, which hasn’t happened. Or it means that you put a device between the sensor and the Xbox for means of cheating, which also has not happened. That’s what we call hacking, and that’s why we have put a ton of work and effort to make sure it doesn’t actually occur.”  When asked if anyone would get into trouble for pursuing open-source projects with Kinect, he responded with a friendly, “Nope. Absolutely not.” This displays a surprisingly supportive stance for Microsoft or any game company, all of whom are usually resistant to any attempt to alter their hardware. |