New-generation Kinect for Windows coming next year

Microsoft is currently developing a new-generation Kinect sensor for Windows that is set to release next year, according to the director of Kinect for Windows, Bob Heddle.

Posting to the official Kinect for Windows Blog, Heddle announced that a new Kinect for Windows sensor and software development kit are in the works and are set to release in 2014. Both the new Kinect sensor for the Xbox One and the new Kinect for Windows sensor are being built on a shared set of technologies.

"Just as the new Kinect sensor will bring opportunities for revolutionizing gaming and entertainment, the new Kinect for Windows sensor will revolutionize computing experiences," Heddle wrote.

Some of the capabilities of the new sensor include: higher fidelity with an HD color camera, a noise-isolating multi-microphone array that filters ambient sounds to recognize natural speaking voices, Microsoft's proprietary Time-of-Flight technology, an expanded field of view, improved skeletal tracking and new active infrared, which allows the sensor to work in any lighting condition.

The new Kinect for Windows was confirmed the day of the Xbox One's reveal, but no release window was given. Microsoft is expected to reveal more information about the new Kinect for Windows at the company's BUILD 2013 conference, which runs from June 26-28.