Question

I’m working on a class project which is using a Kinect. According to the [Microsoft Kinect for Windows Information Page][1]:

If you’re receiving either of these error messages, you’re probably
using a Kinect for Xbox 360 and not the new Kinect for Windows. Make
sure that your Kinect sensor is the Kinect for Windows sensor. (It’s
easy: Just make sure it says doesn’t say “Xbox 360” on the front.)

If you’re a software developer, you can use the Kinect for Xbox 360
together with your computer to test the software you’re working on.
However, to get the full Kinect for Windows experience, we recommend
you download the Kinect for Windows SDK and use it with the Kinect for
Windows.

Note Make sure that your Kinect sensor is the Kinect for Windows
sensor. If it says “Xbox 360” on the front, it’s the Kinect for Xbox
360, not the Kinect for Windows.

Despite the ambiguity of this message, it seems like I should be able to use an XBox 360 Kinect for development. The SDK only limits deployment, which is perfectly fine for my project.

However, when I run the following code:

Console.WriteLine("Sensor count: " + KinectSensor.KinectSensors.Count);
Console.WriteLine("Sensor status: " + KinectSensor.KinectSensors[0].Status);

I get the output:

Sensor count: 1
Sensor status: NotReady

What gives? My Kinect is connected to my computer. The green light on the front is blinking. Any help here would be appreciated.

Answer 1

You can use the Kinect SDK that was designed to work with the Kinect for XBox: the Kinect SDK Beta 2. Download it for free from microsoft.com.

From the download link:

The Kinect for Windows SDK beta provides hobbyists and researchers with the tools to develop non-commercial applications that run on the Kinect for Xbox 360.

(emphasis mine)