hello everyone, i am looking to buy a kinect not really looking to make stuff to tell or whatever but just to check out the different mocap software that works with the kinect like ipi but i dont want to spent $250 or more on kinect for windows when i can go get one much cheaper, but in the long run if i wanted to keep trying out software would i be best off saving up and getting kinect for windows or would the 360 version be good enough for my needs?

Hi
Kinect for XBOX 360 is currently supported, but Microsoft may abandon its support in future versions of their drivers for PC.
Compared to XBOX edition, Kinect for Windows has some advantages which can make it worth its higher price:

• Officially supported for use on PC
• Better color image quality, and possibility to adjust the image (like brightness, contrast etc)
• Near operation mode which makes it capable of face capture (in other software)

i just dont know cause i really just want to test out different software is there anyone who uses just the 360 kinect and can tell me how their experience is/has been?

I've used both, and I can honestly tell you that what Vmaslov wrote pretty much covers the differences. In general, you'll get what you pay for.

Functionally, the devices are similar for wide capture (full body,) but if you're seriously testing a broad range of Kinect based software then you'll be much better off getting Kinect for Windows because more software will be compatible with it. For example, some of the face capture software will not work nearly as well with the XBox Kinect because it lacks Near mode. If you do 3D scanning of small objects or people scanning, you'll probably want Near mode for that too. But if you're really serious about 3D object scanning then you'll probably want a Carmine 1.09 specifically for this purpose. However, Carmine 1.09 won't help for full body mocap--you'll want 1.08 for that.

Also, in the case of iPi Mocap Studio, you'll want two devices, either Kinect for Win, XBox, or Carmine 1.08.

If you're trying save money, you might look into buying used Kinect for Windows devices. Be sure to buy from a reputable dealer who will accept returns if the device doesn't work properly. Of course as with any used equipment, it's 'buyer beware'.

In my case, I have two Kinect for Windows and two Kinect for XBox devices. One the Kinect for XBox devices died but but because the warranty does not cover use with a PC, I can't get it fixed--it would be cheaper to just buy a new one (which I won't do.) By contrast, if one of the Kinect for Windows breaks, then it's covered in my situation. Just one more thing to think about.

G.

_________________
Greenlaw
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | My Demo Reels (2013,) (2015,) (2017,) and (2019)

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!

360 kinect finding used is easy cant find the other used for any amount sometimes they cost more than 249.99

Amazon sells Kinect for Windows brand new for around $219--I've purchased from Amazon in the past for around $180 or so, so the price apparently fluctuates.

Again, yes, you can by Kinect for XBox for much cheaper but:

1. It is not officially supported by Microsoft for use with a PC so longterm support is not guaranteed.
2. It's warranty definitely doesn't cover use with a PC.
3. The image quality control software is not as robust as Kinect for Windows. This makes a big difference when using the device with iPi Mocap Studio under low light.
4. It does not have Near mode with is required for certain scanning and face capture programs (iPi does not use it though.)

Your decision should depend on what you intend to do with the device(s). If you only need the capabilities of Kinect for XBox, then you should go with it.

G.

_________________
Greenlaw
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | My Demo Reels (2013,) (2015,) (2017,) and (2019)

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!

Then, of course, you have Carmine, which is actually cheaper than Kinect for Windows and supports higher resolution. The downside is that you need two different Carmine devices to get all the features of Kinect for Windows (1.08 for wide and 1.09 for near capture/scanning.)

So while there may be many choices there are also fairly clear reasons for choosing one type of device over another.

Good luck with your project! :)

G.

_________________
Greenlaw
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | My Demo Reels (2013,) (2015,) (2017,) and (2019)

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!