Using Kinect for XBox without full SDK installed

Question

I have a C# / WPF / .NET 4.5 / Kinect (SDK 1.8) application that I want to publish. My application does not make use of any SDK features that may be specific to the Xbox or Windows Kinects. However, depending on the kind of sensor attached to the computer, the requirements change.

With a Kinect for XBox 360 plugged in, the following line:

kinect = KinectSensor.KinectSensors.FirstOrDefault(s => s.Status == KinectStatus.Connected);

• returns a KinectSensor when both the Kinect for Windows Runtime 1.8 and the full SDK 1.8 are installed, and;
• returns null when only the Runtime is installed.

I know that this is normal behaviour: The Runtime was designed to work with the Kinect for Windows sensor only and using an Xbox 360 Kinect required the full SDK. However, I would like my application to be able to work with an Xbox Kinect sensor without requiring the full SDK. Are there any features in 1.8 that might help me achieve this?

Answer 1

I do not think, that this is possible. And I would not try it for a commercial application. The End-User License Agreement means that when you want to go public with your application you'll need to use a Kinect for Windows and Kinect for Xbox 360 isn't legal.

For a non-commercial application it is ok to ask the user to install the Kinect SDK - for commercial applications you should require a Kinect for Windows.