Say what you like about Kinectimals and rubber dinghy peripherals, there’s simply no denying that Kinect is a pretty cool piece of tech. Since its launch earlier this month, modders have taken the thing apart, put it back together, and bolted it onto a Roomba in what might well be told of in some not too distant future as the first tragic mistake in precipitating a Terminator holocaust.
Initially, Microsoft responded to this stuff with threats of legal action, saying they didn’t “condone the modification of its products” and would “work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant.”
Realising, perhaps, what a stupid, utterly futile claim that was, the company has since 180ed and embraced the Kinect modder community.
“Anytime there is engagement and excitement around our technology, we see that as a good thing,” Craig Davidson, senior director for Xbox Live at Microsoft, told NY Times, pretending none of that stuff about prosecuting people for mucking about with Kinect ever happened. “It’s naïve to think that any new technology that comes out won’t have a group that tinkers with it.”
He added, however, that the company would continue to monitor future developments, and that any modification that violates Microsoft’s terms of service or “degrades the experience for everyone is not something we want”.
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