Getting Started with the Xbox 360 Kinect

The Xbox 360 Kinect was the first commercially successful 3D depth camera, and was sold for years for use with the Xbox 360, as Microsoft needed a way to compete with the Wii without directly copying them.

It's now available at many Goodwills and thrift stores around the nation as zoomers and clueless boomers discard them as they upgrade to newer consoles.

Important Handling Notes

The device comes attached to a black pedestal. You may rotate it left and right, but do not tilt it up or down. The device is designed with a motor to do this for you. If you force it, you WILL strip the cheap nylon gears.

The pedestal is not removable.

Stuff you Need

• Kinect 360 Power Brick and Adapter
• Kinect 360

Installing the Damn Thing

1. Plug the Kinect into the power supply dongle.
2. Plug the dongle into a wall.
3. Do NOT plug the Kinect into your computer yet. If you have, disconnect it.
4. Download Kinect for Windows SDK 1.8
   1. Save to an accessible location.
   2. Uninstall any older drivers for the Kinect
   3. Uninstall Microsoft Speech stuff, if it's installed.
   4. Close any open instances of Visual Studio
   5. Run the installer.
   6. Plug the Kinect in. The green light should start flashing after your PC stops thrashing.
5. Download Kinect for Windows Developer Toolkit 1.8
   1. Just run the installer.
6. Verify everything works by downloading, compiling, and running Kinect Explorer via Developer Toolkit Browser.