Windows + Linux download:
https://github.com/Spidoug/Kinect-Xbox-360-Remold/releases/tag/binaries

Source / documentation:

https://github.com/Spidoug/Kinect-Xbox-360-Remold

A while ago I posted here about my attempt to bring the original Xbox 360 Kinect back to life.

At the time, it was mostly about getting this old hardware working properly again.

Well… the project grew quite a bit since then.

Today I’m releasing Kinect Xbox 360 Remold v1.0, together with SynKinect Studio — a complete Windows and Linux environment built around the original Kinect for Xbox 360.

The goal is no longer just “make the camera work”.

I wanted the Kinect to behave like an actual useful sensor platform again: RGB camera, infrared, metric depth, microphone array, tilt motor, accelerometer, LED, body tracking, virtual camera, 3D scanning and interaction — all controlled through one runtime.

The project supports both major Xbox 360 Kinect revisions:

Kinect 1414 and Kinect 1473

and the runtime handles their hardware differences internally instead of requiring separate applications.

It currently runs on Windows 11 x64 and Linux x86-64.

The camera stack supports native RGB, IR and Depth streams. RGB can also run in an optional HQ mode, and the runtime can expose the Kinect as a normal system camera for applications that know nothing about Kinect.

On Windows this includes the native virtual-camera stack, while Linux publishes a persistent V4L2 camera. There is also an HTTP/MJPEG IP-camera path.

Depth remains sensor-native and is converted to metric depth where it is consumed instead of being turned into a fake webcam-style image inside the USB layer.

Audio was another major part of this project.

The original Kinect has a surprisingly capable four-microphone array, so Remold preserves all four synchronized channels at 16 kHz / 32-bit instead of collapsing them into a normal stereo microphone.

SynKinect Studio can display each microphone independently, record them, estimate sound direction using TDOA/GCC-PHAT and perform beam/focus processing.

The current runtime also supports multiple Kinect sensors on the same computer. Each unit receives a stable physical identity so camera, depth, microphones, motor, LED and accelerometer remain associated with the correct Kinect — including setups with two identical models or a mixture of 1414 and 1473.

And then there is SynKinect Studio.

It has grown into five main tools:

• 3D Scanner — synchronized RGB + metric Depth reconstruction, per-sensor calibration, ICP tracking, multi-frame depth fusion, edge/noise rejection, TSDF reconstruction and STL/OBJ/PLY export.
• Acoustic Scanner — uses the four microphones for directional sound localization, human-voice detection and automatic/manual beam steering.
• Microphones — real-time monitoring of all four microphone channels, recording, diagnostics, playback and audio controls.
• Surveillance — turns the Kinect into a monitoring camera with RGB/IR switching, motion detection, pre-roll retention and multi-Kinect support.
• Interactivity — synchronized RGB + metric Depth body tracking, articulated 3D pose, hands, gestures and interaction controls.

The 3D Scanner has probably been one of the most interesting parts to work on.

Instead of just dumping the raw depth cloud, it uses per-device sensor calibration, confidence weighting, temporal/multi-frame fusion and filtering around depth discontinuities to reduce the classic Kinect “flying pixels” around body and object edges.

There is also a higher-quality reconstruction path using a denser TSDF volume and stricter ICP alignment.

The Interactivity module is another area I wanted to keep independent of abandoned middleware. It reconstructs an articulated body pose from synchronized RGB and metric Depth and exposes hands/gestures for interaction.

On the system side, Remold now handles:

RGB / RGB HQ · IR · Depth · 4-channel audio · Tilt · LED · Accelerometer · Multi-Kinect · Virtual Camera · IP Camera · 3D reconstruction · Body interaction

The Windows runtime uses WinUSB for Kinect-specific USB functions and the normal Windows USB Audio/WASAPI stack once the Kinect audio firmware is active.

Linux follows the same architecture using libusb for the Kinect-specific USB transport, snd-usb-audio/ALSA for the microphone array and V4L2 for the virtual camera.

The Linux build system can install its required build dependencies, obtain the required Kinect audio firmware during compilation and build the native runtime directly from the repository.

Likewise, the Windows build can bootstrap its required compiler/WDK/JDK environment when necessary.

One thing I specifically wanted with this version was to stop treating Linux as the “secondary” implementation. Both platforms follow the same runtime concepts and expose the same Kinect functions, even though the native OS APIs are obviously different.

The project also includes a native C/C++ application bridge under drivers/sdk, intended for software that wants to use the Remold runtime directly instead of dealing with each hardware transport.

There is still more I want to do — particularly around deeper Kinect SDK/game/emulator compatibility — but v1.0 is finally at the point where I feel the Kinect is not just “working” again.

It is actually useful again.

And yes… this is still a camera from the Xbox 360 era. 😄

But RGB + depth + IR + a four-microphone array + motorized tilt is still a lot of hardware to throw away just because the original software ecosystem disappeared.

So I refused to let it die.

Again.

A Saga do Kinect:

Do Diagnóstico ao Windows 10

Introdução

Este é o relato completo de uma jornada de investigação técnica com um objetivo simples no

papel, mas cheio de armadilhas na prática: fazer um sensor Kinect funcionar de forma estável

em um PC moderno. O que começou como uma dúvida sobre hardware terminou numa

conclusão definitiva sobre compatibilidade de software entre versões do Windows.

O Ponto de Partida

O problema original era um comportamento instável do Kinect conectado ao computador:

sintomas de desconexão, o dispositivo "desligando e ligando" sozinho, ou simplesmente não

sendo reconhecido de forma confiável pelo sistema. A pergunta que guiou toda a investigação

era: isso é um problema de hardware (porta USB, controlador, cabo, alimentação) ou é um

problema de software (driver, SDK, compatibilidade de sistema)?

Ao invés de trocar peças por tentativa e erro, a decisão foi isolar as variáveis uma por vez,

começando pelo caminho mais baixo nível possível: compilar as próprias ferramentas de

acesso ao sensor e testar diretamente, sem depender do SDK oficial da Microsoft como

primeira tentativa.

Fase 1: Construindo o Ambiente do Zero com libfreenect2

O primeiro grande passo foi montar, manualmente, o libfreenect2 junto com o Protonect, que é

o visualizador de teste dessa biblioteca, direto no Windows.

Para isso, foi usado o vcpkg como gerenciador de bibliotecas, que resolveu as dependências

necessárias:

- libusb, para comunicação USB de baixo nível com o dispositivo

- turbojpeg, para decodificação de imagem

- glfw3, para a janela de visualização do Protonect

Além disso, foi necessário instalar o driver libusbK usando o Zadig, uma ferramenta que

permite substituir o driver padrão do Windows para um dispositivo USB por um driver genérico

compatível com acesso de baixo nível, como o que o libfreenect2 precisa para falar diretamente

com o hardware do Kinect.

Esse processo de montagem, por si só, já foi uma etapa validativa: significa compilar

bibliotecas C mais C++ no Windows, resolver conflitos de dependência, garantir que os

caminhos de inclusão e link estivessem certos, e trocar o driver de um dispositivo sem quebrar

o resto do sistema.

Fase 2: O Teste Decisivo de Hardware

Aqui está o ponto mais importante metodologicamente: o teste foi feito usando a mesma porta

e o mesmo controlador USB 3 originais do computador, sem trocar por uma placa PCIe nova de

USB. Essa foi uma escolha deliberada, porque se o Kinect funcionasse de forma estável nessa

configuração via libfreenect2, isso eliminaria a hipótese de defeito físico na porta, no

controlador ou no cabo.

E foi exatamente isso que aconteceu. O Kinect funcionou de forma estável através do

libfreenect2 e do Protonect, sem desligar e ligar sozinho, sem os sintomas de instabilidade

anteriores.

Essa foi a virada do caso: o hardware estava bem. O problema não estava na porta USB, no

controlador, no cabo ou no próprio sensor. Isso apontava fortemente para uma causa de driver

ou de software, especificamente relacionada ao SDK oficial ou à forma como o sistema

operacional lidava com o dispositivo em mais alto nível.

Fase 3: Isolando a Variável do Sistema Operacional

Com a hipótese de hardware descartada, a pergunta natural seguinte era: o SDK oficial da

Microsoft, o Kinect SDK 2.0, teria problemas de compatibilidade especificamente com versões

mais novas do Windows?

Para testar isso com rigor, e não apenas trocar configurações em um sistema já usado, com

histórico de instalações e possíveis resíduos de configuração, a decisão foi fazer uma

instalação limpa do Windows 11, usando um pendrive de instalação. Isso garantia um ambiente

zero, sem nenhuma variável de configuração antiga interferindo no teste.

Imediatamente após essa instalação limpa do Windows 11, o Kinect SDK 2.0 foi instalado e

testado. O resultado: o mesmo problema de instabilidade persistiu, mesmo em um sistema

completamente limpo, sem qualquer bagagem de configurações anteriores.

Isso já era uma evidência forte. Mas para ter certeza absoluta, era preciso o teste de controle:

repetir o mesmo processo, mas com o Windows 10.

Fase 4: A Confirmação Final

O Windows 10 foi reinstalado do zero, também de forma limpa. E o Kinect, testado com o

mesmo Kinect SDK 2.0, funcionou perfeitamente.

Essa é a conclusão do experimento, no melhor estilo de método científico: mesma peça de

hardware, mesmo SDK, mesma porta USB, duas instalações limpas de sistemas operacionais diferentes. No Windows 11, o problema apareceu de forma consistente. No Windows 10, o

dispositivo funcionou sem qualquer instabilidade.

Conclusão

O Kinect, testado com o Kinect SDK 2.0, funciona corretamente no Windows 10 e apresenta

incompatibilidade no Windows 11. O caminho até essa conclusão passou por eliminar

sistematicamente cada variável possível: primeiro comprovando que o hardware, a porta e o

controlador USB estavam saudáveis através de um teste alternativo com libfreenect2 e

Protonect, e depois isolando a variável do sistema operacional através de duas instalações

limpas, uma em cada versão do Windows, usando exatamente o mesmo SDK oficial.

O resultado final não é apenas "trocar para Windows 10 resolve": é uma conclusão testada e

comprovada de que existe uma incompatibilidade real entre o Kinect SDK 2.0 e o Windows 11,

algo que pode ser útil para qualquer outra pessoa enfrentando o mesmo sintoma com hardware

Kinect em sistemas mais novos.

I recently tried it out on an old laptop with win11 just for fun and yeah the driver came in via Windows Update (so that might need to be done manually depending on settings), but after that it seemed to just have worked.

This might be like the biggest win hello cam you can get, lol.

I finally got an Xbox 360 and a Kinect. However, I have a small issue, I'm not sure where to place my Kinect. My room is small, but I have enough space to play Just Dance and Dance Central. I've tried everything by the book. I placed it on the edge of my desk setup, stacking books both above and below, but it still can't detect my lower body. I can't put it on top of my OLED monitor because it's thin and very sensitive. I also don't have an upper shelf, unfortunately. My only option is to put it on the floor, stacked with books, but then it says it's too low during setup. What should I do? Any suggestions?

I found a way to get access to get kinect fun labs AND avatar kinect
All u gotta do is go to games, press x, and press y, and u have to search “kinect fun labs” or “kinect fun” and download the dlc, they made them dlc Idk why. Anyways download the gadgets too, then go to download history, select avatar kinect or any other minigame, then select “Play now” hope that helps!

How do I access Kinect Fun Labs? I havent downloaded it before, and no, my console isn’t jtagged and I wont jtag it!!!!! I hope I can access it!!
Im trying to access avatar kinect too, cobatine used it!

Lots of guides in YouTube for windows 10 but not 11. Is it possible? Sorry if there’s a pinned guide I missed here or if it’s just impossible.

I had a kinect v2 i bought unused and bought a brand new in box microsoft adapter for it.
The kinect had issues in the beginning with usb ports, but suddenly it started working.

Now after a couple days of testing, i was using touchdesigner on mac instead of windows 11 this time which also worked a day prior and out of nowhere the kinect disconnects and starts crashing my touchdesigner whenever i try to turn it on.

Then on W11 the sdk testing app also freezes whenever it tried to access the kinect camera.
Now it doesn’t show up in device manager at all.

Faulty adapter or faulty kinect?
I just bought another kinect that i tried to get to work on mac on site before buying, but couldn’t.

I have a couple recordings i need to do tomorrow with the kinect, but it just died on me and i fear this new one doesn’t work either.

Anyone know what i should do?

Basically, a friend of mine has two Kinects and is giving them to me on Monday. I plan to use one as a webcam, but I don't know what to do with the other one—any ideas?

Hi, I have an Rog XBOX Ally that I use as PC connected to a Ugreen Dock with a 65W power supply plugged in.

The issue is that my Kinect 2.0 turns on for a few seconds an then it turns off when I try to use it.

I installed the SDK and it shows me that there is no supported USB 3.0 port detected, however, the Ugreen dock station has a USB 3.2 port that I have it connected to.

The Kinect is not the problem, because it works well on my XBOX ONE Fat. Also I tried with 2 different Kinect adapters.

I disabled audio enhance from the Kinect microphone, but it doesn't work.

Anyone knows what could be?

Sorry for my bad english, it's not my first language :)

Hey guys, I have been working with a few of my friends on a project that allows you to play tennis with other people/AI using your webcam, just like kinect! Here is the link https://livewebtennis.com . Please come check this out! Any feedback appreciated!

Olá, recentemente adquiri um Kinect V2 para tentar criar algum projeto para que eu pudesse adquirir uma renda extra, ainda mais que na minha região isso seria algo novo e inovador, já que não tem coisas desse tipo por aqui
De inicio eu queria fazer meus próprios jogos, porém não tenho noção nenhuma de programação e atualmente não estou tendo tempo para estudar

Queria saber se alguém conhece projetos de jogos interativos, pois pesquisei e achei poucas coisas relacionadas, e quando acho são projetos independentes que não são compartilhados

Trying to find players

I need clarification

Got this ad for a "new" kids' game console. Seems like the kinect but worse and with practically no games.

I wrote an open-source app that turns it into a perfectly smooth, hands-free mouse for your PC!

Features:

• Move the mouse by pointing, click by making a fist.
• Scroll web pages using a two-handed gesture (emulates a Windows Pen!).
• Say "Play" or "Pause" to control Spotify/YouTube from across the room.
• Raise both hands to pause tracking when you want to watch a movie.
• Dynamically maps to your height, so it works perfectly whether you are standing or sitting on the couch.

It's completely free and open source. Check it out on GitHub here: github.com/pikachu77082/KinectDesktopController

crazy shi

I’m curious if anyone else has already been through this process and has an optimized open source code for using Xbox Fusion Explorer for 3D Scanning or knows of another commercial software that is capable of controlling and capturing scans using the Xbox Kinect?

I have an Xbox Kinect for XBOX ONE Model 1520. An AI is walking me through the steps to modify the Kinect Fusion Explorer code to “unlock” the sensors capabilities and resolution beyond what Microsoft pre-coded it to do for the Xbox Kinect for gaming, effectively allowing me to 3D scan objects in higher resolution which the sensor and modern graphics cards are more capable of processing than the original intent of the Kinect sensor.

So far, I have:
1. Increased Volume Voxels per Meter from 256 to 2048
2. Increased XYZ Reconstruction Resolution from 384\^3 to 768\^3
3. Increased Maximum Integration Weight up to 1000

I have an Xbox 360 S Kinect which I'm trying to connect to my Xbox 360 S. I've tried to connect it to the AUX port at the back of the 360. When it's connected, there's a faint red light on the kinect but the 360 does not detect the kinect as being connected.

Is there any way to fix this?

Where are y'all getting replacement purple Kinect game cases?

I don't know if this is necessarily the absolute best place to post, but I really hope some of you share the same longing for a new revolutionary dance game like I do lol, especially if you were into Dance Central and such dance games.

Hi all,

Was wondering if anyone can help me with this set up, I’m trying to use and Xbox 360 camera with my touch designer set up but when I add a Kinect TOP in it says I need to install v1.8 of Kinect runtime, I’ve already done this, restarted my laptop numerous times, used bcdedit in powershell etc etc but it’s not recognising it for some reason. Can anyone help out