Xbox One and Kinect are breaking up, but Microsoft is letting PC devs at the new 3D camera's SDK

Makers and tinkerers are about to have access to the next generation of affordable eyes for computers as Microsoft brings its second-generation Kinect camera to Windows.

The company announced today that it started shipping Kinect v2 today to people who preordered the motion-tracking device. This version of the Kinect is similar to the 3D motion-tracking camera that comes bundled with the $500 Xbox One console. Microsoft started pre-selling Kinect for Windows 2.0 a few weeks ago for $200, and now developers can start using it to gather visual data for human-computer-interface programs or for autonomous robots. The original Kinect for Windows, which was identical to the Xbox 360 version, provided PC developers with an inexpensive way to map 3D real-world environments, and Kinect v2 — with its high-definition cameras and better motion tracking — could catch on with the same crowd.