Can we make them 4K, please? And with Windows Hello support while we’re at it? Thank you. Looks like Microsoft has a pair of webcams in the pipeline for launch next year.
The company is targeting both Windows 10 and Xbox One, meaning these webcams will work with both these platforms. The only question now remains is whether they will be part of the Surface family, like the headphones that the company brought to store shelves not too long ago.
This new report from Thurrott reveals that Redmond is working on at least two webcams — one of which would work with both Windows 10 and Xbox.
Essentially, it would restore some of the functionality that was lost with Kinect, which was one of the hallmark features of the Xbox One console at launch. It has been over a year now that the Redmond killed off Kinect.
Even going so far as to ditch the port for the accessory, leaving customers to go the adapter route.
Kinect, obviously, provided the platform with a number of features like voice commands and facial recognition that would log users into their account.
Obviously, with newly developed features like Cortana and Windows Hello, some of this functionality is back, even improved upon. So, perhaps, this is a play by Microsoft to restore these features for two of its main consumer platforms.
Speaking of, the report claims that the second webcam will be more enterprise-focused. There is speculation that this is the one that will be used with the upcoming Surface Hub 2.
That particular webcam will connect via USB Type-C, meaning there should be no reason why it should not be able to work with other devices.
Microsoft already has its LifeCam series, and even though it has been making webcams for years now, the company is yet to release a webcam with an IR camera that helps with facial recognition. That hopefully changes sometimes next year.
Not much else is known about these new peripherals at this point, other than that they are reportedly coming in 2019.
As are a lot of other things!
