Apple Purchases PrimeSense for $345 Million: Company Created Xbox 360's Kinect
Apple paid $345 million to buy the developer of the Xbox 360's Kinect sensor, PrimeSense.
According to Calcalist, Apple initially offered to pay $280 million for the company as they looked to use the technology for their products.
PrimeSense uses 3D scanning technology and partnered with Microsoft to make its unique motion sensor for the 360. According to Polygon, the company also produces 3D sensor chips and peripherals.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Some of the products include the Carmine 1.08 peripheral, which is $200 and the 3D sensing Capri 1.25 system on an embeddable chip that can be transferred to most electronic devices.
"PrimeSense is the leading 3D technology in the market. We are focused on building a prosperous company while bringing 3D sensing and Natural Interaction to the mass market in a variety of markets such as interactive living room and mobile devices. We do not comment on what any of our partners, customers or potential customers are doing and we do not relate to rumors or re-cycled rumors," said the company to Polygon, who reached out for a comment.
The Guardian reports that PrimeSense is used in over 24 million products all around the world since they launched in 2005.
"[The company] gives digital devices the ability to observe a scene in three dimensions. It translates these observations into a synchronised image stream (depth and color) – just like humans do. It then takes those synchronised images and translates them into information such as identification of people - their body properties, movements and gestures; classification of objects such as furniture; location of walls and floor," PrimseSense states on their site.
Microsoft chose to go a different route for the Xbox One's Kinect. The Kinect is able to respond to movements and gestures of the gamer playing the console without a controller. Using just a camera, it operates and senses the room.
