Microsoft is already expanding its Kinect controller beyond the Xbox 360 to to Windows through the release of a commercial software development kit and a special version of the Kinect device for PCs (pictured at right). A new report says the company is aiming to go further by letting hardware makers embed the motion-sensing technology directly into laptops, without using a standalone device.

The Daily reports today that it has seen two prototypes incorporating Kinect technology by putting sensors across the top of the screen, where the laptop would normally be, with what appear to be a set of LEDs at the bottom of the display. The report says a source at Microsoft confirmed the authenticity of the prototypes.

No official word from the company, but this general direction makes sense, given Microsoft’s push toward natural user interfaces, such as voice and gestures, as a means of supplementing the traditional keyboard and mouse.

Who knows, maybe Kinect embedded into the frame of a Windows 8 tablet could give Microsoft a leg up on the iPad.

Previously: Kinect for Windows: What’s actually happening on Feb. 1

(Via Joystiq and Engadget)

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