Can I use the Kinect API on a virtual machine?

Question

This programming guide implies that this is possible, so I figure what the heck.

Right now, though, it doesn't work.

Host OS is Vista 64-bit, VMWare Workstation 6.5.3 is running Windows 7 Enterprise 32-bit.

Installed Software on the VM:

• Visual C# 2010 Express
• Microsoft Server Speech Platform Runtime
• Microsoft Server Speech Recognition Language - Kinect
• Microsoft Speech Platform SDK
• Kinect for Windows SDK Beta

I plug in the Kinect, the device is recognized by the VM, then I run the Sample Shape Game and it doesn't recognize the device. It says "Plug in the Kinect and try again" which turns out to be error 0x80080014, which leads to http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/kinectsdknuiapi/thread/4da8c75e-9aad-4dc3-bd83-d77ab4cd2f82/ which gives me two things to look at:

1. is it plugged in with the special cable? yes
2. are all 4 entries in the Device Manager? no

In the Device Manager, I see a "Microsoft Kinect" group containing Microsoft Kinect Audio Control, Microsoft Kinect Camera and Microsoft Kinect Device, but there is nothing under "Sound, video and game controllers" other than VMware VMaudio. "Kinect USB Audio" should be there.

I'm guessing that there is some further twiddling I have to do with the VMWare USB / hardware options (whatever that tray with the USB / CD / HD / floppy etc icons is called) or some deft combination of rebooting and (un)plugging, but I'm almost out of enthusiasm.

Any ideas? TIA

EDIT: I realized that I had some lingering drivers on my host (Vista) system from OpenKinect. After removing them, I can no longer see the Kinect at all in the VM. Hmm.

Answer 1

just to share that (not really understood how) VM Workstation 8 running in a host win 7 x64 with guest OS Ubuntu 10.04 sucessfully detected and installed Kinect drivers.

I was able to test it with libfreenect (OpenKinect Project) http://openkinect.org/wiki/Getting_Started#Manual_Build_on_Linux

best regards,

Answer 2

There is this on read.me

Virtual machines: You must run applications built with the Kinect for Windows SDK Beta in a native Windows environment. Kinect for Windows applications cannot run in a virtual machine, because the Microsoft Kinect drivers and this SDK Beta must be installed on the computer where the application is running.