Microsoft is making available a $49 adapter kit that will allow Kinect for Xbox One sensors available for use with Windows 8/8.1 PCs and tablets.

Microsoft also is enabling developers to make their Kinect apps available in the Windows Store for the first time, officials said on October 22.

The first of those commercially available apps are available today, including Nayi Disha, a series of interactive apps for early childhood education; YAKiT, a 2D/3D character design app; and Microsoft's own 3D Builder, which allows users to scan people or objects and create a 3D print of that model.

The new Kinect Adapter for Windows requires a USB 3.0 port and won't work with the Kinect sensor for Xbox 360. It is available for purchase in more than three dozen countries starting today and will be available in a total of 41 countries "in the coming weeks," officials said.

The current Kinect for Windows sensor v2 (which doesn't require the $49 adapter kit) is available for $199 .

Version 1 of the Kinect for Windows sensor looked like the Kinect for Xbox sensor, but was designed to work at closer range and to work with Windows 7/8/8.1 PCs. The second version of the Kinect for Windows sensor, also designed to work at close range, works only with Windows 8 and 8.1.

Microsoft also is making its Kinect for Windows software development kit (SDK) 2.0 is available today for free download. There are no fees for runtime licenses of commercial applications developed with the SDK.

Microsoft officials said they've made 200 improvements and updates to the SDK since we released the public preview in June, including enhancements to Visual Gesture Builder, Kinect Studio, and Kinect Fusion, we get you coding faster with a substantially more stable and feature-rich product.

I wonder whether Microsoft plans to make only one Kinect sensor (that will work with both Xbox and Windows) going forward. Officials aren't saying if that's the plan or not.