Kinect spotted built into Asus Windows 8 laptops

Kinect is coming to computers. The first prototype laptops have been spotted with motion-sensing Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect technology built in, made by Asus and running Windows 8.

The Daily spied prototype Asus Windows laptops that had Kinect sensors, so they can be controlled with a wave of your arm or hand, without touching the laptop or even being anywhere near it.

The arm-waving gaming system lets you control your Xbox games without a controller, the Kinect camera sensing your body's movements and directing your character to mimic them.

Microsoft is making software available for developers to build Kinect-controlled apps for Windows. But these are the first computers to be spotted with Kinect built in, the sensors placed along the top where a webcam would be.

The Asus laptops run Windows 8, the next generation of Microsoft's 25-year-old operating system. They're just prototypes for now, but the potential is obvious. As well as playing games on your laptop, you can control it without sitting in front of it. You can use it to play music as you potter about the house, skipping tracks with a flick of the wrist. Or you can watch movies and videos without having to jump and bash the volume keys every time there's a loud bit. And now Microsoft has bought Skype, you're free to chat on video while doing something else.

If none of that sounds particularly revolutionary, how about playing invisible musical instruments, helping with physiotherapy and defusing frickin' bombs? The potential is so enormous our tiny brains can't even conceive of how it could change the way we interact with computers. Did somebody say Minority Report?

Or there's just pretending you're rocking a Jedi mind trick on your computer.

Voice control is also included in Kinect and Windows 8, for more complex tasks when your hands are full. The new OS goes public later this year, but in the meantime, here's how to get Windows 8 on your computer today.

Here's Luke making a connection with Kinect:

Rumours suggest that Kinect could be built into next generation televisions too. We hope it understands you when you're swearing at the muppets on The Only Way is Essex.

Kinect is expected to appear in hand-waving apps for current Windows computers in February. Clever uses of the technology so far include surgeons making recision incisions and many more mindblowing hacks.

What would you do with a laptop you can control without touching it? Are you excited at the prospect of Kinect expanding beyond the world of gaming? Wave your arms around in the comments or on our Facebook page.