Fashionable Kinect lights up Nordstrom window

Oh Kinect ... while I'm still waiting to see what you have to offer those of us gamers who want to play more than just "Dance Central," your uses beyond the realm of video gaming continue to prove surprising, sometimes terrifying, but mostly quite delightful.

Speaking of which ... today's charming bit of Kinect ingenuity comes from clothing retailer Nordstrom of all places.

It seems the Seattle-based flagship store has created a window display that uses Microsoft's Kinect motion controller to let passersby hand "paint" lighted letters into the display.

Steve Clayton's Next at Microsoft blog alerted me to this nifty blend of fashion and gaming technology. The Kinect camera-based controller is hidden in a fixture below a Dolce & Gabbana handbag, he explains, and a sign instructs people walking by to "Please DO touch the glass."

He posted this video of the interactive window display in action:

Meanwhile, the Nordstrom blog says this project sprang from a light-writing project the company did for its Spring Designer catalog.

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Check out their video for a quick look at how it came together:

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Or better yet, if you live in the Seattle area, you can check it out for yourself. The display is scheduled to light up the Nordstrom window ... and your fashion sense ... until April 11.

(Thanks to Steve Clayton for the heads up.)

For related news, check out:

• The future of Kinect games: Some strings attached
• Kinect-controlled helicopter scores win for robot overlords
• Kinect hacked to guide the blind
• 'Star Trek' plus Kinect equals awesome

Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things right here on Twitter.